Even if the story wasn’t pushed forward at a breakneck pace this week, a few things were made clear that give me more hope for this season than the past two. Like I said before, the focus is much tighter and the stories being told feel more developed. Asylum had that feeling like each week’s episode was written days before it aired, with plots cropping up and disappearing quicker than I could count. The alien plot still leaves a bad taste in my mouth just thinking about it.
There were a few flashbacks in Boy Parts that helped reveal parts of the past, but they felt more seamless than before. For example, Queenie gets her own revenge scene, and it works because it’s brief yet effective. If the first two seasons were about shock and awe, then Coven is all about telling a coherent story. So far, it’s hitting all of the right notes.
That alligator scene I mentioned was also a good example of Coven using its environment to its advantage. New Orleans is a rich landscape to inhabit, and I get as pleased as punch anytime the location is used effectively. A zombie alligator dragging a hunter head first into a swamp is about as effective as it gets.
None of this would matter if the performances weren’t on par with the writing and ever since episode one, the cast has been nearly perfect, with the recurring Jessica Lange consistently stealing the spotlight. The show belongs to her more than it belongs to Ryan Murphy, and I’m glad she’s become the face associated with the series.
At risk of sounding like a fanboy, I can’t wait for Evan Peters to get back on his feet. As much as I loathed the teenage romance he shared with Taissa Farmiga in the first season, they’ve both grown by leaps and bounds as actors, and they’ve been given characters that aren’t quite so whiny. So for once, I’ll take the side of those who made creepy fan art about the couple two years ago and say I’m ready for their relationship to kick off.
The cast is dominated by talented women, and the theme of female empowerment is expertly woven into the story. A few familiar men should be popping up within the next few episodes, and I couldn’t be more excited to see how they fare against the coven. As I said in the premiere review, the fact that each witch has their own special power is intriguing to me, and I especially love Queenie’s human voodoo doll shtick. Heck, Zoe’s already killed two guys via sex. You can never say there’s nothing interesting happening in the show.
Simply put, Boy Parts was just an insanely entertaining hour of television. The series is continuing to grow in many ways, and its finally starting to hit its stride. The plots are strange and outlandish, yet still grounded. Everything still feels sexy, but without being gratuitous. American Horror Story: Coven is an immature show finally being handled maturely. Let’s hope the rest of the season is handled just as deftly.
