Recapping ‘American Horror Story: Coven’ Week 11

• Oh hay, Kathy Bates! Glad to see you have a head again. The episode opens with a flashback of how Kathy Bates’ character became infatuated with blood. In a totally unnecessary scene of racism and cruelty, making it this season’s 20th, she drains a servant’s blood by hanging him up. As awful as these scenes are, their shock value is beginning to wear thin. There is something to be said of media exposure dulling our sense of violence.
• My poor, sweet Nan. Still mourning and hoping you get brought back to life. At least for once a death will actually stick this season because not a single one has yet.
• Queenie is back! With a fully formed Kathy Bates on a leash wearing an absurd sweater. The line, “bitch you left me for dead,” was delivered so perfectly I clapped.

• The scenes in the graveyard were one of the first times I truly felt like the producers of this show were taking advantage of the New Orleans setting. It added another layer of mystery and intrigue to what is quickly becoming a stale plot-line.
• Kathy Bates makes a soup of what I imagine is Emma Robert’s shit? That is a move taken right from The Help and I cannot believe they went there.
• It is clear that this is Kathy Bates’ episode and she owns it with every word delivered with perfect nuance. I just wish her character wasn’t so insufferable.

• “In the fall, the leaves smell like the Olympian’s ejaculate,” ……oh, right, yeah.
• Another torture scene where Kathy Bates cuts the toes off of the gardener. I have to admit I fast forwarded this part because honestly what the fuck.
• Taissa is finally given a line this season and it is during an epic fight between the light of my life Emma Roberts. It’s clear that Emma’s character is sick of watching Taissa and Evan Peters get it on. In the most convincing acting of the season, she spews jealous venom at the happy couple and vows to, “bring the conven out of the dark ages.” I want to know how much of that was Emma Roberts acting and how much of it was her actually pissed off at seeing her real life boyfriend kiss her costar.
• A burgeoning friendship between Spalding and Kathy Bates? Both those sickos deserve each other.

• Queenie is pissed and is convinced she is the next supreme since she was shot in the stomach by a silver bullet and lived to tell the tale. Armed with new powers, she tells Sarah Paulson to, “take a long ass vacation.” Which, damn, these past two episodes everyone is just shitting on poor Sarah Paulson. I hope homegirl has some epic scene where she stops apologizing and just starts slapping everyone.
• In an effort to appear not weak, Sarah Paulson blinds her again with a knife…like, girl? I understand you’re trying to protect the coven by blinding yourself but that is a little intense.
• I thought Spalding and Kathy Bates were going to be friends but I guess not. In exchange for bringing him another creepy doll, he gives her Benadryl convincing her that it will kill Angela Bassett. I mean, Benadryl will fuck up your world if you take it….so maybe he is being sincere.
• LOL @ the scene between Taissa and Myrtle. There is a lot of slapping and giving of Epcot tickets as Myrtle warns Taissa that she is lucky to have a boy who loves her and needs to leave the coven immediately.

• The negotiation scene between the organization of witch hunters and Jessica Lange was perhaps the most insane few minutes of the show’s entire run. I’m not even convinced there is enough blood in the human body to spurt like that man’s neck did when Jessica Lange hit him with an axe. With a budget as high as this TV show you would think they would be able to afford a medical consultant.
• In the final scenes of the episode, Kathy Bates’ attempts to kill Angela Bassett by giving her the Benadryl and then stabbing her through the chest. When that fails, Spalding hits her over the head with a doll and tells Kathy Bates to bury the body. Turns out he wanted Angela Bassett gone so he could have the “real doll” of the baby she was keeping to repay her debt to Papa Legba. Spalding is the epitome of creeper.
• I just find it so random and not consistent with the plot at all to have Taissa and Evan Peters run off on a bus to Orlando. Did the people writing this season get on that bus too and drive far away from the staff writing room or?

What are your thoughts on this episode? Sound off in the comments below!

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