American Horror Story: Best performances from 25 key AHS actors

What is Jessica Lange’s best American Horror Story role?

Honestly, every single American Horror Story character that Jessica Lange played was brilliant, and while I was torn between choosing Constance Langdon or even Fiona Goode in terms of her very best AHS role, there is something about her Sister Jude that is hard to ignore.

Sister Jude was never the nicest character at the asylum, but over time we get to see different aspects of this character. And as we watch her fall from grace and see her end up in the same place as the people she herself treated poorly, it feels like it is something she may have deserved. But at the same time, we also feel bad for her and what she goes through, especially towards the end of the season.

Her character goes through an entire evolution and it is a fascinating journey. We see her go from a villain to a tragic character. She tries to repent and does what she can to fix the mistakes of her past, but she loses so much of her life in the asylum. And yet, her final days are not those of misery and pain, they are of family and hope.

Sister Jude would never have been such a tragic character if it were not for Jessica Lange and her talents. She makes us believe she is a villain and within a few episodes, she has us believing there could be hope for her redemption as a hero. And even as an inmate of that same asylum, we see glimmers of hope.

Maybe it’s just me, but there were plenty of times when Sister Jude brought me to tears. And that is definitely the mark of a brilliant character.