Vengeful protagonist villainess Liv Whitley
Liv Whitley (Billie Lourd) is the main protagonist and the true main villainess from "BA'AL," the antepenultimate episode of American Horror Stories' first season (airdate August 5, 2021).
Introduction[]
Liv Whitley is the wife of aspiring actor Matt Webb, and the episode opened with the couple at a fertility clinic, as Liv was planning to have a baby. After two years and no results, Liv is encountered by the clinic's receptionist, Bernadette, who gives her a fertility totem and advised her to place it under her bed before making love. Liv takes the totem and follows Bernadette's advice, which works, as 16 months later, Liv is shown with her infant son, Aaron, attempting to calm him down.
Liv's frustration over motherhood led her to seek therapy from Dr. Eleanor Berger, and regarding the totem, she placed it in a shoebox inside the closet. However, when Liv takes out the totem again, she sees it resembling a horned and winged figure that she saw hovering over Aaron, and she later begins to hear ominous sounds from the basement. An online search for fertility gods led Liv to realize that the figure was a demon known as Ba'al, and with their friends Emma, Rory, and Stan at their house, Liv and Matt decide to test out a Ouija board, which spells "He is mine," further convincing Liv that Ba'al was after Aaron.
Liv later confronted Bernadette about the supernatural goings-on at her house, after which Bernadette, who revealed herself as a Wiccan, provided Liv with a banishing spell as well as athame for protection. That evening, Liv performed the ritual, but after hearing Ba'al, Liv waved the dagger for protection, which resulted in Liv accidentally stabbing Matt with the weapon.
Reveal[]
Liv's sinister smirk during her reveal
Two weeks later, Liv is shown at a mental institution, where Matt visited her and consoled her, only for Liv to insist on remaining in confinement until she is deemed fit to be released. Afterwards, it is revealed that Liv's visions were part of a gaslighting scheme concocted by Matt, with Bernadette (Matt's illicit lover), Emma, Sean, and Rory all working as conspirators. As the villainous quintet celebrated their success, the actual Ba'al appeared and killed all of Matt's cohorts, with Matt being left accused of the murders and arrested. As for Liv, she visited Matt and confronted him regarding his actions, with Matt revealing that his wife's money was a motive, as well as not being in love with her anymore.
Liv disbelieved Matt's statements about Ba'al being real and ignored his pleas to help him; however, the final scenes saw Ba'al appear to Liv, who later gave a fiendish smirk in response to the demon's request to release him. As it turned out, Liv had known about the gaslighting scheme, and she had kept the "phony" banishing spell due to the fact that it was actually a genuine summoning spell. The fiendish villainess summoned Ba'al to kill Matt's conspirators and set up her husband in the murders, and after boasting about her actions, the evil Liv agreed to release Ba'al under the condition of giving her another baby, with the episode ending with the demon making love with Liv.