Vivien Harmon
Encyclopedia
Vivien Harmon, portrayed by Connie Britton
, is a fictional character on FX Network's TV series American Horror Story
. She is a housewife and a former cellist
. Very concerned with using organic products, Vivien does not even allow her family to drink from plastic containers. She is horrified when her doctor suggests a hormone therapy
to help her heal after a stillbirth
.
The incident is one of the events that led the family to leaving Boston
to take up residence in the haunted mansion in Los Angeles
. Vivien became depressed
and withdrawn, and pushed away her husband Ben, who then had an affair with one of his college students. Vivien still suffers from the trauma of the stillbirth, and has displaced much of that sadness and anger onto the cheating of her husband, and becomes enraged at him instead of dealing with the real cause of her anger and hurt. This leads her to be repulsed at the idea of any sexual contact. Yet she seems committed to keeping the family together, and to patching things up and going on with their lives. She is very nervous and fearful. In the process of dealing with the issues of her husband and her stillbirth, she somewhat neglects her daughter Violet, but they do seem to have a loving relationship.
Vivien is a musician, and used to play the cello. We do not know why or when she quit, but her husband is encouraging her to play again.
During the course of adjusting to the new house she is introduced to her neighbors - an aging Southern belle
named Constance and her daughter Adelaide, who has Down Syndrome
- both of whom seem very unpleasant and strange. Vivien seems to be trusting of Moira - a maid with history of the house - yet is unaware of her dual nature. The maid appears older in appearance to Vivien, yet young to Ben.
Vivien and Ben have begun having sexual relations again, and seem to be getting closer. While burning sage as a means of aromatherapy
around the house -- a gift from Constance, Vivien finds a horrific looking leather BDSM
suit in the attic that completely obscures the wearer, except for the eyes. Ben throws this out, but, after he and Vivien have sex, someone wearing this suit (and looking much like Ben in height and build) comes to the bedroom without speaking. Vivien thinks it's Ben being kinky
, so she plays along, and has sex with the wearer of the suit. Meanwhile, we see Ben is standing by the kitchen stove, where Constance is telling him it's not his time yet. Ben goes back to bed, the man is gone, and Vivien assumes that Ben has removed the suit and come back to bed. Later, we find out that Vivien is pregnant with twins, but we do not know if the father is Ben, or the creature in the suit.
When Ben's now-pregnant college student shows up in Los Angeles to lure him away from Vivien and is subsequently killed, her ghost and others plot to drive Vivien insane, in order to get her out of the house and to have Ben (and the house's ghost mothers) raise the children.
Connie Britton
Connie Britton is an American actress. She is best known for the roles of Nikki Faber on Spin City and on Friday Night Lights as Tami Taylor. Her most notable films are Friday Night Lights and A Nightmare on Elm Street...
, is a fictional character on FX Network's TV series American Horror Story
American Horror Story
American Horror Story is a horror-drama television series created and produced by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk. The series centers on the Harmon family: Ben, Vivien and their daughter Violet, who move from Boston to Los Angeles after Vivien has a miscarriage and Ben has an affair...
. She is a housewife and a former cellist
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
. Very concerned with using organic products, Vivien does not even allow her family to drink from plastic containers. She is horrified when her doctor suggests a hormone therapy
Hormone therapy
Hormone therapy, or hormonal therapy is the use of hormones in medical treatment. Treatment with hormone antagonists may also referred to as hormonal therapy...
to help her heal after a stillbirth
Stillbirth
A stillbirth occurs when a fetus has died in the uterus. The Australian definition specifies that fetal death is termed a stillbirth after 20 weeks gestation or the fetus weighs more than . Once the fetus has died the mother still has contractions and remains undelivered. The term is often used in...
.
The incident is one of the events that led the family to leaving Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
to take up residence in the haunted mansion in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. Vivien became depressed
Depression (mood)
Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behaviour, feelings and physical well-being. Depressed people may feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, or restless...
and withdrawn, and pushed away her husband Ben, who then had an affair with one of his college students. Vivien still suffers from the trauma of the stillbirth, and has displaced much of that sadness and anger onto the cheating of her husband, and becomes enraged at him instead of dealing with the real cause of her anger and hurt. This leads her to be repulsed at the idea of any sexual contact. Yet she seems committed to keeping the family together, and to patching things up and going on with their lives. She is very nervous and fearful. In the process of dealing with the issues of her husband and her stillbirth, she somewhat neglects her daughter Violet, but they do seem to have a loving relationship.
Vivien is a musician, and used to play the cello. We do not know why or when she quit, but her husband is encouraging her to play again.
During the course of adjusting to the new house she is introduced to her neighbors - an aging Southern belle
Southern belle
A southern belle is an archetype for a young woman of the American Old South's upper class....
named Constance and her daughter Adelaide, who has Down Syndrome
Down syndrome
Down syndrome, or Down's syndrome, trisomy 21, is a chromosomal condition caused by the presence of all or part of an extra 21st chromosome. It is named after John Langdon Down, the British physician who described the syndrome in 1866. The condition was clinically described earlier in the 19th...
- both of whom seem very unpleasant and strange. Vivien seems to be trusting of Moira - a maid with history of the house - yet is unaware of her dual nature. The maid appears older in appearance to Vivien, yet young to Ben.
Vivien and Ben have begun having sexual relations again, and seem to be getting closer. While burning sage as a means of aromatherapy
Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is a form of alternative medicine that uses volatile plant materials, known as essential oils, and other aromatic compounds for the purpose of altering a person's mind, mood, cognitive function or health....
around the house -- a gift from Constance, Vivien finds a horrific looking leather BDSM
BDSM
BDSM is an erotic preference and a form of sexual expression involving the consensual use of restraint, intense sensory stimulation, and fantasy power role-play. The compound acronym BDSM is derived from the terms bondage and discipline , dominance and submission , and sadism and masochism...
suit in the attic that completely obscures the wearer, except for the eyes. Ben throws this out, but, after he and Vivien have sex, someone wearing this suit (and looking much like Ben in height and build) comes to the bedroom without speaking. Vivien thinks it's Ben being kinky
Kink
* A twist or bend in something such as rope, cable, hair or IG curveKink or KINK can refer to:* Kink , a colloquial term for non-normative sexual behavior...
, so she plays along, and has sex with the wearer of the suit. Meanwhile, we see Ben is standing by the kitchen stove, where Constance is telling him it's not his time yet. Ben goes back to bed, the man is gone, and Vivien assumes that Ben has removed the suit and come back to bed. Later, we find out that Vivien is pregnant with twins, but we do not know if the father is Ben, or the creature in the suit.
When Ben's now-pregnant college student shows up in Los Angeles to lure him away from Vivien and is subsequently killed, her ghost and others plot to drive Vivien insane, in order to get her out of the house and to have Ben (and the house's ghost mothers) raise the children.