The following contains spoilers for American Horror Story: Coven: “Bitchcraft.”
American Horror Story: Coven is the next part in FX Network’s anthology series, which is notoriously known to be the stuff of nightmares.
Season one included a domestic marital drama and a murder house; last year’s installment included an insane asylum, nuns, and even aliens. This season is no different in the world of “untouchable” television subject matter: there is slavery, torture, witchcraft, rape, and more.
Coven tells the secret history of witches throughout America. 300 years after the famous Salem witch trials, witches are facing extinction and mysterious attacks.
The premiere begins with Zoe Benson, who finds out that she is witch. Unlike Harry Potter, however, she comes by her revelation through means that are a slight bit more TV-MA than Owl Post. Zoe is whisked away to Miss Robichaux’s Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies in New Orleans, the new “Salem” for witches.
Zoe joins three other girls: the clairvoyant Nan, the human voodoo doll Queenie, and the telekinetic Madison. They are all under the direction of headmistress Cordelia Foxx, who is the daughter of Fiona Goode, the Supreme witch of the Salem descendants.
Although this show is set in modern times, this episode does show a bit of the 1830s, when Madame LaLaurie, a rich New Orleans socialite, brutally tortures and imprisons her slaves for fun.
A particularly horrifying scene shows her torture chamber in her attic, where she harbors slaves whose faces have been cut off, sewn shut, and more. This ties in to the present day when Nan senses that Madame LaLaurie is still alive.
One of the main things that makes American Horror Story unique, besides its obvious gruesomeness, is the fact that it has such an interesting and powerful female cast. The actresses have brilliant acting skills and are also diverse and different in their own ways.
This season will feature overtones not only about the demonization of female power and sexuality, but also about potentially volatile racial themes. It will be something that makes millions of viewers simultaneously afraid and excited.
American Horror Story: Coven airs on FX on Wednesdays at 10:00 p.m. PST.
