Editor's note: The below article contains spoilers for Season 2 of American Horror Stories.American Horror Story is no stranger to featuring recurring characters. Asylum's Sister Mary Eunice (Lily Rabe) makes a cameo appearance in Freak Show, while Murder House's Billie Dean Howard (Sarah Paulson) pops up again in Hotel — not to mention that Apocalypse is a direct continuation of the witches' story from Coven. After 10 seasons, the FX show hasn't been shy in displaying the connective tissue that binds each season's plot and characters together, and the same can be said of its spinoff series, American Horror Stories.

For fans of the show, connections to past seasons can be a welcome treat. After all, it's hard to resist another glimpse of Rubber Man hiding in the shadows or Twisty the Clown stalking unsuspecting teens. However, now that American Horror Stories is into its second season, it's clear that the show is best when using its legacy characters in small doses rather than featuring them in episode-long continuations like last year's "Game Over." As satisfying as it was to revisit Season 1 and check back in with Murder House's resident psychiatrist, Dr. Ben Harmon (Dylan McDermott), it also feels like the series is held back from telling original self-contained stories when it's stuck revisiting fan-favorite characters from past seasons of American Horror Story.

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Image via FX/Hulu

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The Season 2 premiere, "Dollhouse," however, shows a skillful use of American Horror Story's legacy characters. The episode follows crazed dollmaker, Van Wirt (Denis O'Hare), who kidnaps young women and forces them to compete in a "pageant" to see who will be granted the honor of serving as the new mother of his young son, Otis. One contender, the telekinetic Coby (Kristine Froseth), cares for the boy as much as she does about her own safety, and ends up surviving Van Wirt's psychotic game. In an unexpected twist, she and Otis are rescued by a pair of witches who whisk them away to Miss Robichaux's Academy (which should ring a bell for fans of Coven and Apocalypse), where they are met by a young girl with a shock of red hair who introduces herself as — wait for it — Myrtle Snow. It's not until the episode's closing moments that we understand its connections to Coven. The preceding action and plot isn't predicated on any previous season of American Horror Story; rather, it's a solely original tale that serves as a fun nod to a previous season without being beholden to it nor its characters.

In a sharp contrast, the second episode, "Aura," doesn't feature any characters from past seasons. This results in a tight and wholly original ghost story about grief and forgiveness. Reeling from a traumatic home invasion as a child, Jaslyn (Gabourey Sidibe) purchases a Ring-like door camera (the titular Aura) that she hopes will make her and her husband Bryce (Max Greenfield) feel safer. But when she begins to be continuously tormented by a long-haired elderly man who appears on her doorstep, secure is the last thing Jaslyn feels. Here, the setup of "Aura" is Home Invasion Thriller 101: the main character feels unsafe at home, there's a threatening stranger at the door, and no one believes her.

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Image via FX

Had the episode continued down this route, it wouldn't stand out as notable. But it takes an unexpected turn when it reveals that the intruder harassing Jaslyn doesn't mean to do her harm. Instead, it turns out that he's the ghost of her high school janitor who wants to apologize for his inappropriate obsession with her years ago. And when Jaslyn grants him that opportunity — poof! He crumbles to ash and disappears, seemingly able to move on to the afterlife with a clear conscience. The episode's commentary (the horror of reaping what we sow) results in a modern and unexpected twist to the episode that also freshens up the ghost trope — all without the use of a single legacy character.

When it avoids the temptation to rely on cameo appearances from past characters, American Horror Stories gives itself the space and time forge its own identify. It's a fun surprise when we revisit a member of the Harmon family or a fan-favorite creature, but using legacy characters in small doses releases the series from the chains of past seasons and allows it the freedom to chill us with more original stories.

Seasons 1 and 2 of American Horror Stories are currently streaming on Hulu.