American Horror Story: Coven closes out another week with a record amount of blood shed. See who made it out alive below in our full recap!
American Horror Story: Coven fills tonight’s episode with lengthy snippets of Myrtle Snow’s whimsical babble and the much anticipated backstory of LaLaurie’s troubled past. The episode at times feels disjointed, with a handful of one storyline and a few sprinklings of others. Everyone wants something to run towards, someone to protect, anything that will give their life purpose. However, as the penultimate episode approaches, some stories need to be wrapped up.
LaLaurie of the past: Madame LaLaurie’s eery voice over backs the first quarter of her return on tonight’s episode. As a young child, the dismembering of animals is how she passed her isolation. As an adult, the beheading of a chicken sparks a familiar twinge of satisfaction at the feel of blood running over her fingers.
LaLaurie returns to wait on Fiona, Marie, and the other ladies of the academy, further sinking whatever is left of her immortal moral. She finds little joy in feces soup, but when a gardner cuts his hand, LaLaurie cannot resist rekindling the urge to tie him up and cut off appendage, by appendage. You’ll never listen to the “Little Piggy” rhyme again.
LaLaurie’s history is a sordid one, and the creators of American Horror Story: Coven did their job to create the most uneasy feelings at the sight of a masterful actress.
LaLaurie of the future: When her “slave” does not survive her torment for more than a couple of fingers and toes, LaLaurie remembers that her little satisfaction comes at the cost of a larger mess she is now responsible for. Spalding appears to her in the corner of his doll infested room and offers her a deal to rid herself of Marie Laveau. Besides, how long will an eternity seem if she cannot outlive her only enemy?
Spalding hands over the key to Marie’s demise, a potion that will make her mortal. He reminds LaLaurie that his intention is to protect the Salem line and believes that Fiona has lost sight of that. After selling the silver of the house and presenting a doll from 1895 in the original dress, Spalding offers her the potion.
A box of Benedryl. But shhhhhh, to a woman resurrected from the 1830s, its name must never be spoken. Ah, Spalding you sly, creepy creepy man.
All hail, Queenie: At Nan’s funeral, Queenie makes her triumphant return in spite of disowning of the Coven. Fiona’s lack of concern only compounds Queenie’s anger towards Cordelia’s lack of observational skills. The Coven is crumbling under her watch, and what is she doing to protect it?
But what about Queenie’s miraculous recovery? At the hair salon, Queenie shot herself with Hank’s gun, resulting in a silver bullet to the back of her head. Only, the silver bullet did not kill her. Not only is that one very promising win in her column towards being the next Supreme, she also mastered constructing LaLaurie back to her whole self without leaving her looking like she ran through a blender.
Eye See You: Cordelia continues to struggle with her place in the Coven, while Fiona looks for her place outside of it once more. Cordelia believes that the only way to regain the sight that brought her the knowledge of everyone’s dirty deeds in the Coven is to take her own sight once more. At the cost of Myrtle Snow’s greatest achievement, Cordelia takes gardening sheers to her eyes in the greenhouse. Fiona returns from a rendezvous with her Axe Man, to find that no matter how many plans she makes to run away to country, her daughter will always need her in someway.
Myrtle sees right though everyone’s attempts to hide their ambitions and confronts two accordingly. First up, Fiona’s threat to the Coven from within will never keep her in her daughter’s favor. Secondly, Zoe and Kyle’s relationship, and Zoe’s powers are no longer safe in New Orleans. Myrtle rambles about lost love and quotes some Keats, but her message is clear: take Kyle, a precious heirloom to sell for cash, and take two tickets to Orlando. (Think of all the money she could make at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter park!) Zoe takes her up on the offer and she leaves with Kyle at the close of the episode.
The End of Trust: Delphi Trust manages to cover up Hank’s murder, but their company is nothing so long as the witches have the upper hand. In a negotiation, the executives meet with Fiona and Marie to end the war for at least 100 years. But Fiona and Marie brought along a friend who needs to scratch his own itch. The Axe Man takes care of all, save one, in a bloody rampage. Fiona strikes the rat with the axe herself as Marie snaps a picture. But with the Trust out of the way, will the house still fall from within?
Reign: Madison’s powers are still quite strong, but Zoe proves that sticking to the books can reveal just as much as showing off. Zoe conjures up the knowledge that Fiona and Marie drowned Nan in the tub. That knowledge, that the threat lies within the house, may ultimately prove to be the most powerful magic anyone can posses. The reign of Marie, may be out of the way for LaLaurie even if the Benedryl proves to just make her drowsy.
Spalding comes to LaLaurie’s aid and knocks Marie unconscious as she attempts to flee from her failed murder attempt. He offers her some friendly advice, bury her somewhere where she cannot get out. At the close, Spalding is seen in his doll den with a new addition to the collection: the baby Marie abducted from the hospital.
Is it just us or did the line, “Rid the state department of communists,” strike a 1950s nerve with anyone?
Watch American Horror Story: Coven episode 12, “Go to Hell” Wednesday, January 22 at 10 p.m. ET on FX