Alice Rush reviews the eighth episode of American Horror Story: Coven….
After a week break American Horror Story: Coven is back. This weeks episode ‘The Sacred Taking’ followed straight on from the end of the previous episode whereby Delia began laying the plans to kill her interfering and murdering mother.
The episode opens on a confrontation between newly aligned voodoo witch Queenie and her former allies Zoe and Madison. Having been sent out by Laveau to fetch a dark heart for a ritual, Queenie kills and cuts out the heart of a rapist, holding the still beating organ in her hand as she proclaims to the witches “War is coming, and you’re going to lose”. It’s an extremely effective opening, giving a sense of danger and threat which I’ve said many times before seems to be lacking within this season.
Whilst Queenie’s departure from the Coven would seem to heighten to overarching tension of the war between voodoo and witch, ‘The Sacred Taking’ is prominently concerned with staying inside Miss Robichaux’s academy and dealing with Fiona. Speaking of, though I fear sounding like a broken record, Jessica Lange gives yet another beautiful performance as we see Fiona more vulnerable than ever. Her cancer is getting worse, her hair is thinning rapidly and she appears to be fading away. Each scene she is in feels visually metaphoric, as the camera twists and turns rather nauseously, focusing and un-focusing and blurring the lines between narrative and symbolism, something American Horror Story has always been fantastic at doing. Her new found love, the Axeman, wants to whisk her away but she is adamant that she’s going to battle through and stay alive. Little does she know the coven has very different plans altogether.
Misty Day arrives at the Academy with a newly revived Myrtle in tow after a mysterious stranger with a shotgun tried to kill her at her home. With an array of witches now available Delia decided to put her plan to kill Fiona into action, especially so with the reveal from Myrtle that Misty is the next Supreme (apparently). The strength of the ensemble cast really came through in this episode. After weeks of episodes feeling displaced because of the distance between characters, it was fulfilling to see the power of the Coven and to see them all unite. It was just a shame this power was rather short lived.
They should know by now it would take more than tricks and lies to get Fiona to kill herself as she seemingly has allies everywhere. A spiritual incarnation of Spaulding gives Fiona the drive, and the medicine, to undo her overdose and she seemingly comes back stronger, taking control of the Coven once more. I would question the ease at which the rest of the witches seem to accept her back into the Coven, though the reasoning seems to be because darker forces are at work.
The next door neighbours are brought back in this episode, with Luke’s religious mother insisting he “cleanse” himself after his run in with the witches on Halloween. Cue another creepy mother/son scene where she forces him to strip naked and have an enema and then ties him up in the closet. Later on in the episode his mother is shot by Hank, who has been waiting for the moment to strike against the witches. When Delia realises someone is after them it’s proves to be time to close ranks which is why she is apparently fine with letting Fiona back in. Or does she have an even bigger plan? I guess we’ll have to see.
The offshoot storyline of Kyle also seems to be coming to some sort of climax, as Zoe helps him to relearn basic skills and speech which allows him to proclaim his love for her. What was an endearing moment soon turned sour as it was revealed Madison heard, and she definitely seems like the jealous type. The end of the episode also set up more conflict to come, with the severed head of LaLaurie being sent to the academy, much in the same way Fiona did with Bastien weeks ago.
I was hoping that with time, Coven would truly get its feet off the ground and become the series that we all hoped it would be. Whilst it became obvious it was not going to be the same as the seasons that came before, it has forged an individual path for itself, focusing on power relationships and the drama between characters. Though this drama sometimes falls flat, ‘The Sacred Taking’ demonstrated that there is still bite left in this series and that there’s plenty of danger to come over the next five episodes.
Alice Rush
Originally published December 5, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
