The third instalment of Ryan Murphy’s acclaimed series American Horror Storyhas bewitched critics and viewers alike. Set in New Orleans the series centres on a coven of witches, far from the tears and bloodshed of historic Salem.
Witches are a personal Halloween favourite of mine, and having never watched American Horror Story before at the onset of my viewing, I was skeptical. Murphy’s decision to film Coven in New Orleans was a great success. The eerie bayous and period sets established the same haunting atmosphere that Murphy has so perfectly created twice before. Our witches inhabit an historic house, known to the public as Miss Robichaux’s Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies. As explained in the opening episode, the Salem Witches fled their homes in Massachusetts in the aftermath of the witch trials, later purchasing the academy as a means to preserve their identity and practice magic in peace.
The show takes place primarily in the present day, with periodic flashbacks to the 1970s and 1830s. Across time we experience a powerful, deep running conflict between two notorious women of New Orleans history; the murderess Madame Delphine LaLaurie (Kathy Bates) and the Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau (Angela Bassett). Jessica Lange heads the all star cast as Fiona Goode, the reigning Supreme of the Salem Witches whose sudden return to New Orleans threatens the truce between those of the Salem and Voodoo traditions. The sassy and headstrong Supreme has no trouble sparking tensions, when she frees LaLaurie from an eternity underground, a punishment imposed by Laveau for murdering her lover.
Personally I found the intriguing power play between these three leading ladies to be some of the most memorable moments of the series. A particular favourite of mine is LaLaurie’s first encounter with a television, and her realisation that the modern world is far different from her own; slavery has been abolished and civil rights movements have earned equality for African Americans, a fact she continuously puts down to an “imbalance” in the natural order.
The issue of Papa Legba has left viewers divided. In my opinion the concept is interesting; however the execution was not all that impressive. His introduction was late in the piece, and it did little to make the plot interesting, if only to lead Marie Laveau to an anti climactic demise that mostly took place off screen. I would have liked to see such a strong character receive a more fitting and grander end than what Murphy granted her. Witch Hunters were another lost plot line. Revealed in the same episode as Papa Legba, there was little time for there to be any real conflict with the witches before there expected demise. Although one phoenix did emerge from the ashes of this plot line, an alliance between Marie Laveau and Fiona Goode that kept me glued to the screen.
Conceptually Murphy has chosen to tag oppression as the overarching theme of Coven, moving on from sanity in Asylum and infidelity in Murder House. A witch coven is a plausible metaphor for oppression and Coven exhibits various oppressive characters and subplots. Cordelia Goode is oppressed by her mother, seeking her approval and in a constant state of self doubt. Racial tensions between the Salem and Voodoo witches run high, climaxing when Queenie (Gabourney Sidibe) makes a life changing decision. Flashbacks to the carnage inflicted by LaLaurie upon slaves in the 1830s serve as a painful reminder of the cruelty experienced by many throughout history over the issue of race. I feel that the use of this theme could be a comment on contemporary racism, and the ways in which humanity positions itself in relation to the other.
American Horror Story: Coven keeps true to its promise. Murphy has delivered his third gem in the horror genre, and Coven does not fail to impress even with the aforementioned shortcomings. All thirteen episodes are witch infested roller coaster rides leading to an unexpected but logical ending. Veterans of the series will be pleased to see regular cast members return and no one can deny the brilliant new editions to an already spectacular group of talented actors. It will be very interesting to see who stays on for the fourth season.
8.5/10
–JoelE
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You know if Madison had seen your videos, just maybe Kyle wouldn't have dumped her for Zoe 🙂
I'm not a big fan of horror fiction (too much of a scared cat!) but I do really want to see Carrie again. Poor timid Carrie didn’t stand a chance against all the mean girls at her high school who mocked her beliefs.worst ways to die