Molly Ann Montague

**Doctor Molly Ann Montague** is the lead engineer serving the Montauk Research Team's "Project Iniquitous". She is a character in *Kate's American Horror Story: Montauk* and *Before the Explosion* primarily portrayed by Courtney LaPlante.

## Background

Molly's early home life was a considerably distanced one. Her father, John Montague, was a manager for a radio broadcasting company in Manhattan whose job pulled him away from Montauk rather often. Her mother Betty was similarly absent- although she remained in the home with her children, she interacted very little with Molly. As such, the only familial companionship she truly had was that of her older brother, Maxwell 'Max' Montague, who had taken on a great deal of responsibility within the Montague household.

Even from a young age, Max and Molly contrasted sharply with one another. Max was sociable and light-hearted; he was respected by the adult residents of Montauk, and well-liked among his peers. Molly, however, was incredibly withdrawn and standoffish. Her precocious, robotic manner didn't mesh well with others, and she didn't seem to enjoy talking to anybody else in Montauk apart from Max. It was frankly surprising that they got along as well as they did, but Max looked out for his younger sister to the best of his abilities.

When Molly was eight years old, it was revealed that John Montague had been having an affair with his secretary, and was leaving to Manhattan to be with her. Betty Montague grew despondent at the news, retreating even further away from her family and leaving Max as the primary caretaker of both Molly and their household. Max managed wherever possible, getting work when he could and attempting to keep Molly away from the family issues she was already well-aware of as much as he was able. As their family was splitting apart, they bonded over a shared interest in programming and radio- a way to stay connected even as things continued to change.

The two siblings remained close, even as Max progressed into his late teens. While Molly was largely self-sufficient, he still made an effort to keep an eye on her wherever possible. He often worked late into the evenings, coming home early in the mornings and, much to his dismay, Molly often waited up for him. This cycle was broken on a morning in mid-March, wherein Max did not return as expected. Instead, Sheriff John Bolton arrived at the Montagues' doorstep in search of Betty Montague. Molly obliged, eavesdropping from the next room over and learning that Max had died in a car accident, with the NYPD strongly believing his death to be a suicide.

Max's death caused Molly to retreat even further inwards, becoming cold and vaguely aggressive towards those who approached her, even those who meant well. The years that followed were slow and monotonous, with Molly's mother being completely despondent and Molly taking up the majority of household duties. She progressed exponentially in her schoolwork, though she eventually grew numb to the accolades from her educators and peers. When she was fourteen, she managed to keep her mother conscious enough to sell the family home and move into an apartment a short distance away- an attempt to keep the two of them from total financial ruin.

Two years later, in 1975, Betty Montague took her own life in the apartment, leaving Molly to discover her body. Molly was considerably unfazed by her mother's death, having considered her absent long before that point in time. Once again, she arranged the death rites of a family member and moved living spaces, this time into another apartment closer to the center of town.

Molly was in a headspace far from sanity, and she had been ever since Max's death. As far as she was concerned, the circumstances of Max's accident were virtually impossible, and required further investigation. For as much of a skeptic as she was, Molly found herself surprisingly unwilling to believe that his death was entirely mundane. As such, on the morning of March 16, 1977 (exactly eight years after Max's death), Molly approached the Montauk Cutoff Railway Bridge. She waited until his declared time of death--3:33 am--before actually crossing the bridge. In an instant, the side railings gave way and her vehicle tumbled into the ditch below, just as Max's had eight years prior. Molly survived the initial impact, suspended upside-down within the car as reality began to warp before her very eyes.

The calm morning atmosphere of spring in Montauk gave way to angry red skies and a white-hot sun, with the dirt of the long-abandoned trench now sprouting tall patches of fiery grass. Ash fell from the sky like rain, mixing into the wreckage of Molly's car. Perhaps the most surprising change, however, was a figure moving towards her- Maxwell Montague, alive and well, crouched outside the shattered front windshield and was attempting to get her out. She was discovered soon after and, once she was legitimately being pulled from the debris, the strange vision of Montauk faded altogether.

Molly knew what she had seen, however, and was entirely unwilling to trust the images as a hallucination. She placed complete faith in the vision, altering her own lines of work and study to more closely intertwine with her new goal: replicating the results of the car accident without bodily harm, allowing her access to this separate reality she'd been given a glimpse into.

## Personality and Appearance

Molly is a young woman with cold black eyes and, in surprising contrast to her severe demeanor, dyed pink hair.

## Quotes

* **Regarding Insufficient Test Results:** "Of course, emotion has once again corrupted my progress."
* **To Ryan Carter:** "If it's a confession she wants, then I suppose she'll remain dissatisfied. I have nothing to confess."
* **To Pietro:** "I think we forwent the need for pleasantries when you entered my locked apartment."
* **To Pietro:** "I remember your results clearly. The world you saw... it was not like mine."

## Notes

* Molly is the sixth character to be written by Kylo, and the second to be portrayed by Courtney LaPlante.
* She is Kylo's fifth character to die in the course of the series in which she appears.
* Molly is entirely fluent in Morse Code.
* Molly's pink hair is the result of a mistake, which she then decided she liked and kept for the past ten years.
* Most of the clothing she wears once belonged to her mother. Blue is her favorite color to wear.
* When not researching for personal means, Molly occupies her free time by knitting and crocheting.