Hello my little zombie snacks. Although, I usually write about zombies, ghosts and vampires, when our fearless leader, Andy Burns, asked me to try my hand with FX’s American Horror Story: Coven, my reply was “Hell on a witch’s broom, yes!” I’m excited about the project especially since the very talented Jessica Lange and Kathy Bates are the stars. What are the frisky little ladies of the coven up to? Let’s find out together.
Holy Minotaur! We start the show hitting the ground and running. Starting in New Orleans during 1834, where the amazingly scary Madam Delphine LaLaurie (Kathy Bates) is a bit upset with her daughter playing with the butler. The butler is taken to the dungeon where other slaves are kept. Seems Madam LaLaurie needs a fresh supply of blood for her beauty treatment. But, her last victim is the lover of the New Orleans voodoo priestess, Marie Laveau (Angela Basset) and she takes her revenge on the bloody bitch. Is this the end of Madam LaLaurie? In my opinion, Kathy Bates is the queen of fright. She makes bad look good.
The Student Witches
Jump to modern times, where recurring cast member, Zoe Benson (Taissa Farmiga) and boyfriend are having a hot rendezvous that is until he starts bleeding from every orifice. She learns that she’s descended from a long line of witches and is sent to a private school. If you were expecting Hogwarts; forget about it! Zoe arrives at the school and meets the other students, and no, Hermoine Granger wouldn’t last the day at this finishing school. Zoe’s fellow classmates, Madison Montgomery (Emma Roberts) is a movie star with power to move objects, Nan (Jamie Brewer) is clairvoyant and Queenie (Gabourey Sidibe) is not afraid to cut herself; all have their own tale to tell as to why they are there.
The Teachers
Cordelia Fox (Sarah Paulson) is head mistress of the private school and her job is to train the girls to survive in a world that will turn on them if their secrets are revealed, after all, it’s only been a few hundred years since the Salem witch trials, and just recently a young girl, Misty Day (Lily Rabe) was burned as a witch. But, Cordelia is not too happy when her mother, The Supreme, Fiona Goode (the fabulous Jessica Lange), shows up to help teach the students. You get the feeling that there is bad blood between them. My first clue was when Cordelia asks mother dearest, “When are you going to die and stop ruining my life?” This school even has its own Lurch called Spalding (Denis O’Hare); nice touch.
Fiona is obsessed with youth. She’s paying a doctor to come up with a serum to make her young; he refuses; she goes home and dances to Iron Butterfly’s 1968 hit, In-a-gadda-Da-Vida. The doctor failed; she gets even; don’t piss off Fiona; bad things happen. But Fiona is also concerned for the students of the school and takes them out for a day trip. Dressed like a gaggle of Wednesdays from the Addams Family, off they go to visit the former home of Delphine LaLaurie. Nan senses that things are not what they seem, and Fiona gets to bring home a house guest.
Kyle
I was so happy to see another favorite of mine in this season’s show. Kyle (Evan Peters) is in charge of his college buddies while they’re at a party. And who shows up at this wild college party, yep, our two little witchy poos, Madison and Zoe. Kyle and Zoe click right away, and to tell the truth, I like seeing these two kids together. They have chemistry, and maybe, this time, they’ll be lucky; one can only hope. In what I call good karma, Madison gets even with some boys who haven’t learned that “No means no.” In fact, none of the boys do well around our junior witches, especially when it comes to having sex.
Conclusion
Our very own, Lucas Mangum, had reviewed the first two seasons of this show, and I was worried that I wouldn’t do as good a job as he did. But this season of American Horror Story looks like it’s going to be one hell of a great ride with the well written scripts and fine acting. I just have to remember to hang on to my broom.
Huh…I’ve never seen this show. On the “to see” file it goes!
It can be a bit gory at times, Jack, but this year’s cast will make American Horror the “to see” show of the seasnon