American Horror Story: Coven dishes out more tricks than treats on the mischief night episode “Fearful Pranks Ensue.”
The fourth installment of American Horror Story: Coven solidifies that Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuck have assembled the strongest female cast on television. The performances from Frances Conroy, Angela Bassett, Jessica Lange, and Kathy Bates showcase each actresses range of emotional power and ability to feed off each other’s energy. The transformation of Madame LaLaurie following the bestial attack of last week is one performance that should not go unnoted. Her transition from Lady of the town to grateful submission at the protection of the coven witches is truly remarkable.
They’re Here…: The disappearance of voices in one’s head is usually a good thing, unless you are Nan. The Council of Witchcraft, consisting predominantly of Francis Conroy’s crimped hair, arrives to investigate the disappearance of Madison from the Academy. Filling out the group are Quinten, Myrtle Snow, and the tight-laced Pembrooke. Fiona stops Cordelia from spewing crimes the council is unaware of and takes a moment to personally greet each member. The most interesting discovery from the investigation into the disappearance of Madison, is the history between Myrtle and Fiona.
Myrtle and Fiona were both boarders at the Academy when the first murder of a Supreme occurs. Myrtle speculates that Fiona is behind the murder and watches with zealous resentment as Fiona begins to take the necessary trials to prove she is truly the next Supreme. Throughout the investigation, the Council interviews every woman in the house gathering information on Madison when they discover from Nan the secret of the burning curtains. Immediately, they ask who else knew of Madison’s uncanny ability; all roads lead to Fiona.
Cat Got Your Tongue? If you were expecting a simple back story involving Fiona and Spalding, you are going to be disappointed. Spalding’s silent servitude runs deeper than a healhy means of employment. His allegiance not only to coven, but to Fiona sets up an interesting twist in Myrtle’s prosecution of Fiona. In the days following Fiona’s murder of the Supreme, Spalding became a valuable asset to Fiona. Myrtle recognizes Fiona’s use of Spalding as a pawn in her game. She casts a spell on Spalding’s tongue that will only allow him to speak the truth when questioned by the Council away from Fiona’s watchful eye.
All signals point to Fiona as the woman guilty of cutting out Spalding’s tongue, but the only words uttered by Spalding occur right before he cuts out his own tongue. Spalding’s time with Fiona, though unrequited, is filled with love and loyalty on his end. Spotted at the scene of the mutilation, Myrtle takes the grudge of Spalding’s inability to testify against Fiona with her. Desperate to escape the girls she once was at the Academy, Myrtle spends her time training to become a part of something that can take down Fiona.
A Little Voodoo Never Killed Nobody: New Orleans 1961 saw a bit of practical voodoo magic from a supremely stylish Marie Laveau. In an attempt to punish the men who hanged a young boy trying to attend an integrated high school, Laveau summons the dead with snakes and tribal drums in her voodoo sanctuary. Her eyes go white, the rhythm of the drums keeps a suspenseful aura as the walking dead rip the limbs from the murderers in a graphic display.
Flash forward to present day, where Laveau’s worst nightmare comes true. An unmarked package appears at her door containing the decapitated bull head of her lover. War has officially been declared between the two opposing tribes. But is it really the power of Fiona that Marie is fighting against? It seems that Laveau targets her unbridled rage at Madame LaLaurie who happens to reside inside the Academy. On Halloween night, Laveau summons the dead once more, only this time, she targets a specific group of three girls to lead the charge. When the doorbell rings, LaLaurie is ready to scold more children taking advantage of free candy, when she recognizes the corpses of her three daughters waiting on the other side.
Two Sides to Every Story: A crash in the greenhouse takes a still rattled Fiona away from her latest murder victim. Here she discovers Queenie, wounded and dying, on the floor. She is taken aback by the horrific sight and returns the injuries to the half-man, half-beast that enacted the crimes. Witnessing a crumpling, caring, Fiona wake up Cordelia in order to save the life of another witch, tosses her hard demeanor aside and shows a side of her we have yet to see; compassion. Once Queenie is stable, Fiona returns to her room to let Madame LaLaurie out of her hiding place. Shaken by the trauma of a mutilated slave seeking revenge, LaLaurie, transforms into a submissive servant, gracious for the protection that both Queenie and Fiona have granted her.
As Fiona prepares for the best day of the year, Halloween, Madame LaLaurie asks if the bonfires and feasts to ward off the evil spirits are in place for the evening. Fiona mocks her archaic understanding of the holiday and assures her that he job will only be to pass out candy to the greedy minions in costume. Fiona and Cordelia have a heart to heart out at a bar later that evening. Fiona asks her point blank who she believes the next Supreme is since, it turns out, Madison was not her. Cordelia receives some motherly love in the form of Fiona’s brutally honest assessment of her husband. (Who is off having an affair and murdering young women!) Cordelia gets a little too drunk and finds her head in a toilet by the end of the night. A hooded figure tosses a liquid into her eyes, subsequently blinding her for the time being.
A fizzling plot line featuring Zoe and her zombie-build-a-boy boyfriend Kyle seems forced at this point in the show. Kyle bashes his head into the bathtub repeatedly, which is not unlike the feeling of trying to squeeze this story line into last night’s episode, until Zoe comes to his rescue. She contemplates poisoning him with rat poison in order to put him out of his misery until he runs away. With all the costumes on the streets of New Orleans, Zoe’s attempts to find him end when she returns to the Academy to face the council. So, Kyle is running free repeating the word “no” over and over?
Highlights:
•LaLaurie handing out Halloween Candy. If you can place Kathy Bates in a maids uniform and have her scold children for being greedy, you have a masterpiece on your hands.
•Marie Laveau’s hair through the ages. Whether she is summoning the dead or negotiating a truce between covens, Laveau rocked the decades greatest looks.
•Return of hot neighbor Luke. Luke offers Nan some Halloween cookies to repay her kindness with the cake. Nan seems to have a hand in controlling a lot of people on the block…
•Fiona placing a witches hat on and stating, “Whose the baddest witch in town?” Enough said.
Check out the promo for next week’s part II:
Watch American Horror Story: Coven episode 5, “Burn, Witch. Burn!” Wednesday, November 6 at 10 p.m. ET on FX