‘American Horror Story: Coven’ episode 6 review: Does death really mean anything?
“American Horror Story: Coven” is what we like to refer to as the dessert table at an all-you-can-eat buffet. The food is pretty tasty, but the real appeal is that you can go back time and time again and there are no rules to how much you can have. If you know where to stop, you’re feeling pretty good about yourself the rest of the day; but, if you eat too much, you spend the rest of the day throwing up in the bathroom.
The reason that this Ryan Murphy series over-indulges is because there are witches, and they like being told what to do. Want to eat a whole cheesecake, or bring back everyone from the dead? Then have at it. We were stuffed to uncomfortable levels this week, and mostly because we were told that the majority of what had transpired really doesn’t matter. If everyone can and will be brought back, what’s the point of them dying in the first place?
Zoe, for example, had already seen the adverse effects of what happened when she managed to revive Kyle, but still decided that it would be a good idea to bring Madison back, as well. So far, she doesn’t appear to be any worse for wear, and we imagine that eventually, she will figure out that Fiona was the one who killer her. But what further story is there left to tell with Madison? We already have the revived LaLaurie, and we also found out that the famed Axeman of New Orleans was also revived and released as a condition of Zoe learning the truth about where Madison’s body was hidden. Outside of a particularly scary scene with Cordelia, the purpose of this appears to be more long-term, and as a means to make sure that there is something intriguing that happens later when it comes to Fiona.
Right now, we have Lily Rabe’s Misty as a plot device, Spalding as an object of torture, and Kyle as the wandering zombie man who really isn’t accomplish anything. There are great performances in here (see Jessica Lange, Rabe, or Jamie Brewer), but what is the point of them if the story isn’t going anywhere? We are almost halfway through the season, and it doesn’t feel like that much has been accomplished save for bringing some people back to life, and realizing that Fiona is terrible (which we sort of assumed).
There is so much that is well-done with “American Horror Story: Coven,” it really should be a much better show than it is. But for now, it’s mostly just casting a spell on viewers that it is something strong, when in fact it is a potion missing a few components. Grade: C-.
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Photo: FX