AHS Season 6 Episode 1 Recap: New Theme Revealed!

This season of American Horror Story has been shrouded in mystery for months, but, at last, we know what we'll be getting ourselves into every Wednesday night: the terrifying story of a married couple who've bought land in the infamous Roanoke region of North Carolina.

That's right--this season's theme is "My Roanoke Nightmare," a reference to the failed colonization attempt of Queen Elizabeth I to settle on Roanoke Island, now part of Dare County, NC. During the Anglo-Spanish war in 1587, 115 settlers on the island mysteriously vanished, and were never found.

Fast forward to modern-day Los Angeles, where last night's premiere begins. Sarah Paulson and Cuba Gooding Jr. play a married couple looking for a fresh start out East, and after stumbling upon a gorgeous estate in the woods of North Carolina, they outbid some toothless hillbillies and intend to live happily ever after. Obviously, there's going to be a few bumps in the road.

The show chose to go with a new format this season, in which it mimics a sort of I Shouldn't Be Alive program, re-enacting events told by the "real-life" survivors, played by Lily Rabe and Andre Holland. Sarah Paulson and Cuba Gooding Jr. play actors re-showing the events of the story.

Let's recount some of the highlights:

First off, Gooding Jr. stole our hearts as Matt, the kind, protective husband (yes, there is a glimpse of his butt in the episode--hopefully more to come!)

Don't worry--Angela Bassett is back, playing the actress version of the already iconic character of Lee, Matt's alcoholic ex-cop sister.

Speaking of drinking, Sarah Paulson found time to do so on the show. And we're loving that hair!

It appears the teaser trailer featuring tree monsters was the one most true to the show's actual horrors. Look at that cute little guy!

Here's the corresponding teaser:

At the end of the episode, we got to see some bloody guys with torches, like this little fella!

Looks like that lost colony might finally have been found.

American Horror Story airs Wednesdays on FX at 10 PM EST.