Coven: Not A “Normal” Witch Show

By September Mostransky

April 29, 2021

After two successful seasons of American Horror Story, creator Ryan Murphy was given the go ahead to put out a third, which premiered with the title, Coven, on October 9, 2013.

With the release of Coven, fans immediately uncovered that the season would contain witches, as the name practically gives it away. However, these fans knew that this season would certainly give no “Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” vibes. After all, the television show is called American Horror Story for a reason.

Coven begins with a flashback of New Orleans in the 1830s. Viewers watch as Madame Delphine Lalaurie (Kathy Bates) inflicts pain on her slaves.

After watching this gruesome flashback with our hands over our eyes, leaving a small window to peek, time fast forwards to present day where we witness Zoe Benson (Taissa Farmiga) being whisked away to a school for witches located in New Orleans and ran by Cordelia Goode (Sarah Paulson).

At this “school,” Zoe learns that there are three others just like her. Madison Montgomery, (Emma Roberts) a sharp - tongued and selfish girl, who also happens to be my favorite character in Coven, Queenie, (Gabourey Sidibe) a strong girl, and Nan, (Jamie Brewer), a sassy and kind girl. Zoe soon begins to fit in with the others and learn more about her powers with the help of Cordelia.

Cordelia gets preoccupied when her mother, Fiona (Jessica Lange), pays an unwanted visit. Fiona appears to act as a helping hand at first, but it soon becomes apparent that she has ulterior motives.

While Cordelia is busy trying to contain her mother, the girls take it upon themselves to become powerful. But, they also want to have fun. On one of their “fun”, yet disturbing missions, Zoe and Madison create Kyle (Evan Peters). “We take the best boy parts and we build the perfect boyfriend,” said Madison without thinking about any consequences.

Consequences indeed occurred, as we knew they would. These determinants led us to meet Misty Day, (Lily Rabe) a Stevie Nicks loving witch who also becomes a fan favorite.

Overall, Coven is an extremely captivating season of “AHS,” and if you’re looking for a quick binge, I would say to start here. The plot filled with mystery, supernatural events, deep rooted history, and of course horror matched with the incredible acting of the cast is what truly draws such positive attention to this season.

Without the phenomenal acting, Coven wouldn't have been as praised. The actors truly got into their roles and made those watching forget that this was just a television show, especially Kathy Bates and Sarah Paulson. There's also something to be said for using the same actors and transforming them into different characters for different seasons. Because Ryan Murphy decided to do this, he gives his viewers a chance to create a connection (and slight obsession) with the actors, which ultimately helps him in gaining and keeping an audience.

I definitely recommend Coven and would give it a 9/10 rating. This season in particular wasn't as terrifying as I would've liked, but it did have the best plot out of all the previous seasons. If you end up watching this season and want more, check out American Horror Story’s Apocalypse season which can be found on Netflix and Hulu alongside every other season of “AHS.” Let's just say that when Madison Montgomery said “I bet you thought you’d seen the last of me,” in Coven, it applies elsewhere too.