American Horror Story: Coven - Recap: I Need a Cigarette
American Horror Story: Coven continued tonight with an episode that breathed new life into Madison Montgomery… and the Axeman.
Episode 6 began with a flashback to the days of the notorious New Orleans serial killer, the Axeman (Danny Huston)! The jazz-loving saxophone player ravaged the city during the early 1900s, flexing his power over his fearful future victims. The episode truly opened with one of this Axeman’s most famous letters, a piece published in the local news that both accentuated his own bravado whilst simultaneously making one massive ridiculous request. His next killing would occur at a specific date and time, a few moments after midnight, though he promised to spare anyone from a home featuring a live jazz band. Interested in reading the actual published letter from the Axeman to the city of New Orleans? Head over to the Axeman’s Wikipedia page where it’s featured in full! Welcome to 2013, Axeman! You know you’ve made it when you have your own Wikipedia page. (Wikipedia is always correct, right? Guys?..) The young witches of Miss Robichaux’s Academy circa 1919 had certainly had enough of this psycho’s reign of terror, and in an effort to lure him directly into a trap, they would choose to blare opera music the night of his promised killing spree. The scheme worked, and the murderer was inevitably fooled by a bit of common parlor witchcraft followed by an onslaught of knife-wielding teenage girls. What a way to go, Axeman. An axe murder is one thing. A horde of teenage girls is another horror entirely.
FX "American Horror Story: Coven"
In the present, Zoe had most definitely had enough of sitting around and waiting to be burned at the stake. The adults of the coven had been doing a sorry job when it came to raising these young prospects, and they had been struggling for years to maintain numbers among the Salem witches. Having dug through some of Madison’s old belongings, Zoe was inevitably drawn, presumably by the magic of the house, to a spirit board protected behind a false wall in her closet. Rallying the troops, Nan and Queenie, Zoe concocted a scheme to find Madison. This is a time when Salem witches are dropping like flies. Memorabilia found along with the board revealed just how numbers had dwindled over the years, and as a dying breed, Zoe suggested that the three make a promise to protect each other. A shot of absinthe sealed the deal. If you ask me, that’s much more solid than a handshake! All sworn oaths should be christened with a stiff shot of absinthe! Queenie, initially apprehensive regarding the use of a spirit board, warned Zoe of the risk involved with toying with spirits eager to return to the world of the living. Perhaps Zoe should have listened, as the voice to pop through during the girls’ first attempt at reaching Madison was, you guessed it, the Axeman. Desperate to close the connection, Queenie shattered the shot glass the trio had been using to inadvertently contact the killer. I guess the spelled name, "A-X-E-M-A-N," gave her the heebie jeebies, huh?
Still, Zoe remained set on hunting for answers, even if it meant striking a deal with the devil. While the other two remained opposed to contacting the spirits again, Zoe returned to the board alone, eventually offering a promise to this ominous Axeman. The girls had done their research, drudging up a wealth of information on one of New Orleans’ most notorious criminals, yet to Zoe, it was worth it. Well, at least a little white lie was worth it. In truth, how much trouble could the Axeman cause if his spirit had been presumably floating around for decades prior with no damage dealt to these witches he'd still held accountable for his death? Promising to find a way to release him form the confines of the academy, Zoe in turn learned of the whereabouts of Madison. Well, she'd uncovered where the body that used to be Madison was being held. That thing had been through the ringer at this point.
FX "American Horror Story: Coven"
Making her way into the dank attic, Spaulding’s (Denis O’Hare) creeptastic lair, Zoe simply followed the reeking stench of death to Madison’s decrepit corpse locked inside of a chest. She had little time to react before Spaulding arose from the shadows, attempting to silence Zoe to no avail. The weakling was put down with the breaking of one china doll across his face. Before we knew it, Queenie and Nan were joining Zoe in the attic for an interrogation. Trial by hot spatula! As Zoe heated the metal kitchen tool on a hotplate, Nan attempted to read Spaulding’s mind for information regarding Madison’s murder. Spaulding, having lived with witches for decades, has apparently become quite the mental magician, thwarting the girls’ attempts to find the truth by falsely confessing to killing Madison. Zoe, unwilling to believe that Spaulding simply killed Madison in an effort to have her as his own personal formerly-living sex doll, took some pleasure out of branding the man. Queenie, subsequently putting her "human voodoo doll" abilities to good use, inevitably knocked the pervert unconscious with a giggle.
FX "American Horror Story: Coven"
Misty Day (Lily Rabe) continued to nurse Myrtle Snow back to health during Episode 6. It’s interesting to watch a witch work in tune with nature, isn’t it? Delia reflects the purity in this form of magic as well. Misty had planted Myrtle in the soil of her garden, nurturing her life force with water from the bayou. Before we knew it, Kyle (Evan Peters) had managed to meander his way back to Misty, desperate for a safe haven following the catastrophe that had transpired in his home. Unfortunately, Misty was not privy to the events that had taken place, and an innocent bath ended up unraveling into a messy explosion on Kyle’s part. Kyle, having primal flashbacks to the molestation he’d endured by the hands of his mother, lashed out in a rage, eventually destroying Misty’s 8track player and, thus, banishing Stevie Nicks from her swamp home. We've witnessed plenty of death and destruction on American Horror Story: Coven thus far, but has there been anything more tragic than watching Misty mourn the loss of Stevie Nicks' voice? Misty, having suffered through that final straw, had seen enough of Kyle. Luckily, Zoe arrived just in time to scoop the two up, offering a helping hand with Misty’s Kyle dilemma while simultaneously requesting Misty’s particular brand of afterlife assistance.
FX "American Horror Story: Coven"
Do you all understand how desperately I wanted to use that above screenshot as the featured pic for post on this site's main feed? The things I do to protect the readers from spoilers! Actually, I didn't even want to list Emma Roberts' name too early in the recap for fear of spoiling the big reveal. Well, cat's out of the bag, roach's out of the mouth...
Reviving Madison (Emma Roberts) proved to be difficult, but from the safety of Delia’s greenhouse, Misty, along with some added strength from Zoe, managed to do the trick. The result was equal parts heinous and hilarious, as Madison’s rotted corpse convulsed through everything from puking up muck to spitting out a living roach before rising in place and requesting a cigarette. That’s right, folks… Madison Montgomery is back in action! She has two Teen Choice awards! Misty, realizing the stank vibe of this wretched coven is not for her, returned home to the swamp after swiping a few bagels, but Queenie and Nan rejoined Zoe in her continued efforts to help Madison recuperate. Madison, still dazed and confused following her own murder and the revival that followed, is going to take time to fully return to her status as the living definition of “bitchcraft,” but she’s still Madison Montgomery, movie starlet extraordinaire. This isn’t a Kyle-type situation where she’s returned as some sort of monster with mere flashes of memories and emotions.
Delia, recognizing her husband’s string of infidelity now that she’s gained the power of divine sight, has a whole new edge to her! While the young witches of the academy continued their quest for answers this week, Delia began to adjust to life as a blind woman who can truly see. Her husband was promptly scared off by Delia’s refusal to submit to his lies, yet Fiona was subsequently flabbergasted by Delia’s revelation that she’d witnessed “Auntie Myrtle’s” burning at the stake. Delia is a woman all by her lonesome, it seems, but she’s stronger than ever.
FX "American Horror Story: Coven"
Delia’s husband, Hank, however, might be in hot water. Here’s the background on Hank according to the revelations of Episode 6. To review, Marie Laveau had hired this man several years prior to the start of the series, only to watch him marry Delia and set up a life within the walls of the academy. Marie’s intention, in truth, was to hire a grade-A witch hunter to decimate the remaining Salem witches, both those within the walls of the school and out in the real world. Instead, to be frank, he’s half-assed the assignment. It’s clear that he truly fell for Delia, yet he has continued to, over a good deal of time, kill several young prospective members of the academy. Remember Kaylee (Alexandra Breckenridge) the redhead? Her backstory was also revealed this week. As a student interviewing with Cordelia in the past, it was shown that Kaylee was a newly discovered witch struggling with pyrokinetic powers. Kaylee, having set her last boyfriend ablaze following his decision to leave her, ended up at the academy’s doorstep in an entirely hopeless place. Still, as Delia would discover, the girl never wanted power. She simply pined for a future family. Thus, Hank had his in, and suddenly, the assassination sequence from a few episodes back makes perfect sense. Still, Marie has now recognized his incompetence, and her final order is for the Salem witches’ heads on platters… now! Will Hank sacrifice himself for Delia and her coven, or will he attempt to deliver on his deal with Marie? More to come on this! I have theories!
As the girls attempted to get Madison caught up to speed, Delia found herself face to face with the spirit of the Axeman. Zoe had stirred him awake; however, she never made good on her promise to set him free. The specter began to terrorize Delia, whom I'm presuming could truly see him thanks to her new gift, scaring her into a frenzy while the girls struggled to no avail outside of her bedroom door. Recognizing that she’d slipped up by fibbing to a murderous poltergeist of sorts, Zoe gathered the girls in the parlor, using her newfound power to locate quite effortlessly a spell to release the man from the confines of the academy. The spell was simple enough to perform, and before we knew it, the girls, Nan specifically, were comforting an exhausted Delia on the floor of her bedroom. I like how American Horror Story had Zoe simply fib and forget. I felt like that was a realistic way to portray how a modern teenage girl would deal with a situation like, for instance, finding the body of her dead friend with the help of some sap through a spirit board. Interestingly enough, the Axeman was indeed freed from his confines; however, I’m not so sure Zoe and the girls were looking to revive the man responsible for terrorizing an entire city about a century back.
To close the recap to Episode 6 of American Horror Story: Coven, Fiona underwent chemotherapy this week in an effort to battle the cancer inside of her. Remember, as a new Supreme grows stronger, the old Supreme begins to rot from the inside out. Fiona, allegedly looking to fight for a second chance at love and for a relationship with Cordelia, suffered through the procedure, all the while realizing that the process had given her, perhaps temporarily, the ability to read minds. She listened in on the patients around her, to their pleas and prayers for hopes and dreams, before realizing that she too, even as a Supreme witch, shared their desires and despair. She closed out her session, though, by assuring a depressed mother that she’d see her daughter’s wedding day, even suggesting that she blow her savings on a knockout dress. That’s Fiona for you!
FX "American Horror Story: Coven"
Unfortunately for Fiona, her ailing health has taken a toll on her physically, mentally, and emotionally. She’s in a place where she’s absolutely vulnerable to the charms of someone looking to feed her ego. Episode 6 closed with Fiona sipping a cocktail at a bar, only to find herself enamored by an interested and interesting new man. The Axeman has Fiona in his clutches, and I don't think this matters in the slightest. She is, after all, still the Supreme, and he is merely a crafty killer with a new lease on life. He could, however, end up replacing Hank as Marie's newest recruit!
Personal Aside: I met Jessica Lange a few nights ago.
What did you think of Season 3 Episode 6 of American Horror Story: Coven, “The Axeman Cometh”? (Yes, you read that correctly. I met Jessica Lange a few nights ago.) Will Hank deliver on his promise to Marie? Is Madison back for good or just temporarily? Where is Misty’s coven? Will Kyle ever evolve past this animalistic state? What role will the Axeman play in all of this? Who is behind Delia’s acid attack? Can Fiona’s spoken desires be trusted? Are you impressed with how Zoe has transformed over the course of the season?
Thanks for reading my Recap and Review of Season 3 Episode 6 of American Horror Story: Coven!