Even though I am a huge fan of American Horror Story, I am not always a huge fan of how the show writes its female characters. Constantly squabbling over a boy or power or stabbing each other in the back to get to the top, AHS writers often remove that special element from their women reducing them to nothing more than one dimensional caricatures. However, there is one person that has stood out among six seasons’ worth of characters: Lana Winters (Sarah Paulson) from season two: Asylum. An ambitious reporter, Lana is determined to get the inside scoop on a recently captured, flesh-masked murderer, Bloody Face, but she ends up being committed against her will at Briarcliff because of her “deviant lifestyle.” Throughout the season, though, Lana never gives up, surviving unethical psychiatric treatments, being tortured by the real Bloody Face, as well as her wrongful imprisonment in the asylum. Here are fourteen Lana moments that prove she was the real star of American Horror Story: Asylum.

1. When she spoke a truth that applies to Briarcliff (and, well, the rest of the world)

2. When she learned how Briarcliff operated

3. When she said and did what she needed to in order to survive

4. When Lana wasn't sure she could survive Thredson's torture for much longer, but she persevered and escaped because...

5. She is so gosh darn plucky

6. When she wanted to end Thredson's life by bashing his skull in, and hey, the girl had her reasons

7. When she said what we were all thinking when Sister Jude broke the ONLY RECORD BRIARCLIFF OWNED

8. When she refused to let male detectives marginalize her and her traumatic journey

9. When she defended her son against a schoolyard bully despite wanting no contact with him

And then there are moments when she doesn't even need any words:

10. When the Mother Superior helps her escape Briarcliff, Lana flips off a disbelieving Thredson from the taxi cab, mocking him with the only evidence tying him to the Bloody Face murders

12. When she breastfed her rapist's baby

13. And when Lana elegantly faced the paparazzi after visiting her lover's grave

And finally,

14. When she dropped this gem