Hello Friends,
I’m going to say something brave.
This season of American Horror Story sucked.
Now, don’t hate me. And before you all get your Stevie Nicks knickers all up in a wad, let me explain.
I really love the American Horror Story franchise. I’ve been a fan from the very start of the first season, when it was a fresh and daring take on Americana folklore and superstition.
It was endearing and yet horrifying. A perfect mix of creepiness, gore, sexuality, and humor that all horror fans covet. Add in a superb cast that most Hollywood blockbusters would drool over, a sense of foreboding ambiance unseen on the small screen since the original Twilight Zone, and the amazingly talented creative force of Ryan Murphy and company, and you have a guaranteed classic with profound genre-crossing capabilities.
Even when the second season, Asylum, derailed numerous times under the weight of its constant overindulgence (aliens and demons and serial killers, oh my), its course was always righted again by the winning formula of cast and writing and setting.
A formula only American Horror Story could seem to pull off.
So, despite a whole sophomore effort that literally left me saying “…Wait, what the hell just happened?” more than the aftermath of an early 2000’s presidential election (or two) ever could, I stuck with the show and loved every step of the way.
So why did I have such a hard time with the third season? Did Coven follow a different formula than its predecessors?
Actually, no. If anything, in fact, this time around it was more polished. But, unlike those previous seasons, this time around that wasn’t good enough to save it.
The plot, itself, is simple: a search for a chosen one that’s Cambellian enough to make even George Lucas wet his Boba Fett Depends.
But there’s no foul here. Despite its originality, AHS was never strong on innovative plotlines. Rather, the problem here was execution (and I don’t just mean the slightly askew camera angles that left me wondering when Mayor Adam West was going to pop out and surprise us all by being named the next Supreme).
First off, there’s barely any continuity. The plot jumps back and forth more than a Captain Jack Sparrow moral compass, and usually without rhyme or reason.
Is the show about Zoe Benson (Taissa Farmiga) coming to terms with her socially debilitating ‘special power’ and finding refuge in others like her? No, it can’t be. That would entail the writers actually making reference to her murderous sexual abilities at some point after, say, oh, I don’t know, the THIRD EPISODE.
Oh no, actually the plot is about the finding the coven’s new leader and Supreme. That’s right. Well, at least that’s what the plot became about mid-season after current Supreme, Fiona Goode (played by the always scene-stealing Jessica Lange), murders her suspected heir, Madison Montgomery (Emma Roberts), out of fear of encroaching mortality.
…so, wait, does that make the plot about Fiona’s attempt to maintain power? This is making my head hurt. Let’s talk about some less confusing. Like character development.
Oh, that’s right, this season has none. Seriously. Almost everyone exits scene almost exactly the same person as they were when first introduced. The abovementioned Madison? Introduced as a spoiled little brat, dies that way. Twice. The mind-reading Nan (Jamie Brewer)? Introduced as a naïve innocent, dies that way. Head voodoo queen of New Orleans, Marie Laveau (Angela Bassett)? Introduced as an angry shaman hell-bent on power and revenge, dies that way.
And while I fully understand the importance of such static characters, they only work when juxtaposed to other characters that actually change. And, as stated earlier, barely anyone does in Coven.
Oh, by the way, SPOILER ALERT.
… guess I should’ve mentioned that sooner.
Speaking of death, that brings us to my next gripe with the overall season. How remarkably anticlimactic it constantly managed to be, most notably with the reoccurring themes of death and resurrection. So many characters died and were brought back that death eventually stopped being a feasible threat or useful plot device.
It got to the point that when someone died all I’d think was Sooooooo, she’ll back next week? Oh, only dead for ten minutes this time? Gotcha.
Needless to say, that can kill the enjoyment of any show. But character death isn’t the only place where this season dropped the ball as far as being anticlimactic, as it happened at nearly EVERY TWIST AND TURN possible.
The all-out war between the coven and Laveau’s voodoo crew that was built up for like three episodes? Resolved after a conversation and discovery of a mutual interest. The battle with the evil corporation of witch hunters? Resolved after a mere spell and dinner that, yes, turned into a bloody massacre, but an unnecessary bloody massacre as the witches had already, quite easily, bested their enemies. The discovery of the new Supreme? Decided after a handful of tasks that previous episodes already indicated all the candidates were already quite capable of… even though, earlier in the season, it was implied that none of them should have been able to complete the Seven Wonders unless they were, in fact, slated to be the new Supreme.
…diiiiiiid I mention this show has continuity problems?
Does any of this even make sense anymore?
Well, at least they still had that excellent cast, right? Yes. Although we did have to trade in series’ regulars like Dylan McDermott and James Cromwell for a very talented Gabourey Sidibe and a very… wait, what? Stevie Nicks? Seriously?
I quit.
Bottom-line, it was a disappointing season. So much potential story-wise and cast-wise, all wasted. It had pacing problems from the get-go, and lacked the creative creepiness the previous seasons had, such as Thaddeus in Season One and the creatures in the woods from Season Two… although, again, I guess there was Stevie Nicks…
I think one could make an argument that where Coven lacked overall, could be made up in its apparent feministic message. And that’s true.
Partly.
While, yes, this season had a slew of strong, admirable female leads, they all fought with and screwed each over enough that any potential message in that department was ultimately lost. Which is a shame, as such a theme of tough feminism is so rarely seen anywhere these days, let alone on TV.
Oh well, maybe next season.
FINAL VERDICT: 2 out of 4 Goodies I saw dancing with the Devil.
Live, Love, Learn,
Steven &