Not to be forgotten, the council makes another appearance and attempts to force Fiona to step down as Supreme, which she does with grace and acceptance, wishing the best for her coven and realizing they are safer without her. Except of course she doesn’t do that. Instead, she presents proof that Myrtle was the one who threw acid on Delia in an attempt to get revenge on Fiona. Myrtle’s burnt hands are enough evidence to earn her a burning, albeit a beautifully shot and choreographed burning. A witch could do much worse than the burning she received.
In the end, though, we find out that Myrtle’s guilt was just another trick played by Fiona, using Queenie’s powers to burn Myrtle’s hands at the right moment, earning Fiona more time as Supreme. Although she promises to take Queenie under her wing and train her as the new Supreme, it’s a bit obvious that that will never happen. So far, both Zoe and Delia stand as better candidates for the position, and I have a feeling Queenie won’t remain silent for long. Especially since Misty stumbles upon Myrtle’s charred corpse and sees fit to bring her back to life.
Much of the episode was concerned with mothers regretting the troubles they passed onto their daughters, exploring a depth that American Horror Story hasn’t really looked into yet. It’s surprising to see how well the show handled it, however, serving to bolster Coven even further as the best season of the three. The action on display was spellbinding, but the story continues to be compelling without being convoluted or weighed down by superfluous side stories that never go anywhere. This tighter focus keeps hinting at a bigger payoff, and I can honestly say I can’t wait to see what happens next.
One small issue, though: what’s going on with Kyle? He escaped his house, and technically in the show it just happened the day before, but it’s still been a while since we’ve seen him. Evan Peters didn’t really get an ending to his story last season, so maybe he’s cursed?
Either way, American Horror Story: Coven is populated by intriguing characters that are driving the plot towards a satisfying conclusion. Luckily, we’ve still got a few months until this season draws to a close and a witch/voodoo war to watch unfold. Here’s yet another W for the series.