American Horror Story: Coven

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > TV IV > American Horror Story: Coven

Fast Luck: Feb 2, 1988

escape artist posted:

Honestly, you might enjoy it more if you don't have to wait 20 weeks to see 13 episodes. Just wait until it's all done and power through it all.

That's how I just caught up with it and it didn't help it much for me. I think they dropped the ball on this right from the opening stages. There's no normal people being haunted or tortured or what have you. And alright but then on top of that you might think oh okay but these ladies are gonna be delving into some dark and scary magic but then no not that either, there's just powers they just have. The school/sanctuary setting itself fails to be anything other than a place where these witches sometimes interact.

So once you get over what it's not there's still a lot of weaknesses in what it is. I'm willing to overlook homicidal maniac Kathy Bates morphing into confused racist grandma because they've mined the show's best humor from that, but I do find the surface-level 'Racism is BAD' and 'Fundie lady is EVIL!' to be pretty representative of weak-rear end liberalism and moralizing. Basically to be representative of Ryan Murphy.

Speaking of the fundie neighbor and son, those characters have been worthless. Just leave him as the hunky neighbor with the disapproving mom, why are we supposed to care about this ancillary character having killed this other nobody character's dad? Probably the show would've been better off not shoehorning in the shock factor sin enema and all that followed. But it seems like when the show toned down the scary and the creepy they decided to replace it with a pretty big helping of these "shocking" type of scenes.

Like the one with Kyle and his mom. Kyle's story has been a total disaster. Couldn't they find something better for Peters to do? We meet him for one night, he dies, and then for the next 8 episodes he's literally a traumatized retarded zombie. To be honest I kind of rolled my eyes at Incest Mom and found legitimately more uncomfortable the sex scene between Kyle and Madison and Zoe. Incest Mom was the typical *nudges you* "pretty hosed up, huh?" character whereas Madison and Zoe are two of our protagonists seducing a retarded rape victim who broke Stevie Nicks the last time someone got too close to him. But apparently it was okay this time.

It's also okay apparently when some of our good characters commit totally unnecessary murders. At least I think Zoe and Myrtle are supposed to be good but I have no idea why Zoe had to knife Spalding or why Myrtle killed the two council people for being convincingly scammed by Fiona. I could see that kind of mercilessness from someone like Fiona but I get the feeling Zoe and Myrtle are meant to be sympathetic.

I don't mean to just recount the entire season saying OK, didn't like when this happened, didn't like when this happened etc. I guess my msg would be summarized by saying some characters may as well not have even existed, some character behavior is completely erratic, and that the show's replaced good-creepy with lazy-shock factor. It's just a lot of failures.

The back and forth power struggle between Fiona and the council, the coven, the voodoo queen, and now the hunters, I know some people haven't liked but that's basically what moves the story and that and Fiona and a few others are interesting enough that the show is still okay I guess. Even though rich corporate witch hunters...?

OmegaBR posted:

It's one of those random little details you just have to overlook, like how Lana escaped Bloodyface and just so happened to jump in a car with a guy who hates women and blew his brains out at her sight.

Haha I had to quote this because when it happened I remember saying, "What the gently caress am I watching?" Asylum was definitely flawed and it overreached but it was still had a great setting and was fun. I think I actually liked the Haunted House one the most.

# ¿ Dec 23, 2013 03:49

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ Apr 26, 2024 18:50

Fast Luck: Feb 2, 1988

Doltos posted:

Their endgame was nothing. That was the point of the finale. They were now just a part of the house and wanted to fiercely defend it like the rest of the ghosts. They became just another family of ghosts in the growing history of the murder house, which is a pretty scary outcome to your life. It would have been better if the family who moved in didn't immediately move out in the finale, thus beginning the cycle anew.

Well the house had a lot of psychotic evil ghosts but it had some more well-adjusted ghosts too and I thought that they'd taken up basically as a good Ghost Family, haunting and scaring the gently caress out of new homeowners with the intention of frightening them away before harm could come to them.

# ¿ Dec 23, 2013 21:38

Fast Luck: Feb 2, 1988

*Papa Legpa snorts some coke*

This show has gone so far off the rails

# ¿ Jan 9, 2014 04:48

Fast Luck: Feb 2, 1988

escape artist posted:

Surprised to see the negative reaction; I thought that episode was easily the best of the season. It's no coincidence this was the first episode after they decided not to make the spin-off. Lots of stuff happened-- stuff with lasting consequences. And the Stevie Nicks stuff took up 2-3 minutes tops, and the final song she played was apropos-- listen to the lyrics, and consider that Fiona is accepting her fate. And you know what? Lance Reddick was legitimately scary. We finally got more Angela Basset backstory, instead of just dumb rituals. Misty died-- for real. She was cremated. They made a point to establish that cremation means you cannot be resurrected.

I don't watch previews and many others also don't, so spoiler tag that poo poo like you're supposed to.

Man this episode was garbage, possibly the worst of the season. It's all over the place in a bad way. What looked like it should be the new direction of the story, Fiona teaming with Laveau against the witch hunters, got one quick spell before everything derailed into witches murdering each other out of nowhere, like Nan being drowned basically offscreen and Misty getting clonked in the head and falling into a coffin. Joining the others to say Misty was buried alive and sealed in that mausoleum, not cremated. The only good thing about this episode was the enjoyably bizarre moment with Cordelia smashing pots while Myrtle played the theramin. Besides that we got the end to the neighbor lady story, tying it up into an utterly pointless bow, which also I think is a pretty good indication of the ultimate fates of Kyle and Delphine.

# ¿ Jan 9, 2014 16:47

Fast Luck: Feb 2, 1988

TheBizzness posted:

Was really surprised at the lack of hate for Nan being the first witch to actually die and lack of love for "Deal is off, you have no soul"

Let's kill Nan because hey, maybe that god-like Papa Legba guy will accept a substitution? Oh cool he will? drat why have I been killing innocent babies for the last 100 years?

# ¿ Jan 9, 2014 17:14

Fast Luck: Feb 2, 1988

Man everyone can raise people from the dead, put bodies back together, put eyes back in, etc but nobody can heal Fiona's cancer?

# ¿ Jan 23, 2014 04:10

Fast Luck: Feb 2, 1988

They were saying initially resurgence was more impressive than any of the wonders. That was before everyone could do it because everyone is supercharged now, probably gonna be a big reveal about it or something.

So, wait, Queenie reattached Lalaurie and brought her back to the Coven, but now because Lalaurie cut up and buried Laveau, Queenie wants her dead so badly she's trying to get Laveau killed so Lalaurie will die too?

# ¿ Jan 23, 2014 04:20

Fast Luck: Feb 2, 1988

OmegaBR posted:

All I can say is death, actual, permanent death, can change the way people feel. She was a worthy adversary, basically.

I mean, I think it's pretty off putting too. Not to mention these girls suddenly stabbing in unison as a Coven over an axeman after they've literally killed each other, but it is what it is.

This whole season has basically been leading up to the final episode anyway, and it looks to be a doozy.

Myrtle had a funny line where they said "this guy is a psychopathic serial killer" and she was like "who here can say they aren't?" It didn't actually make sense because only Madison out of the girls is a psycho but it was still funny.

I'm pretty positive that Myrtle said earlier that resurgence is more difficult than all the seven wonders and now they've all brought people back to life so yeah I guess they're all gonna be supremes.

# ¿ Jan 23, 2014 05:12

Fast Luck: Feb 2, 1988

I don't get why instead of trying to save Marie Laveau, Queenie was negotiating with Papa Legba to kill her.

# ¿ Jan 24, 2014 21:15

Fast Luck: Feb 2, 1988

Except she still gave LaLaurie a shot at redemption. And well why not just bury LaLaurie alive again?

QuickbreathFinisher posted:

This would have been a good way to do it. Sarah Paulson has a great voice for exposition. Imagining her explaining the Seven Wonders to the girls in that quiet, tremulous tone she has makes me wish it had happened that way.

Yeah, they way they did it was really dumb. They didn't have film back then so a fake old timey film is weird enough but then really it was just a cheap device to shoehorn in some information they've neglected to provide us organically so far.

I will admit that episode was an improvement but this season has already lost me beyond the point of salvage.

Fast Luck fucked around with this message at 21:24 on Jan 24, 2014

# ¿ Jan 24, 2014 21:22

Fast Luck: Feb 2, 1988

One of the highlights of the disjointed writing is that apparently a witch governing body could "detect" that something'd happened to Madison so they sent out the council to investigate. Two members of the council are brutally murdered and no follow-up investigation ever takes place and the only other thing ever revealed about greater witch society is that Stevie Nicks is a witch. Is this coven the only one in the world because I don't think so because there's voodoo witches right down the street but then why does Fiona plan to eliminate the next supreme by killing the five girls in her house.

# ¿ Jan 24, 2014 22:55

Fast Luck: Feb 2, 1988

Yodzilla posted:

Oh hey I completely forgot about Nan. I guess she really is dead and returned to her home planet?

Well she was taken by Papa Legba so she's more gone than most but Papa Legba himself could always decide to bring her back or something, I guess.

# ¿ Jan 25, 2014 03:33

Fast Luck: Feb 2, 1988

Are they really trying to show the young witches studying and practicing magic for the first time in the last episode of the season? haha. Through a MONTAGE~!

# ¿ Jan 30, 2014 04:02

Fast Luck: Feb 2, 1988

fullroundaction posted:

I'm 5 episodes in to Sleepy Hollow and I thought it started really really strong but I'm not a huge fan of the monster-of-the-week stuff. Really well done for what it is though, and I have enough friends who love it to keep me going.

Welp, here's to hoping Coven goes out with a bang tonight!

Yeah dude I saw the people loving how much it was just crazy fun so started watching it, the pilot was fun but I got bored with it too after like 6-7 episodes and quit watching.

# ¿ Jan 30, 2014 04:09

Fast Luck: Feb 2, 1988

IT'S NOT A CHOICE BEING A WITCH, THERE ARE STILL HATE CRIMES, BUT WE ARE STRONG WOMEN. AND THIS IS THE SHALLOWEST SHITTIEST METAPHOR OF ALL TIME

# ¿ Jan 30, 2014 04:45

Fast Luck: Feb 2, 1988

That Rough Beast posted:

I just thought of something: if you have to demonstrate the power to bring someone back to life to become the Supreme, does this mean Fiona could have revived anyone at any given moment because I can't quite think how but I'm pretty sure that fucks an already tattered continuity to pieces.

They explicitly said earlier, after Misty brought someone back to life, that it was more impressive than any of the seven wonders. So yeah they have no idea.

# ¿ Jan 30, 2014 04:52

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ Apr 26, 2024 18:50

Fast Luck: Feb 2, 1988

Rosa Gallica posted:

This may be the actual stupidest thing I have ever watched.

It's definitely the stupidest thing I've ever watched. I would've quit way earlier if I didn't like the first two seasons. This is far and away the worst thing ever haha.

# ¿ Jan 30, 2014 04:57

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > TV IV > American Horror Story: Coven