American Horror Story: Coven 3.10 Review: Witches of all Colours

As a friendly reminder to all those that have yet to watch last week’s episode of American Horror Story: Coven, titled ‘The Magical Delights of Stevie Nicks’, this is where I suggest you turn away from the screen and go watch the episode before proceeding ahead. For this is not a spoiler free blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! You’ve been warned.

This is going to be short and sweet, being that I don’t have much to say regarding this episode. I will say that it was rather drab for a series that has a limited number of episodes to tell the stories it wants. Sure, Nan was killed, we learned Fiona doesn’t have a soul (uh, what?), and Madison got Misty trapped in a crypt (when why would she, being that if she’s the next Supreme, killing her won’t disprove that – these characters have no logic), but it still wasn’t very interesting.

The entirety of this episode felt very much like a nod to Stevie Nicks, being that she guest stars as slightly altered version of herself. I completely did not understand at all why they used her name in the episode title when she’s barely utilized for more than a couple talking’s to Misty and Fiona, as well as a few tunes. This season isn’t making a lot of sense to me at all. Also, the way Fiona acted around Stevie Nicks made no sense to the character that she was.

Overall, for the most part this series is well-written – basic logic aside – but it’s just not being written interestingly. There isn’t a whole lot to this year, and I’m disappointed because witches were my first supernatural love (before growing to become werewolves). The only highlight to this season is Sarah Paulson, whom I love much more this year, as this character. That breakdown she had this episode was phenomenal, and the only thing I greatly enjoyed. I just, I’m not sure how I feel about getting excited for a fourth season of this series when I haven’t loved it since season one.

My rating: 6 out of 10.

No memorable dialogue.

I’m off to watch Nashville now, check back soon.

American Horror Story: Coven 3.09 Review: Witch Hunters

Anyone that has yet to watch Wednesday night’s episode of American Horror Story: Coven, entitled ‘Head’, then you’re taking longer to watch it than I am to review it, I suggest you do that now. This is not a spoiler free blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! You’ve been warned.

So, three episodes left until the season finale, in which this series of characters wrap themselves up. With that in mind, I’m not sure the progression of this story is being done quite as well as the first season was. This whole dedicating flashbacks to Hank business this week was a tad boring, and wasn’t really necessary to complete his story. So, basically there’s an entire company dedicated to taking witch-kind down, and yet they supposedly have very few left? It seems a little ludicrous to me. Also, the fact that Hank was merely “placed” in the coven as eyes, when it was made to look like he took the initiative to get into bed with Marie Laveau in order to take these witches down. Sloppy writing right there if you ask me.

Basically, what I found is that this week’s episode was terribly slow. We were back to horribly done camera angles. I’m sorry, it’s not artsy, it’s nauseating; please stop it so I can enjoy this program. They go through all of this struggle with Kyle and stuff, only to have Fiona swoop in and fix him to the best of her abilities. And yet, he’s still not fully there; he’s just around as an attack dog. I have to say, of all the characters this season, I’m most disappointed with Kyle. I’d thought by now he’d at least be mostly back to who he was, but now he’s apparently just their attack dog? What? It made sense that he’d kill his mother, but that other dog? Also, what was this whole business of having the council members cut up? I’d understand Myrtle’s desire for revenge, but that seemed a bit over the top if you ask me.

All in all, while I was happy to have Cordelia get her sight back, as well as watching Marie Laveau go crawling to the witches, I’m not sure this season is shaping up to be anywhere near as good as I’d hoped it would be. The villains of the season seem pretty pathetic when you look at it, and it appears as if there is no overarching story developing at all this season. This really is a mess of a season, and I don’t see how it thinks it could get any better. That’s two disappointing seasons in a row; if next year isn’t better, I’ll probably be done.  The writing is just nowhere near as tight and well-developed as it really should be, and it makes me incredibly disappointed in the showrunner for this season. Sure, that song was beautiful at the end, but about half of each episode could be cut out and it would still be enjoyable. It’s dissatisfying.

My rating: 6.5 out of 10 (and that .5 is merely for the last five minutes).

Best Lines:

“No, bitch, she’s clairvoyant.” – Madison states.

“You’re one stubborn old lady head, you know?” – Queenie remarks.

Okay, my apologies for the lateness of this, but I’ve just had a long couple of days. I have a few more reviews to catch up on, but probably won’t get to those tonight. Maybe The Crazy Ones, but I’m not sure yet. So check back later to see.

American Horror Story: Coven 3.08 Review: Working Together

Anyone that has yet to watch last night’s episode of American Horror Story: Coven, titled ‘The Sacred Taking’, that is what I suggest you go and do now, before proceeding ahead. This is not a spoiler free blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! You’ve been warned.

There are so many sides to this series this season, it’s almost difficult to keep track. You’ve got the witches that everyone is – or at least I am – rooting for, then you’ve got the voodoo side where I only really like Marie Laveau, and then there’s Cordelia’s husband who is a witch hunter. Okay, so there are only three sides, but there are a lot of characters that go back and forth between them all. One of which is the witch/voodoo crossover kind of character Queenie. She’s one character I really can’t stand this season, a) because she’s grotesquely large, b) because she’s so damned whiny, and c) because she’s this selfish, oh woe is me kind of character that thinks she deserves more than everyone else – those kinds of characters really piss me off.

This episode, for the most part, really worked for me this week. We finally got to see most of our witch characters (including Misty Day) work together for once. I really enjoyed seeing the coven work together to bring Fiona down, and I’m very much looking forward to seeing all of them work together against the Voodoo priestesses. And I’m especially glad Fiona didn’t go all raging Supreme on them all for trying to take her down.

All in all, aside from a few choice cinematographic shots, this was a very well done, well-written episode. Despite how much I don’t like Queenie, I still really enjoyed the opening scene, and the storytelling that it brought with it. Seeing Kyle’s face light up with amazement when Zoe covered his ears with the headphones was beautiful, as well as when he managed to tell her he loved her, which also brought wonderful storytelling with it as Madison listened in, in tears. This episode had a great use of red, as Madison wore that colour dress to facilitate Fiona’s killing herself. Such a shocking use of the colour against the mostly black and white of that scene. This episode really had a lot going for it, despite it, or this season, living up to the Horror in its title.

My rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Best Lines:

“Maybe it’s a good thing you’re blind as a butter knife.” – Myrtle Snow relates to Cordelia.

“God knows it’s not getting any action from you, grandma.” – Madison remarks, regarding Fiona’s bed.

“I’m going to bring marshmallows and graham crackers to make smores.” – Madison explains what she’ll do when they bring Fiona to be burned for her crimes of killing another witch.

My apologies for not posting this yesterday, but here it is now. I’m off to watch The Vampire Diaries now, and afterwards Once Upon A Time in Wonderland, Grey’s Anatomy, and The Crazy Ones. Stay tuned.

American Horror Story: Coven 3.07 Review: An Indifference to Suffering

For any that have yet to watch last night’s episode of American Horror Story: Coven, entitled ‘The Dead’, that is what I suggest you do now before reading ahead. This is not a spoiler free blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! You’ve been warned.

As opposed to last week’s terribly filmed episode, this one was much better. I feel like it’s a hit and miss every week with this series; one week it’s bad, the next it’s good. This episode would fall in the latter character. The cinematography was overall very well done, the story progressed immensely in numerous ways, and we got more insight on a fair amount of the characters. That is what I would call a job well done.

There were a lot moments that made me feel something in this episode. First off, I feel really bad for Tate – Kyle, I mean Kyle – who doesn’t feel like himself because he’s composed of different body parts, and is trying to work through those issues. Still, I would like it if he could be able to talk intelligently, at some point. Also, I really felt for Madison, for once, with her whole speech about being apart of the Y Generation and how she can no longer feel even if she wanted to. In life she took it for granted, and now half-dead she doesn’t have it. Except for, apparently, when she does another dead person (read: Kyle). Another thing is how expressive Jessica Lange is in her physical movements. Just the shots of her hands rubbing together were rather evocative and so very Lange; I can remember her doing the same thing in season one. And one more thing was the exquisite use of the saxophone. The sound it makes as it is expertly played is such a beautiful thing to behold.

I really enjoyed the way this started off with a flashback of Kyle and his frat brothers and there tattoos, including a hint of the situation with his mother in that broken look he briefly had. Then to fold that into the next scene where he cries over having the tattoos on his body, such a masterfully done technique used. My one issue with Kyle this episode is that there hasn’t been quite enough movement with his character. We can see he cares for Zoe, and that he’s still working through all the things with his mom and frat brothers, but then to go and have sex with Madison was a little iffy. Not that I’m against the use of it, I just found his fondness for Zoe, despite the bond that they shared that Madison seemed to manipulate, it didn’t quite fit in right there. But then it, of course, led to what I can only say must be a threesome. I’m really not sure where they’re going with this now. Was that all just because Evan Peters and Emma Roberts are dating? It kind of felt that way to me.

Elsewhere, it seems that Queenie has joined Marie Laveau (who, can I just say, is being played brilliantly by Angela Bassett) over on the Voodoo side. How was this not obvious that it would happen? Isn’t her witch power a Voodoo power? I could’ve sworn she descended from the same line as Laveau. Plus Queenie was just getting annoyingly stupid. Not feeling apart of the coven and everything when really she was the one keeping the coven at arms length because she didn’t feel like she belonged. It’s not their fault they weren’t trying to include her, she never even acted like she wanted to be there, and sometimes you just have to take the initiative – and not blame everyone else. I think that’s the main reason I can’t stand her character; I just really wish she would die soon. She’s grotesquely overweight, and that’s just not okay.

So all in all, this was a good episode. Despite the pervy Axeman, who watched Fiona grow up into a woman and his feelings changed from fatherly to manly, this was a good episode. There was a little too much focus on Fiona and the Axeman, but that could just be me feeling that way because her character is kind of getting on my nerves. I did enjoy the one-on-one between Cordelia and Zoe, and Zoe’s initiative with Spalding – although I will miss O’Hare dancing with the dolls. Also, I can’t finish without commenting on that beautiful arsenal Cordelia’s – unbeknownst to her – witch hunter husband. That was a nice display. Otherwise, I enjoyed this week’s episode, now let’s just see about next week.

My rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Best Lines:

“You can’t drink or fight, you’re a little bitch.” – Kyle tells his frat brother who just got an Irish-related tattoo, in a flashback.

“A wounded animal will rip you apart if it’s cornered.” – Cordelia explains to Zoe, regarding Fiona.

Alright, folks, that’s all for tonight. Check back in tomorrow night for my reviews of The Vampire Diaries, Once Upon A Time In Wonderland, Grey’s Anatomy, and The Crazy Ones – not necessarily in that order.

American Horror Story: Coven 3.06 Review: Don't Mess With Spirit Boards

Anyone that has yet to watch last night’s episode of American Horror Story: Coven, entitled ‘The Axeman Cometh’, here’s where I suggest that is what you do before proceeding ahead. For this is not a spoiler free blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! You’ve been warned.

Well, we’re halfway through the season. I do like the material they’ve created this season, but each episode doesn’t quite feel like one full episode. Like tonight’s episode, it felt like half an episode rather than an entire episode with a clearly written beginning, middle, and end. There’s no horror to this season, I thought they’d at least be well written episodes. It’s like one half of an episode is the end to the last, and the other half is the beginning to the next episode. It’d be one thing if all of the episodes were out at once, but it’s aggravating when I have to wait a week to see some sense of conclusion.

One thing I do enjoy this season are some of the characters. Like I believe I mentioned in my review of last week’s episode, Zoe started out as such a scared, little girl, and has really grown into this strong witch that wants to fight to survive. At this point, I honestly don’t care if they say otherwise; Zoe is the next Supreme in my books. Nan is also an interesting character, definitely a step up from the minutely annoying Addie. Queenie, on the other hand, is a character I don’t like. At all. She’s moronic, believing Fiona when she’s obviously being manipulated, and then the way she acted with Bastien. Fiona I’m back and forth on. Her selfishness doesn’t make her much of a redeeming character, but the way she’s trying to step up for Cordelia gives me some hope in her. Cordelia, on the other hand, is definitely better than Paulson’s character last season, but so far I still prefer her character from season one. I’m not much of one to think Paulson is a strong enough actress to carry a season, or have as heavy a role as she has had these last two seasons. Kyle I’m still intrigued by, but I’m still waiting for him to get over this lack of being able to speak. And then Misty I was much happier with when she was fawning over Zoe and wanting to find her tribe, rather than bringing back Myrtle. But I did enjoy her for the most part this week.

So the husband is a witch hunter. That makes more sense now, with the redhead from last week and how he killed her. Still, I’m not quite certain why he would work for Marie Leveau if he’s a witch hunter, this series does state she is a witch, just of a different kind. This does make this come together a bit better, though. I always find this series has stronger second halves of the seasons, when the writing gets clearer and is strung together better. That’s definitely a touchy tactic when it could just as easily fail by causing a series to shed viewership. Nonetheless, I still end up watching the season.

All in all, I do find the writing is stronger as this season goes on, but there isn’t much horror to it. The stories are interesting, but this series is called American Horror Story, not American Story. After the first season, I expected more, but I suppose intriguing storytelling will have to suffice. It does have its sparing moments, but maybe it’s because I have a lamp on so that I’m able to write notes, but its just not getting to me at all. And my house is actually haunted. Although I suppose that might make this season seem less scary, even with that ax man added in. Still, I hold out hope that it will get better. It is, after all, a hell of a lot better than last season.

My rating: 6.5 out of 10.

Best Line:

“You released him?” – Queenie questions. “I told him I would! I lied.” – Zoe explains, diabolically.

All right, that’s all for tonight folks. Check back in tomorrow for my reviews of Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, The Vampire Diaries, Grey’s Anatomy, and The Crazy Ones. Good night to all you other night workers out there!