Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk’s American Horror Story returned for its third season with Coven, which premiered on FX on October 9, 2013. Going into this new installment, fans were unsure how it would measure up to the previous Murder House or Asylum. However, Coven turned out to be a refreshing take on subcultures under siege with a feminist slant, and packed with gallows humor. Murphy and Falchuk have earned their reputation of always expecting the unexpected, and fans have grown to love the show for just that – taking elements from traditional horror scenarios and twisting them into something new and subversive.
In the first few episodes of Coven, viewers are introduced to a witch war, a Voodoo army, a witch academy, and the evil Madame Delphine LaLaurie portrayed by the talented Kathy Bates. The unexpected friendship that blossoms between Bates’ deranged socialite and Gabourey Sidibe’s hard-bitten Queenie is a highlight of the show’s venture into witchcraft. The AHS writing crew always excels at humanizing amoral characters, a trait which is especially apparent in how Bates portrays Madame LaLaurie.
Murphy and Falchuk’s delightfully twisted humor is evident throughout the season, but perhaps the weirdest and funniest moment occurs when Fiona Goode returns Delphine’s severed head to Marie Laveau, and her stunned expression as the headless cage continues to wave cheerfully. It’s worth noting that American Horror Story’s glamorous grand dames portrayed well-written characters with real agency, expanding the show’s mythology and justifying all the gore giggles on display.
In summary, American Horror Story: Coven proved to be a lighter, refreshing installment with a feminist slant packed with gallows humor, and demonstrated Murphy and Falchuk’s penchant for taking traditional horror scenarios and making them new and subversive. Fans loved the well-written characters, the expanding mythology, and the twisted humor which culminated in the weirdest, yet funniest moment of the series.
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Khushi Patel is a science fiction author who lives in Austin, Texas. She has published three novels, and her work has been praised for its originality and imagination. Khushi is a graduate of Rice University, and she has worked as a software engineer. She is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America, and her books have been nominated for several awards.
