By Corey Vikser
Staff Writer
“American Horror Story: Coven” casts an addictive spell on its audience in its return from winter hiatus, as showrunner Ryan Murphy continues to increase the stakes as the season nears an end.
“American Horror Story” is an anthology series, with each season having a different story arc. “Coven” is the third season of the series, which focuses on the conflict between a witch coven and voodoo clan in New Orleans.
The coven is led by Fiona Goode (Jessica Lange), a power-hungry witch dying from cancer who will do anything to achieve immortality. Goode, along with her daughter Cordelia (Sarah Paulson), live in a 1930s mansion with four young women (Emma Roberts, Gabrielle Sidibe, Jamie Brewer and Taissa Farmiga), whom the mother-daughter duo teach to control their powers. Whilst trying to keep the Salem bloodline alive, threats come in the form of Marie Laveau (Angela Bassett) and her voodoo clan attempting to kill every descendent.
Upon the return from its mid-season winter hiatus, the audience is introduced to a new character, voodoo deity Papa Legba (Lance Reddick). Introducing a character so late into the season could have been deemed as useless filler; however, the writers cleverly fit him into the main narrative through flashbacks. Reddick’s performance is so eccentric, terrifying and hysterical that he injects needed horror elements back into a relatively terror-free season.
As for the many returning characters, the major changes in their personalities give the season thus far a major sense of progression. Young witch Madison Montgomery (Roberts) evolves from a bratty teenager into a psychopathic antagonist, while Sidibe’s Queenie goes from being comic relief to a cynical, hateful character. The developments in “Coven” provide a sense of unpredictability in events, constantly giving the audience something to look forward to.
A quality that separates “Coven” from previous seasons is its black comedy and wit, which creates a more campy atmosphere than what has been previously seen. Frances Conroy’s character, Myrtle Snow, is commendable for her comedic elements of this season, constantly spouting out hysterical one-liners and joyously acting like a psychopath. Kathy Bates’ portrayal of Delphine LaLaurie, an immortal racist, is twisted, and her ignorance of the modern, less bigoted world yields even more humor.
The problem the humor creates, though, is an abscence of horror. Although there is an abundance of gore and bloodshed, the show has not conveyed any tension or atmosphere to evoke terror, apart from Papa Legba. His addition provides the season with actual horror, as his character design leads to the creepiest moments “Coven” has had thus far. However, this does not make up for the lack of fear in its entirety.
The biggest flaw of “Coven” is its many pointless subplots and characters that have no relevance to the story. Each episode contains a messy mixture of underdeveloped plotlines that abruptly interweave. Episodes regularly focus on characters’ stories individually, instead of skillfully incorporating them into the dynamics of the show.
“American Horror Story: Coven” is plagued by too many unresolved subplots and irrelevant supporting characters; however, it is still a wildly-entertaining show that grabs viewers attention and does not let go.
“American Horror Story: Coven” is rated TV-MA and airs on FX Wednesday nights at 10 p.m.
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