People have so many different opinions on Tate and Murder House, and I love reading different viewpoints. Here’s why I agree with the outcome of the Apocolypae episode and why I don’t believe Tate was evil. (LENGTHY)
Tate Langdon grew up in a very dysfunctional household/toxic environment. His emotional issues were blatantly a direct result of his broken childhood. He believed his dad abandoned him as a young child, leaving him alone with his abusive and neglectful mother, Constance. He told Ben in his first therapy session “He left me alone with the cock sucker. How sick is that?”, which confirms his anger towards the situation of his father “leaving” him with his mother, although unaware his father was murdered by his own mother. We also see several times that Constance is both verbally and physically abusive to Tate, such as the scene where she is hitting him in the basement as he cowers in a corner. There’s also a flashback to a young Tate, who is seen playing with a yellow truck, whilst Constance is passed out on the sofa. Next to the sofa is a coffee table full of alcohol, and it appears she has passed out drunk, leaving a young Tate to look after himself. This backs up neglect in Tate’s childhood, which combined with his father’s absence no doubt left him feeling unwanted and rejected.
Aswell as being abusive to Tate, she is also seen many times being abusive to her other children, Tate’s siblings. She constantly puts down Adelaide, implies she is stupid and fat, even telling her “you’re not a pretty girl”. When she first meets Vivien, she even refers to Addy as a mongoloid, which is a HIGHLY offensive term. And then there’s Beauregard. She keeps him permanently chained to his bed in the attic, eventually ordering Larry to smother him with a pillow. Tate is aware that Larry killed his brother, albeit Constance strongly denies this and blames Beauregard’s death on a ‘respiratory ailment”. This seems to be the breaking point for Tate, who clearly loves and is protective of his siblings.
Tate was the only one of his siblings who didn’t suffer a physical defect, and Constance referred to Tate as a “model of physical perfection. He was my gift”. I think this is another reason for Tate’s resentment towards Constance. She seemed to favour him over her other children because he was “physically attractive”. This likely made Tate feel like he couldn’t live up to her expectations, which is implied when he says to Constance, “No matter how much you want it, I’ll never be your perfect son”, after she tells him a smile could open the gates to heaven.
Which also brings me to my next point... Constance appeared to be somewhat of a perfectionist, worried about her own physical appearance and social status, as seen when she stole expensive items and jewellery from the Harmon’s house, or when she told Vivien she used to “have a pair of diamonds for each day of the week”. Parents with this trait can be damaging to a child’s emotional wellbeing because they project their own high expectations and demands on their children, leaving children feeling inadequate or not good enough. She is seen throughout the show to be racist, homophobic, snobbish and just extremely rude.
It’s pretty obvious that all of these things damaged Tate’s mental health, ability to connect with people and build healthy relationships. But I don’t believe these alone are what made him into a murderer, and I don’t believe he is evil. A sociopath, perhaps? Yes. But definitely not a psychopath. Even though he displays most characteristics of a sociopath, he does clearly have an ability to love, form attachments with few people and show a small amount of empathy. Which is the difference between a sociopath and psychopath. A lot of people disagree with the outcome of the Apocalypse episode, where it’s revealed Tate was used as a pawn by the house. But I actually agree with this (I just didn’t like how the episode felt rushed/barely showed main characters). I definitely believe the house was a catalyst for evil. It drove even ‘normal’ people crazy and over the edge. I mean, that was basically the whole point of that season. As Larry said “that house is evil”. So anyone who was already emotionally vulnerable was easily influenced and manipulated by the evil forces in the house. I think Tate would’ve still been a sociopath if he wasn’t in that house, I just don’t believe it would’ve escalated to mass murder.
Constance described Tate as a “sensitive boy” and a “young man with too deep feelings; the soul of a poet but none of the grit or steel that acts as a bulwark against this... these horrors of this world.” He was the perfect host for the house. His sensitive nature and emotional state made him easily influenced and manipulated by the forces in the house. I don’t believe he would’ve murdered if he hadn’t been in the house. Constance even says “we were living in that house when Tate lost his way”.
Note: I want to make it clear that I don’t condone any violence or school shooters. I acknowledge that people with violent upbringings have a higher propensity for criminal behaviour, but it’s never excuse. My opinions on this post are based on a fictional storyline involving the supernatural. School shooters in real life are NOT admirable or something to advocate. People in real life don’t get manipulated by houses and “ghosts” don’t rape and impregnate human beings.
