OK, now we're getting somewhere.
While I have truly enjoyed the macabre merriment of "American Horror Story: Coven," I have gotten frustrated with the show's slow drip of plot details pertaining to this so-called war against the witches. In tonight's ninth episode of the season, "Head," we finally get some answers as secrets are revealed and things start to make sense.
It turns out that Cordelia's estranged husband, Hank, is a longtime witch-hunter! He is basically an embedded spy, doing dirty work for some corporation in Atlanta called Delphi Trust. It's the front for a "sacred order" that has been around since the days of Salem and has dedicated itself to stamping out the "pestilence of witchery" in North America.
AMERICAN HORROR STORY: COVEN Bitchcraft - Episode 301 (Airs Wednesday, October 9, 10:00 PM e/p) --Pictured: Jessica Lange as Fiona -- CR. Michele K. Short/FX (FX)
The order is run by Hank's father, a vicious, hard-driving old jerk who put a rifle in his son's hands at a young age and took him out on witch-hunting trips in the woods. Ah, nothing like spraying some silver bullets into a witch's ass to foster healthy father-son bonding. (Do they mount their heads?).
But Hank, as you might expect, is kind of a lunkhead who hasn't lived up to Daddy's expectations. On his first hunting trip as a boy, he basically wet his pants and failed to fire when he spotted his prey. "No mercy!" Daddy barked. "Never forget who they are!"
And even now, as an adult, Hank is screwing up. He apparently left a messy crime scene in a hotel room, where he shot a poor woman to death and his "recklessness" is putting Delphi in jeopardy. Also, we learn that, unbeknowst to Hank, the company authorized the acid-wash attack on Cordelia that left her blind.
"We wanted to make sure she needed you," Daddy says.
Hank is stunned that these corporate scumbags would actually disfigure his wife, which makes his father wonder if Hank has gotten a little too close to Cordelia, who later in the hour, regains her eyesight, thanks to some witchy shenanigans by Myrtle.
But there's something else going on with Hank. He has made a side deal with voodoo queen Marie Laveau to take down Fiona's coven of white witches. And the fact that he has yet to deliver on that deal is making Laveau angry. How angry? In a fit of fury. she conjures up some voodoo magic that opens up wounds on Hank's body and puts him in a world of pain. Consider it some rough voodoo foreplay: If Hank doesn't bring her the heads of the white witches that night, the next needle will put a hole in his heart.
Laveau's deal with Hank pretty much explains why she earlier laughed off Fiona when the Supreme came to her beauty salon to propose an alliance. All Fiona knows is that there are witch-hunters lurking in New Orleans. She thinks the voodoo bunch and her coven should present a united front in this impending battle. But Laveau will have none of it.
"That's a white woman's worry," she says, naturally keeping it a secret that she's backing a witch-hunter.
Ah, but that's where Laveau is oh so wrong. Hank, apparently tired of serving as Laveau's personal piñata, barges into the her salon and starts shooting the place up. Bodies drop everywhere. He even puts a bullet in Queenie, who hits then deck. And it appears that he's about to shoot Laveau when a still-conscious Queenie seizes upon a shocking -- and very messy -- solution: She grabs a pistol off the floor, jabs it in her mouth and fires, which of course, means that Hank's head is blown away.
And so Laveau survives the attack and apparently has a quick change-of-heart. In the closing scene, she shows up on Fiona's doorstep. Is a powerful alliance about to be formed?
Some random thoughts and other plot developments:
-- For my money, this episode, penned by Tim Minear, was one of the most enjoyable so far. Loved the whole idea that Queenie would subject Madame LaLaurie (or at least her head) to "sensitivity training" with a little film festival that included not only "Roots" and "Roots: The Next Generation," but "Mandigo," "The Color Purple" and "B.A.P.S" ("Black American Princesses"), starring Halle Berry.
-- It's a pleasure to watch this cast of women take turns chewing up the scenery. Tonight it was Frances Conroy getting a chance to really ham it up as the flame-haired Myrtle, who exacted gleeful revenge on her fellow council members and secured a couple of eyeballs (of different colors) for Cordelia. Really fun stuff.
-- Line of the night goes to Fiona (Jessica Lange), who snorts, "Who let this charcoal briquette back in?" when she sees Myrtle, who, of course, was burned at the stake.
-- Is Queenie dead? If so, probably not for long. No one stays dead in this show.
-- Another big revelation tonight: Turns out that our Bible-thumping neighbor (Patti LuPone) is a murderer. Why is that not so surprising in a Ryan Murphy show? He loves to highlight religious hypocrisy whenever he can. (And again, will Luke stay dead?).
-- Right about now, dozens of Paramus, New Jersey citizens are firing off angry letters to FX, claiming that there is so much more to their city than "toxic waste and outlet malls."
-- Loved the fact that Fiona "spruced up" FrankenKyle mostly so she could have someone to play cards with!
So what did you think of the episode? Please share your thoughts.
Contact Chuck Barney at Facebook.com/BayAreaNewsGroup.ChuckBarney, or Twitter.com/chuckbarney[1] [2]
References
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