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| “ | These are my last words, Miss Fiona: I have always loved you. | „ |
| ~ Spalding before slicing his tongue off. |
Otis Spalding Van Wirt is a supporting antagonist in American Horror Story: Coven and a minor character in Season 2 of the horror anthology series American Horror Stories. He is a mute butler at Miss Robichaux's Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies.
He was primarily portrayed by Denis O'Hare, who also played other American Horror Story villains, such as Stanley in Freak Show and Mr. Van Wirt in the American Horror Stories episode "Dollhouse", and Harold Morrissey and James Smith in Law & Order. His younger self was portrayed by Houston Jax Towe.
History[]
Otis Spalding Van Wirt was the son of a crazed dollmaker named Van Wirt. His mother, Mrs. Van Wirt, was an adulterer who was murdered by his father. Mr. Van Wirt subsequently kidnapped several women and "auditioned" them to become Otis's new mother, killing several of them when they failed. Otis formed a friendship with the final woman, a witch named Coby. The two were eventually rescued by witches from Miss Robichaux's Academy, who killed Mr. Van Wirt and his assistant Eustace and allowed the two to join them at the academy, with Otis going by his middle name of Spalding.
By the start of Coven, Spalding has been working as a butler for the Academy at least ever since Fiona Goode and Myrtle were students there. He witnessed Fiona murder the current Supreme at that time, (Anna Leigh Leighton) and it was implied by Myrtle that he assisted Fiona in getting rid of the evidence. Fiona pleads innocence to the Council and lies that Anna Leigh was certain she was the next Supreme, and Myrtle who had the ability to detect lies, bluntly tells Fiona and her friend that she suspects Fiona of murder when Fiona is crowned Supreme Elect by the Council. Myrtle enchants Spalding's tongue so that he can't lie, and then summons the Council to question him about the death of Anna Leigh. While confiding this to her friend during dinner, Spalding overhears everything while cleaning the table. That night, he slips a note to Fiona asking her to meet him in a bathroom. She arrives, and he tells her that she will hear his last words before slitting his own tongue with a razor blade. He lives but his screams attract the students to the bathroom. Myrtle notices that Fiona was in the bathroom before their headmistress did, and suspects that it was Fiona who slit Spalding's tongue to prevent him from speaking the truth. Spalding has remained butler of the Academy until the present day. Most of the witches in the Academy treat him well, Fiona treats him like a normal servant and occasionally insults his muteness mixed with compliments about his silence while Madison is more cruel to him and asks him taunting questions. He had kept to himself for a lot of the years, mostly staying within the Academy and doing chores. While not working he had tea parties with his collection of dolls. One night, while playing with his dolls, he overhears Madison and Fiona coming home from the bar, and witnesses their conversation go awry when Fiona, murders Madison, the events mirroring what happened when Fiona killed Anna Leigh. This time, he hands Fiona a handkerchief to wipe the blood off her hands and pours her a drink. He rolls Madison's body in a bloody rug and complies with Fiona's order to get rid of the body. Unknown to anyone, he kept Madison's corpse and added her to his collections of tea party dolls. During Fiona's inquisition, Myrtle knows that he knows who is responsible for the death of Anna Leigh and Madison, and the one responsible for cutting his tongue out. Had he written Fiona's name, she would have been sentenced to die by fire. However, technically speaking, if Myrtle did not enchant his tongue, he would not need to have cut it decades ago, and writes "Myrtle Snow" on the paper, infuriating Myrtle. Zoe discovers that Spalding has been keeping Madison's corpse in a trunk in the attic after communicating with the spirit of The Axeman. Zoe, Queenie, and Nan interrogate Spalding, who pleads that he was responsible for killing Madison because he was enchanted with her beauty, but Zoe is unconvinced. Later, Zoe recites an incantation, enchanting Spalding's tongue and returning it to his mouth. Spalding admits that Fiona was responsible for murdering Madison due to his tongue being enchanted to tell the truth, and Zoe stabs Spalding in the chest after this revelation, killing him. However his death in the house does not stop his involvement but rather empowers it; when Fiona is tricked into killing herself to support the rise of the new Supreme - Misty Day, rather than Madison as she was led to believe - Spalding returned, once again capable of speaking, and convinces her not to give in. Spalding is seen with Delphine and James with his guts hanging out and tells Delphine to get him an expensive doll and in return he gives her Benadryl as she thinks it will render the Voodoo Queen Marie mortal. Delphine stabs her and runs after she finds out that Marie was still immortal and runs down the stairs. Spalding knocks Marie out with a doll and says "I wanted her out of my hair." He takes her stolen baby and calls it his first "living doll"
Appearance/Personality[]
His traditional butler attire is a fine black tuxedo. He also has a troubled, stressed weathered face framed by long, thin scraggly hair and a scruffy beard. His fingernails are yellow, unclean and sharp. Spalding is a rather sensitive, nervous man who is shrouded in mystery for a lot of the season. He is very devoted to Fiona Goode and even convinced her not to commit suicide.
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 Villains
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Murder House Asylum Coven Freak Show Hotel Roanoke The Butcher | Roanoke Colonists (Ambrose White) | Polk Family | Lee Harris | Agnes Mary Winstead | Dominic Banks | Monet Tumusiime | Miranda and Bridget Jane | Edward Mott | Piggy Man | Chen Family | Scáthach Cult Apocalypse 1984 Double Feature Part 2: Death Valley NYC Delicate American Horror Stories | ||