Created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk
A coven of witches in New Orleans runs into a few roadblocks along the way to finding their newest Supreme.
Original release date October 9, 2013 - January 29, 2014 for FX.
Streaming now on HULU.
How do you define morality? What defines good? What defines evil? Where does that line stand? AHS: Coven is a masterpiece all around. It appears as if creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk (Glee, Nip/Tuck) are finally able to stay the course, not using a child to circle back to completion. The side quest plot lines all seemingly ending satisfactorily on some level.
That could also be because the actors absolutely killed it.
One could think that telling a tale about a coven in New Orleans would have been overdone at this point. Let us tell you, we thought wrong. AHS: Coven tripped us down a path that wound many colliding mythologies. Voodoo practitioners, descendants from the Salem witch tragedy, even a bloodline of Witch hunters turned corporate. All coming together in a fantastical yet
brilliant story taking place in current times, while also flashing back in time to skillfully explain the characters' historical significance to the story.
AHS: Coven is, in essence, a maiden/mother/crone tale. Young witches finding a place to call home; finding themselves through understanding their own strengths, while finding family in their weaknesses. The next generations of witches are trying to make their marks, on both sides of that
fine line, black or white. The Elder witches remembering what youth was like, trying to guide whilst knowing their own time has long since passed. Sacrifices must be made. Simple choices can have the darkest outcomes.
Our favorite scene comes from one of the greatest actors like EVER, Kathy Bates, portraying Madame Delphine LaLaurie whilst watching President Barack Obama giving a speech on television. Kathy Bates embodies this character, making us love such an evil thundercunt.(Sorry, not even gonna tell you where to find the scene because we feel like it would lose its impact.) Also returning are Jessica Lange as Fiona Goode, Sarah Paulson as Cordelia Goode, Lily Rabe as Misty Day, Jamie Brewer as Nan, Evan Peters as Kyle Spencer, Denis O’Hare as Spaulding, Taissa Farmiga as Zoe Benson, Danny Huston as The Ax Man, and, always giving a stand out performance, Frances Conroy as Myrtle Snow.
Gabourey Sidibe makes her American Horror Story debut portraying Queenie, a young witch who, along with coming into her powers, is also trying to find out which side of the upcoming fight she will find herself. Also
making her American Horror Story debut, the beautiful and talented Angela Bassett as Marie Laveau, a Voodoo priestess not to be trifled with. As expected AHS:Coven is packed with guest stars as well. Patti LuPone (Corky’s mom on Life Goes On, y’all!!) as Joan Ramsey, a religious zealot
“crazy neighbor lady"; Mare Winningham (St. Elmo’s Fire) as Alicia Spencer, and Lance Reddick (John Wick) as Papa Legba, a terrifyingly powerful yet beyond amusing intermediary between the living and the dead...for a price.
We found ourselves surprised this season believe it or not. AHS: Coven pulled that off as well. Stevie NIcks, of Fleetwood Mac fame, guest stars as herself portraying a White witch. Ms. Nicks performs her hit Seven Wonders. The use of this song, title and lyrics, as a part of a
magic in music itself, simply couldn't have been done any better.
Final Thought: AHS: Coven hit all the marks for just a great story. We wouldn't classify AHS: Coven as horror. More along the lines of a coming of age story, with fuckery abounding. This is a fun and easy watch.
