A Camp-y AMERICAN HORROR STORY

Article first published as TV Review: AMERICAN HORROR STORY 1984 on Seat42F.

Anew season of AMERICAN HORROR STORY has started! This one is subtitled 1984 and takes place at a lakeside camp near Los Angeles in the summer of that year. Orwell, it isn’t, with a creepy massacre back story and a violent criminal who is breaking into homes in the city. Which characters will make it out alive?

First it must be said, as we’ve come to expect from AHS, the visual look is amazing. From sets to costumes to hairstyles to props, each are meticulously detailed to be of the era. Actually, more importantly, it looks as if from a movie from that era. The highly stylized, a bit more heightened that reality, is a hallmark of every season of the series, and that continues through this one. Even the lighting and film end up looking like this was made a few decades ago, albeit with a sharp picture. This isn’t novel for AMERICAN HORROR STORY, but it’s important to keep up the quality nine seasons in.

The cast is a mix between familiar faces and new ones. Emma Roberts (AHS: Coven) returns as lead Brooke Thompson. A departure from Roberts’ normal bitchy role, Brooke is timid and agreeable. Attacked in her apartment, Brooke allows herself to be persuaded by new bud Montana Duke (Billie Lourd, AHS: Cult) to flee the area and become a camp counselor, despite being hesitant to miss college classes she’s signed up for. The girls are joined by athlete Chet (Gus Kenworthy, Sharknado 5), actor Xavier (Cody Fern, American Crime Story: Versace), and drug supplier Ray (DeRon Horton, Dear White People).

The four (sans Brooke) make up an established group of friends that welcome her in. One assumes that these will be the primary leads, those hunted by the killer or killers this season. Older staff members like camp owner Margaret Booth (Leslie Grossman, AHS: Cult), doctor Rita (Angelica Ross, Pose), and creep Trevor (Matthew Morrison, Glee) seem likely to stay on the fringes. This makes sense for the 80s genre, though other seasons of AMERICAN HORROR STORY have tended to split the age groups. For instance, Coven had a group of young witches, but also meaty material for the older characters. That’s part of what seems to set 1984 apart.

Setting itself apart is likely a good idea with franchise veterans Sarah Paulson and Evan Peters (mostly) sitting things out. Instead of wondering what part they should be playing and measuring any other performer against them, it’s easy to settle in with this new group. AMERICAN HORROR STORY: 1984 is a bit reminiscent of Scream Queens, another Ryan Murphy project starring Roberts. However, Scream Queens was campy and this is camp the noun, not the adjective. It’s a bit odd to see AHS in that light, but it works. As usual, there is plenty of blood and plenty of mystery.

One does wonder where 1984 will go besides slasher flick, as most seasons of the program have bent a couple large themes. Rumors have swirled that aliens might come into the mix. Ghosts also seem a reasonable guess. But I wonder at the specific year, which works because of the Olympics element of the story, but also calls to mind a famous dystopian novel. I’m hoping for a bit of Orwell slipped in here somewhere. If does not, I kind of think the title should have been something else.

The bottom line, though, is that AMERICAN HORROR STORY hasn’t missed a step with 1984, and we have a season of chills and thrills awaiting us. I am very much looking forward to it.

AMERICAN HORROR STORY: 1984 airs Wednesdays on FX.

You Scream, I Scream, We All Scream For SCREAM QUEENS

Article originally published as SCREAM QUEENS Review on Seat42F.

FOX’s SCREAM QUEENS is the comedy version of Ryan Murphy’s other, much darker show, American Horror Story. That is the best way to sum up the two hour pilot, which airs next week. It is ridiculous, but intentionally so, satirizing the modern horror film. It isn’t scary, but it isn’t supposed to be. I enjoyed it a great deal.

The most central figure in the first episode is Chanel Oberlin (Emma Roberts, American Horror Story, We’re the Millers), a rich, spoiled brat who is head of the Kappa sorority due to the untimely death of the previous president. Supported by her minions, Chanel #2 (singer Ariana Grande), Chanel #3 (Billie Lourd), and Chanel #5 (Abigail Breslin, Little Miss Sunshine, Zombieland), whose real names she refuses to learn, Chanel is determined to not only rule the school, but become a successful television journalist.

Of course, SCREAM QUEENS isn’t going to make it easy for her. First, Dean Munsch (Jamie Lee Curtis, Halloween, New Girl) decrees that the sorority must accept all pledges, no matter how pathetic (enter Glee’s Lea Michele, among others). Then, Chanel’s boyfriend, Chad Radwell (Glen Powell, The Dark Knight Rises), decides he can’t be with her if she’s no longer popular, due to the dean’s decision. Oh, and then of course there’s a serial killer starting to pick people off, mainly girls in and around the sorority. So there’s that, though that isn’t Chanel’s main concern.

Roberts is fantastic as Chanel, channeling her previous AHS Madison character, but without the depth. No matter what happens, nothing phases Chanel, nor makes her care about others. She is what she is. And what she is is a perfect match for Curtis, who is an equal in the amazing department. I could watch SCREAM QUEENS even if it were just the two of them going head to head. Every scene they are in is magic.

SCREAM QUEENS boasts a large cast (required to keep the body count going), and while Roberts and Curtis essentially own the spotlight, others manage to steal it for brief, wonderful moments, which come more and more frequently as the pilot goes on. Of particular note is Boone (singer Nick Jonas), who has an extremely memorable bedroom scene. But others, including national sorority president Gigi Caldwell (Nasim Pedrad, Saturday Night Live), security guard Denise Hemphill (Niecy Nash, Reno 911!), and “white mammy” Ms. Bean (Jan Hoag, Wild) also make good use of their chance to pop.

Honestly, where the plot drags is when the focus shifts to the ‘normal’ hero of the piece, Grace Gardner (Skyler Samuels, The Nine Lives of Chloe King), and her would-be boyfriend and wannabe journalist, Pete Martinez (Diego Boneta, Rock of Ages). I guess every horror movie has this type of character, and presumably they will be the ones to stop the killer. But I’m not sure they’re needed in a piece that subverts convention so much. If anything, they just drag the show down a bit. Hopefully, they, too, will be used in unexpected ways later in the season.

That being said, overall, I still think SCREAM QUEENS is great. If you don’t understand at first what the mission of the program is and instead take it seriously, you may be confused and disappointed. Once you embrace the utter lunacy and twist on archetype of many of the characters, though, it becomes very enjoyable. Ryan Murphy has taken his earnest cartoonishness of the best parts of Glee and mixed it with what he knows of horror from doing AHS to create something memorable and unique. In an age where horror is all over the television set, this is something original and different.

Plus, I just can’t wait to see who dies next and Chanel’s reaction to it!

SCREAM QUEENS premieres Tuesday, September 22^nd at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.

AMERICAN HORROR STORY: FREAK SHOW "Orphans" Sympathetic

Article first published as TV Review: 'American Horror Story' - "Orphans" on Blogcritics.

Earlier in the fall, I promised more reviews would be forthcoming for FX’s American Horror Story: Freak Show, and while it’s been awhile since I’ve written about it, this season has continued to rank either tied for first place with season one or the lone frontrunner of the series. It’s been such a character-driven piece, with surprising twists geared towards growing the personalities, rather than just for the sake of story. Amid this great run, this week’s installment, “Orphans,” is one of the best.

“Orphans” tells us the story of Pepper (Naomi Grossman), a microcephalic (or pinhead) whom also appears in season two, Asylum, which is set about ten years later than Freak Show. Pepper is the first character to appear in more than one season of American Horror Story, and playing a mostly bit part with the other supporting “freaks” up until now, I wondered why they bothered to bring her back. This is, until this week’s episode, which also sees a too-brief return of Asylum‘s Sister Mary Eunice (Lily Rabe), more than justifies her presence.

Pepper is adopted be Elsa (Jessica Lange) from an orphanage, the first of the troupe. Others of the group that follow are recruited specifically for Pepper. But as the freak show falls apart, Pepper loses her closest companions, sending her deep into grief. Self-involved in her own career, Elsa foists Pepper off on the sister that abandoned her, Rita (Mare Winningham, who had a different one-episode role in last year’s Coven). Rita and her husband, Larry (Matthew Glave, Army Wives, ER), are even more selfish than Elsa, and concoct a plan to frame Pepper for murdering their annoying infant, landing Pepper in the asylum and revealing that he back story we thought we knew about Pepper is utterly wrong.

What is so impressive is the sympathy Grossman earns in this amazing turn. Even after two seasons, I am ashamed to say that I still find it hard to look at Pepper. In “Orphans,” I care about her, though, and so will anyone who watches her painful journey of abandonment and neglect. Pepper briefly has a good life, and it’s ripped away in the worst possible manner. Much of this success is built into the storytelling, and much of it is due to Grossman’s talent. It’s one of the most moving stories I’ve seen on television in awhile, and it continues Freak Show‘s trend (and more largely Ryan Murphy’s) of forcing people to face their preconceptions and become more compassionate towards those who are different than us.

Pepper’s arc, which actually ends several years in the future of the current story, though I’m not expecting everything else to jump, beautifully ties into Elsa’s. Someone who acts like Elsa does now, willing to leave behind all she’s built and those she cares about, doesn’t quite line up to the person who put together the troupe in the first place. “Orphans” shows us her connection with Pepper, and how that leads to the inclusion of Ma Petite (Jyoti Amge) and Salty (Christopher Neiman). Elsa has changed, and not for the better. Though, there is a big hint of a happy ending for her.

What causes Elsa to fall so far? I assume part of it is that she’s lost so much, including Ma and Salty, and so knows she can no longer hold onto the world she’s lived in. Another part has to be the chance at fame that Stanley (Denis O’Hare) dangles in front of her, and given her age, it’s probably the last chance she has to realize her dreams. Once upon a time, creating a family was her dream, and she lived it. Now, she realizes she wants more. Lange is having another masterful turn in the franchise in Elsa.

The third thing of interest this week is Maggie (Emma Roberts) revealing the truth to Desiree (Angela Bassett) about Stanley’s plan and misdeeds. Maggie is going through a redemption, sparked by falling in love with Jimmy (Evan Peters), which lasts even after the two have a falling out because he has changed her. Desiree is a bit adrift, looking for her own bettering of circumstances, and makes a strong ally by nearly any measure. With Ethel (Kathy Bates) sadly gone, these are now the two women I’m most excited to see play in the sandbox.

American Horror Story: Freak Show still has three episodes left. Given the consistent quality this season has demonstrated, and the impact “Orphans” makes even without Dandy (Finn Wittrock), the year’s breakout star, I am extremely optimistic about Murphy ending things right. American Horror Story is really in its stride here, living up to potential it doesn’t need to, given the excellent efforts the past two seasons are, while still being lesser than this. If Freak Show can stick the landing, it will be memorable and begging for future re-watches.

Taking a quick holiday break, American Horror Story: Freak Show next airs January 7th at 10 p.m. ET on FX.

"Edward Mordrake" Haunts the FREAK SHOW

Article first published as TV Review: 'American Horror Story: Freak Show' - 'Edward Mordrake' on Blogcritics.

“Edward Mordrake” is American Horror Story: Freak Show‘s two-part Halloween episode, airing last week and this one. In it, Edward Mordrake (Wes Bentley, The Hunger Games, American Beauty), the ghost of a circus man-gone-mad, comes to Jupiter to evaluate the freaks that make up our cast, intent to kill one of them to join his damned crew. His troupe will not accept just anyone, though.

In a character-driven series, this is a great device to delve deeper into the backstories of many of the players. With each of the freaks Edward encounters, he makes them tell him their deepest pain, judging whether they are acceptable to join him or not. This leads to some really interesting revelations, as well as phenomenal performances, something the FX anthology show is known for.

In part one, the best actress award goes to Kathy Bates. Her Ethel Darling is a transformative role for her in an already celebrated career, understated and underused until this point. Ethel is ready to die, having gotten news from her doctor that she’s got terminal cancer, drinking to speed up the dying process while she tells Mordrake’s story to the troupe. But in spilling her own tale to Mordrake, she realizes she wants the short time she has left and she begs for mercy. Mordrake doesn’t take her, but Bates takes our hearts in a compelling, layered performance of a woman facing her own mortality.

In part two, the award goes to John Carroll Lynch as Twisty the Clown. He is delivering a truly creepy character this year, the clown being the only one to really be afraid of in the first four episodes. In “Edward Mordrake,” though, the clown actually speaks and justifies his actions. He is a simpleton who doesn’t believe he’s doing anything wrong. It’s a brilliant take and Lynch sells it, making us feel genuinely sorry for him, as well as happy that he has a place where he is finally accepted when Mordrake chooses him to join the band.

Honorable mention goes to Jessica Lange, whose Elsa Mars has a very dark and very bloody past, and whom actually is accepted by Mordrake before he hears the clown. Elsa is a pathetic character, one whose insecurities make her freakier than those in her show. She is also the one who summons Mordrake, accidentally or not, so there would be a certain poetic justice if she goes with him. She can’t, of course, because Lange’s contributions to American Horror Story are too valuable to write her out four episodes in. But I like that she almost is taken because that feels right.

I would be remiss without also giving a shoutout to this year’s break-out star, Finn Wittrock, who plays Dandy Mott. Dandy has less screen time in “Edward Mordrake” than in previous weeks, but he is the most chilling character in American Horror Story: Freak Show. Seemingly normal, Dandy is as twisted as they come, and his growth in just four episodes, from restless spoiled brat to ruthless killer, filling the shoes of the departed Twisty, has been amazing. We don’t need Twisty any more because we now have Dandy, who may just be ten times worse.

It is sad that Dandy’s transformation leads him to murder Patti LaBelle’s Dora, whose sassy attitude towards him is terrific. We barely know her and she will be missed. But it makes sense for the story.

The other major development in “Edward Mordrake” is that Jimmy Darling (Evan Peters) becomes a hero, single-handedly getting the townspeople to accept the freaks camped on their borders. This arc has been brewing since the beginning, too, with Jimmy intent on showing folks that the freak show performers are just like anyone else. He doesn’t make any headway until he rescues three children from Twisty, but once he does, the attitude change is quick, one father even shaking his lobster hand without flinching. Jimmy has accomplished his original primary goal.

That doesn’t mean Jimmy’s story is done. Like Lange, Peters is essential to American Horror Story, serving as arguably the primary protagonist this season, or at least one of the core few. His bitterness at the police for killing his friend and his budding romance with con-woman Maggie (Emma Roberts), which likely turns somewhat genuine after she sees him in noble action, should keep him busy. But it’s a bold choice for the show to make to wrap up his first plot early and allow his thread to make a significant detour here.

American Horror Story: Freak Show is excellent, fully deserving of FX’s best ratings ever, which it is currently pulling down. I like past seasons a lot, but this one is definitely in the running for my favorite edition. Its characters are excellent and its performers are even better, giving meaty material to actors who deserve it and own it. In the past, I haven’t covered this show on a weekly basis, and admittedly, I did combine this two-parter into one review, but if it stays this good, expect to see a lot more from me on it.

American Horror Story: Freak Show airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on FX. Its run times vary, so make sure your DVR records the full length, as some weeks have aired almost half-an-hour past 11 p.m. and you won’t want to miss the endings.

Blu-ray Review: ‘American Horror Story: Coven’

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: ‘American Horror Story: Coven’ on Blogcritics.

Last fall, FX presented the miniseries, American Horror Story: Coven, the third in the franchise. It is the tale of a group of witches at a school in New Orleans, battling to see who can be the next leader of their order while uniting to battle outside foes. Many of the cast members from previous seasons return in new roles, and some truly incredibly performers join the ensemble. This excellent, thirteen-episode run, full of humor and frights, is now available on Blu-ray and DVD.

American Horror Story: Coven stars Jessica Lange, playing the current Supreme Witch, Fiona Goode. She is dying, and returns to the institution her daughter Cordelia (Sarah Paulson) runs, to seek a way to stop her demise. A new batch of youngsters have recently enrolled: Zoe Benson (Taissa Farmiga), who kills boys she has sex with; Madison Montgomery (Emma Roberts), a bratty young starlet; clairvoyant Nan (Jamie Brewer); and human voodoo doll Queenie (Gabourey Sidibe). These young women are learning the various powers of their ancestors, all trying to be head of the class so they can take over the coven, if Myrtle Snow (Frances Conroy) and the rest of the Council allow it.

Things are complicated for the coven by numerous outside influences. First, there’s Madame Delphine LaLaurie (Kathy Bates), an ageless racist dug up so Fiona can learn her secrets. Then, we meet Marie Laveau (Angela Bassett), Delphine’s nemesis and leader of the black witches, who don’t get along with the schoolgirls. Zoe brings a boy she likes, Kyle (Evan Peters), back from the dead. A Stevie Nicks-obsessed healer, Misty Day (Lily Rabe), considers joining the group. Cordelia’s ex-husband, Hank (Josh Hamilton), harbors a deadly secret. House servant Spalding (Denis O’Hare) tries to keep the past buried. The Axeman (Danny Huston) and Papa Legba (Lance Reddick) haunt them. They are attacked by zombies and a minotaur. Needless to say, it’s a lot for any woman to take on.

There’s plenty to like about Coven. As is typical for  American Horror Story, has some genuinely scary moments. Perhaps it’s not as bone-chilling as past seasons, but it can still make you jump. There is much danger both inside and outside the coven, and if the monsters don’t get you, their friends might. The writing is fast-paced and relatively tight, cleverly bringing numerous threads together by the end of the season. Plus, Stevie Nicks guest stars as herself (well, a witch version of herself) so that’s definitely check in the positive column.

If there is one complaint I have about Coven, it’s that characters just do not often stay dead, which leaves viewers not trusting events as they unfold. The sheer number of characters killed and then somehow re-incorporated into the story is kind of ridiculous. Until we near the very end of the season, there is just no way to know who is still in contention.

The audio quality on this Blu-ray is terrific. It’s clear, with nice mixing, and makes good use of the surround sound tracks. The dialogue stands out easily. The picture is less consistent, but that’s because of the various styles the show is filmed in. There are parts that are purposefully grainy or blurry. I do think what’s meant to look high def does, and any flaws are intended for effect, rather than mistakes the production team has made, leading to an overall nice presentation.

There are only three extras on this release, a trio of featurettes lasting between ten and fifteen minutes each. “Enter the Coven” is the expected behind-the-scenes piece about this season, with interviews from cast members. “Zombie Halloween” is about the Halloween episode that features zombies, in case you couldn’t tell by the title. “Meet Ms. Nola” is a quick look at the city of New Orleans, which is where the season was actually filmed, and the crew enjoyed it so much, they stayed there for this year’s Freak Show. None of these are all that insightful, interesting only in a very superficial way.

Still, this release is cool because of the fantastic episodes, whether or not the extras are any good.

American Horror Story: Coven is available now.

AMERICAN HORROR STORY Finale Full of "Wonders"

Article first published as TV Review: 'American Horror Story' - 'The Seven Wonders' on Blogcritics.

Editors note: Please be advised that this article contains spoilers.

FX tied up its third season of American Horror Story, subtitled Coven, this week with “The Seven Wonders.” It’s time to pick a new Supreme to head the Coven, and the four younger witches are tested to see which one has the magical powers necessary to take command. All does not go smoothly, but we are left with a definitive ending.

First of all, it is a little disappointing that the witches are trapped in a backwards power structure in which the one with the greatest magical abilities, i.e. the strongest, is the leader. We’ve seen with the current Supreme, Fiona (Jessica Lange), that skills have little to do with wise decision making. Even with a Council to support the head, shouldn’t this coven make a change, rejecting the old way?

But that’s nit-picky and doesn’t really apply to the story, since at least the characters and the world stay pretty consistent over the thirteen episodes. “The Seven Wonders” as an installment is excellent.

The opening of “The Seven Wonders” is basically a Stevie Nicks (herself) music video, which is fine. It’s a great song and the visuals are beautiful. It may not completely fit with the tone set, but it’s fun, original, and a really cool way to kick off this season finale. I enjoyed it immensely.

After this, the real plot begins with Zoe (Taissa Farmiga), Queenie (Gabourey Sidibe), Madison (Emma Roberts), and Misty (Lily Rabe) being tested. Given the unpredictability of the writing, it’s difficult to predict ahead of time how it might turn out. Some viewers might see Misty’s death during the trial coming; we’re repeatedly warned that this is a very dangerous, sometimes fatal, process, and Misty shows hesitation and limitation early in the contest. But few will predict Zoe’s death during foolish goofing off or Madison’s victory.

Madison seems appropriate to follow in Fiona’s footsteps because they’re a lot alike. They’re both selfish and cold, pretty and vain, bitchy and with sass. Madison appears downright evil at times, such as when she refuses to bring Zoe back from the dead, even though it’s well within her power to do so. But so does Fiona, who plans on slaughtering everyone, including her own daughter, Cordelia (Sarah Paulson), to buy herself thirty more years as Supreme. So the pointed shoes do fit.

But Madison also seems the early, obvious choice in Coven, so if “The Seven Wonders” had left things there, it would have been a great disappointment. Instead, the whole situation plays out in such a manner that Cordelia must draw her own inner strength to the forefront, enter the race late, and beat Madison. Which she does, quite effectively, meaning the new Supreme is not one anyone would have considered at the beginning of the hour.

American Horror Story: Coven sets up Cordelia’s rise throughout the season. There are many set backs for her, to be sure. Being blinded, learning her husband is a witch hunter, any interaction with her mother; these are things that tear Cordelia down. However, knowing her gene pool and seeing glimpses of greatness, it’s not surprising when Cordelia does overcome the odds to achieve victory. When her new-found power is mixed with her kindness and compassion, she is the likely candidate to lead the coven into a new era of tremendous potential and growth, which she does by publicly reaching out to the witches of the world.

The ending of Coven is the most open-ended of any American Horror Story season so far and begs for followup. While there is some closure, with many characters dead and Cordelia advancing the school into a new period with Queenie and a resurrected Zoe by her side, there are also all sorts of implications that remain unexplored. How does the world accept the existence of witches? What will bringing so many together do? More than the first two seasons by far, Coven deserves a second outing, which would be a completely different story.

Now, as much as I like this ending, there are some weak points in “The Seven Wonders.” How is Queenie accepted back so readily after her betrayal? Why isn’t Zoe more moved by Misty’s death? Is Myrtle (Frances Conroy) really so selfless that she’d orchestrate Cordelia’s rise to power and then offer herself up for death for no other reason than to leave the coven in good hands? And was that necessary, as no one would have ever told on Myrtle for her transgressions? This finale should have been two hours, as these bits could mostly have been explained or delved into more deeply, and the hell part of the competition, skimmed quickly over, could have been its own episode. But these complaints pale in comparison to all the terrific character moments this season, and even this hour.

Among the best moments are Cordelia grieving over Misty as the gal turns to dust in Coredelia’s arms, Kyle (Evan Peters) strangling Madison to death, totally deserved, and the departed Spalding (Denis O’Hare) showing up to help hide the body, and Cordelia beating Madison in the competition. These are all defining scenes, the culmination of season-long arcs that provide satisfaction and closure.

Best of all is the finale confrontation between Cordelia and Fiona. Fiona comes to kill her daughter, but has waited too long and is too weak to do so. Fiona’s plan and deceit are sound and worthy of her, but she overestimates herself. Cordelia, bolstered by her new authority, finds it in herself to forgive her mother and let her die in her arms. The words they say to one another are enlightening, and both actresses play the scene with such rich tension that it will be remembered long after being viewed. This is nothing short of brilliant.

Just as good is Cordelia’s hell, living in domestication with The Axeman (Danny Huston). Some may argue that The Axeman isn’t important enough to Cordelia to spend eternity with, in stark contrast to the existence Madame Delphine (Kathy Bates) and Marie Laveau (Angela Bassett), who had their perfect ending last week, are trapped in. But I think that’s kind of the point. Fiona didn’t want to be tied down or normal, and now here she is stuck with a man she doesn’t love. It’s horrible for her. Papa Legba (Lance Reddick) laughing at her is icing on the cake.

There are also little bits just for the fans out there, meta references to make us smile. Madison names her hell as being in The Sound of Music reboot, and not as the lead, a poke at the recent broadcast network effort. This is even more fun when you consider Glee, another series from the mind of Ryan Murphy, is also a musical, and so he’s almost firing off a shot at his competition. It’s amusing that Sarah Paulson’s character is once more in front of TV cameras in “The Seven Wonders,” similar to her part at the bottom of Asylum. The Last Supper tableau just before the games begin is terrific. Kyle asking Spalding “Who are you?” – two main characters who only share this one scene in the entire season, is hilarious. These may be small gags, but it’s nice that Murphy and company include them.

And so we have another stellar season of American Horror Story to look back on. Basically, this season has been an amazing tale of some fascinating women, thoroughly well done. Better than Asylum, and arguably just as good as the first outing, albeit in different ways, Coven is a fantastic accomplishment, proving the show’s creators know what they’re doing in regards to crafting a tale and picking the right cast. I can’t wait to see what they come up with next.

American Horror Story has been renewed for a fourth season, and will return with a fresh setting and complement next fall.

AMERICAN HORROR STORY: COVEN Far From "Dead"

Article first published as TV Review: 'American Horror Story: Coven' - 'The Dead' on Blogcritics.

***Note: This series is rated TV-MA for good reason, and viewer discretion is advised due to mature content. It is impossible to discuss the latest episode without referencing said content, so while I will keep things as light and profanity-free as possible, some of the subject matter will definitely be offensive to some readers. Please let this serve as your warning.

FX’s American Horror Story: Coven has been hitting it out of the park by delivering a more character-driven story than in years past, and providing the material and actresses to back it up. This week’s installment, “The Dead,” which serves as the mid-point of the season, reveals a lot about several of the players, and, through death and sex, some peace is found, as temporary as it might be.
“The Dead” starts with Kyle (Evan Peters) before his death. He’s joking with his frat pals and talking of his dreams in a tattoo parlor. There is little doubt that he has the drive and talent to back up his goals, and his future will be bright, indeed. Except, he’s now dead, reanimated bits of those friends sewn to him, as demonstrated by the glimpses of their tattoos on his patchwork body.

It’s no wonder Kyle is having trouble adjusting to the circumstances. Besides not being able to speak the words in his brain, which has not been dulled, he’s frustrated at his predicament. He didn’t ask to become the monster he’s been made into, and every thing he had hoped for has been flushed down the toilet. As far as he’s concerned, his life is (literally) over, but he has the added torture of being conscious of the wasted potential.

Peters captures all of this internal monologue brilliantly, eyes dancing with un-vocalized emotions. We feel his pain, and find a way to sympathize with him despite the horrible things he’s done, like slaughtering his mother. Clearly, anger and confusion is driving his actions, and he can’t be blamed for everything. By the end of “The Dead,” he is starting to find himself again, and surely he can heal. Maybe.

Madison (Emma Roberts) is going through the exact opposite problem. Instead of having feelings she can’t understand or express, she’s plagued by a lack of feeling, which Roberts plays with such effect as to impress any who watch. She’s going to be an actress to watch. Her numbness starts before she’s killed and brought back, by the way, citing her utter lack of caring about being gang-raped in an earlier episode. Burning herself doesn’t work, in fact, nothing does. Until she finds Kyle’s penis. Inside of her.

Since Madison has only murdered those who deservd it (except Kyle, accidentally), it’s easier to get behind her. She’s not a nice person, to be sure, but that can be chalked up to a young girl who found fame at an early age and is putting on a brave face to hide fear. She is more talk than action, and she did not deserve to die, or to feel this helpless and broken.
There’s something kind of sweet about Madison and Kyle finding one another in this situation. They have the death thing in common, something no one else would understand. It seems to give them both pleasure and helps them stay centered. They’re technically consenting adults, or close enough to it. What harm would their relations cause anyone?

Besides Zoe (Taissa Farmiga, this season’s MVP in an intensely crowded field), I mean. She’s used to not being the prettiest girl in the room, so she is disappointed, but not surprised, when she catches Kyle with Madison. I feel bad for Zoe here, I really do, but she has to understand why and how her two sort-of friends ended up together right? Plus, they are nice enough to invite her to join in.

Now, anytime a threesome crops up in movies or television, it’s a recipe for disaster, probably much like in the real world (I assume). There is bound to be jealousy and hurt feelings and doubts about the depth of attachment. That’s unfortunate, because American Horror Story: Coven has worked so hard to make us like all three of these individuals that the viewer will be loathe to side against one or more of them. But I guess that’s life, and since Kyle is dead, Zoe probably can’t snuff him out with her fatal nether regions, which makes their pairing ideal.

The beauty about this crazy sex hookup is that Zoe needs love and support right now, so getting it doubly should boost her confidence. See, Cordelia (Sarah Paulson) has warned Zoe that Fiona (Jessica Lange) might have it out for her since Fiona killed Madison just because the elder witch suspected Madison might be her replacement. With Spalding’s (Denis O’Hare) tongue restored long enough to confirm Fiona’s misdeeds and Zoe’s own power growing, the teenage witch needs to watch her back.

On a side note, does anyone really think Spalding will stay dead? He’s like the fifth major character to die this season in only seven episodes. It kind of takes the bite out of death when everyone keeps coming back, though, admittedly, I haven’t been ready to lose anyone that is killed off, and it would sure be novel of an American Horror Story run to still have all of its main players intact for the finale.

Fiona does have other things on her mind, which might give Zoe some breathing room. Throughout “The Dead,” Fiona is hooking up with The Axeman (Danny Huston, Magic City). Like Zoe, Fiona is having a crisis of faith in herself, feeling her abilities waning and her age creeping up on her. The Axeman provides Fiona with a similar injection of, um, bravado, which is even enough to override the creepy confession by The Axeman that he has been watching Fiona since she was eight.
“The Dead” seems to equate sex with a source of comfort and strength. I feel like this is a just and apt statement to make. While sex does require the baring of one’s soul, it also gets the blood coursing, sure to pump up the energy level of those effected. It’s an obvious and blatant metaphor, but it works.

Let’s hope it’s enough to get both Zoe and Fiona back in fighting form. With Hank (Josh Hamilton) packing as much firepower as he is, the house of witches is in deep trouble. This is an especially bad time for him to attack as the coven is missing two of its own.

Yep, there’s yet another subplot unfolding this hour. Queenie (Gabourey Sidibe) and Madame Delphine (Kathy Bates) seem to be bonding quite swimmingly, sharing some super-sized fast food in the middle of the night, even getting over Delphine’s racism just a bit. But after Delphine confides a dark secret to Queenie, thinking her friend, who is helping her turn a new leaf, will be able to look past this latest darkness, Queenie gives Delphine to her sworn enemy, Marie Laveau (Angela Bassett), earning Queenie a place in Marie’s group.

This is a very sad twist. The women really did seem like pals and were finding some legitimate common ground. Queenie’s disgust is understandable, of course, but Delphine really is making an effort to change. And Delphine’s comments about Queenie’s skin color are not completely off the mark, an observation that Marie seconds. I want Queenie to fit in back under Fiona’s roof, but maybe she just doesn’t.
Is American Horror Story telling us that some people don’t deserve second chances? Had Delphine continued her life style these past centuries, I would absolutely be in favor of flaying her, as Marie and Queenie do. However, Delphine served a long prison sentence buried in a box and seems to have learned her lesson. She deserves better.

Viewers deserve exactly what we’re getting: a sharp, witty, well-written, phenomenally-acted, highly engrossing tale. American Horror Story: Coven has surpassed the second go-round of the anthology series and is vying with year one for the best run of this fantastic show. If every season is this good, I hope it runs for many years to come.

American Horror Story: Coven returns in two weeks, Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on FX.

COVEN Intense New AMERICAN HORROR STORY

Article first published as AMERICAN HORROR STORY COVEN Review on Seat42F.

FX’s AMERICAN HORROR STORY begins its third outing this week. Subtitled COVEN, this year’s story is about witches. There is a school in New Orleans where young girls with special powers can be sent for training. With the reputation and wide-spread knowledge about the facility, and the existence of magic in general, slipping away, senior witches have differing opinions on what direction in which to take their kind in the modern age.

There are many different, distinct stories introduced in the first episode, “Bitchcraft.” The first is that of Madame Delphine LaLaurie (Kathy Bates, Harry’s Law), a cruel mistress who lived hundreds of years ago. She has a collection of tortured souls in her attic, and will not hesitate to punish, even for things that are not her victim’s fault. She is one scary person. She is also obsessed with youth, a quality that not only applies to her in this cast.

Bates is fantastic, as one might expect, creating a character both chilling behind closed doors, and refined and polite in public. She builds the layers of the part carefully, smoldering anger and power below the surface, and definitely grabbing viewer attention every second she is on screen. It is not clear how she will fit into the larger tale, as the connections are not drawn until the end of the hour, but they are done in a clever and surprising way.

Besides Bates, fans of the anthology series will know right away to expect great things from Jessica Lange and Sarah Paulson, playing wealthy widow Fiona Goode and potion-making headmistress Cordelia Foxx, respectively. After all, they’ve shared scenes in past years, and have already developed interesting and memorable characters for the franchise. They appear poised to do the same again in AMERICAN HORROR STORY: COVEN.

Lange’s role this season seems to allow her to be more wild and free than we’ve seen her previously. This is a woman not only with confidence, as Sister Jude had, but with the ability to back it up, as neither of her other parts possessed. One can see just how much fun the actress is having, and that really adds to the enjoyment.

Paulson plays things closer to the vest, less brave than last year’s Lana. Yet, she still gets delicious drama with Lange, knowing as these writers do that the two play well off of one another, and using that to their advantage. As mother and daughter this time around, Fiona and Cordelia have a complicated history, and while we’ve seen the two performers at odds on screen before, this time seems different. It’ll be interesting to see how far this volume veers Lange and Paulson away from the previous.

We also have the girls at the school. The main protagonist seems to be Zoe (Taissa Farmiga, who was in season one), a girl who doesn’t understand her skills, and whom has accidentally killed. Sent by her grandmother, Myrtle Snow (Frances Conroy), to the school, Zoe has a lot to learn, but is also quick to figure things out. She’s a very strong presence, surprising for someone with so few screen credits. It’s certain she’ll hold her own.

Zoe’s classmates are Madison Montgomery (Emma Roberts, Nancy Drew), a famous movie star, Nan (Jamie Brewer), a clairvoyant, and Queenie (Gabourey Sidibe), a human voo-doo doll. While Queenie and Nan are not main characters, I do like the dynamic of the group as a whole, a twisted bunch of misfits, and so hope they recur often. The four girls already have a good chemistry, especially between Zoe and Madison, not necessarily a pleasant relationship, but an entertaining one.

AMERICAN HORROR STORY: COVEN is the year of the woman, with only two men, Evan Peters and Denis O’Hare, in the main cast. Besides those listed above, Angela Bassett (Betty and Coretta) makes quite an impression in her guest spot, and Lily Rabe delivers an impact in a small part that will surely expand in other installments, though it’s far from obvious how that will happen. With all of these wonderful females, I can’t imagine a better grouping for a witch story.

This season also proves to be more brutal than the first two, with some very graphic sex and violence, sometimes combined, in the first episode alone. Each season of AMERICAN HORROR STORY has its startling and cringe-worthy scenes, but to see so much, so early makes me think there is a lot more in store. It may not be particularly scary, at least not yet, but it certainly pushes the boundaries of the genre, as well as what can be seen on basic cable.

“Bitchcraft” impressed me a lot. My hopes were high, given the quality of earlier installments and the resumes of those who signed on for COVEN, but the shock factor still got to me, and Farmiga, in particular, showed something unexpected. If this episode is typical for what the year has in store, it may be the best season thus far.

AMERICAN HORROR STORY: COVEN premieres Wednesday, October 9^th at 10 p.m. ET on FX.