Original Airdate: January 8, 2014
Welcome to 2014! It’s the night we’ve long anticipated, what with all of the interviews and internet speculation about the appearance of the great Stevie Nicks. If tonight’s episode was any indication, we’re in for a roller coaster ride over the remaining few weeks of American Horror Story Coven.
Tonight we begin at Miss Robichaux’s, where Fiona has given Marie Laveau a place to stay after the attack on her salon. Marie’s arm has been bandaged, and her expression is one of grim exhaustion. Fiona pours some liquor into her tea and tells her that she’ll cast a spell to help Marie rest. Marie admits that she’s ashamed to show her weakness to Fiona, namely the kindness that Fiona is showing her by taking her in. She goes on to explain that after being alive for over 300 years, she’s relieved to find someone who is her equal. There’s so much they need to talk about, she says. Fiona tells her to rest, and that they’ll draw battle lines the next day.
As Marie Laveau sleeps, a shadowy creature comes into her room and wakes her. “Your master calls,” says. It’s the Voodoo legend, Papa Legba, and he’s there to collect his debt. She thinks he’s relishing in her misery, but he’s more concerned about the fact that she’s sleeping in the house of her enemy. Marie tells him that she is seeking a lasting truce between the clans. Regardless, Papa Legba wants what’s due to him.
Marie heads to the hospital. She goes to the maternity ward and compels the nurse to open the doors. She selects a little baby girl that could be her own daughter, and leaves with her in her arms. Outside, the police try to stop her from stealing the baby. “Mama’s had a hard night,” she says, and when the cops don’t back down, she lets out a shrill cry. Her eyes go white and her face contorts. The policemen aim their guns at each other and fire. The baby cries as she walks away. “Shut up,” she says.
The next morning, Fiona, Cordelia and Marie gather around the kitchen table watching news of the salon massacre. When they see Hank’s picture from a surveillance camera, Cordelia thinks that the idea of a divorce pushed him over the edge and he sought to protect her from Marie Laveau’s clan. However, Marie informs them that she had hired Hank to kill the coven, but his love for Cordelia made him soft. Fiona listens to this with rage in her eyes. She stalks across the kitchen and backhands Cordelia so hard that she flies onto the ground. Fiona thinks that Cordelia married Hank to prove some kind of point and in doing so “invited a Viper into this sacred house.” Marie is quick to intervene, picking Cordelia up off the floor. What is done is done, she says. Fiona says that witch hunters have been around as long as the witches, and they will kill witches, Black or White, no matter what. That is what they do. The doorbell rings, and Fiona leaves to answer it. Before leaving the kitchen, Marie switches off the television as the news starts to do a story on the baby stolen from the hospital.
Upstairs, Misty Day stares at her reflection in the mirror. She’s wearing a shawl and twirling around. When Fiona enters the room, Misty stops and tells her to keep her distance. Misty doesn’t trust Fiona and doesn’t want to have her neck cut open or be burned at the stake (again), but Fiona assures her that she’s the only one in the house “whose magic is worth a damn.” Misty says that Cordelia warned her about becoming the Supreme. Fiona isn’t deterred. She explains that being the Supreme is an honor that has a number of benefits attached to it. She leads Misty downstairs and says that soon not only will Misty know the world, but the world will want to know her. In fact, there’s someone who has been begging to meet Misty. She’s a White Witch. Fiona leads Misty into the parlor and a blond woman is standing there. “Who are you?” Misty asks. The woman turns and introduces herself as Stevie Nicks. Misty faints dead away, and Fiona laughs and says that Stevie owes her five bucks.
Madison, Nan, and Zoe return from their “morbid” field trip. They were trying to find out if Queenie was really dead, but there was no information from the police. Nan and Zoe are reluctant to go to the morgue again after the Kyle incident. Madison proclaims her two witchy companions “squares.” As they enter the house, the lilting notes of the song “Rhiannon” fill the air.
Stevie sits at the piano giving Fiona and Misty a private performance. The girls gather around and watch the scene before them. Madison tells Fiona that she’s a huge Eminem fan. “Marshall? You’re not his type,” Fiona drawls, “and more importantly, you’re not the next Supreme.” As Stevie sings, Misty starts to dance. Madison can’t believe that Misty will be able to perform the Seven Wonders, but Fiona is quite confident. When Stevie finishes the song, Madison is pushed aside while Stevie teaches Misty how to properly twirl. She gives Misty a shawl and bids her good luck on the Seven Wonders.
Of course, all of this attention on Misty is royally pissing off Madison, who storms into her bedroom with Zoe and Nan in tow. She still thinks she is the next Supreme. Nan also thinks she could be the next Supreme, which Madison thinks is funny. Nan maintains that her powers and growing, and to prove her point she commands Madison to put her cigarette down and put it in her vagina. Zoe stops Madison from following through, and Zoe reminds her about her heart murmur. Madison says her brief stint with death cured her of her heart murmur, so she’s back in contention. In fact, it may be her destiny.
Cordelia presents her research about Hank to Marie and Fiona. Harrison Reynard is the CEO of the Delphi Trust, and her father-in-law. Fiona reminds her that Hank didn’t have any family, but it turns out he lied. Marie asks about the business, and Cordelia explains that the company began through their family’s early venture as carpenters back in the Colonies. “Salem,” Fiona breathes. Their headquarters are based in Atlanta. Marie says they should just go there and end this, but Fiona wants to think it through a bit more before they “jump on their broomsticks.” Given that Delphi is a multi-billion dollar corporation, Fiona wants to use their money against them so that they come begging for the witches’ mercy.
The three women prepare to cast a spell using a big maze and a series of mousetraps with stacks of cash set in a circle around the perimeter. Cordelia is mixing herbs but Fiona orders her away. She doesn’t want any of Cordelia’s help. Once they’re left alone, Marie and Fiona start the spell. White mice are bewitched and sent into the maze. Fiona calls upon Hecate to bless them. The mouse enters the maze and at the Delphi office a man moves through the halls looking like a nervous mouse himself. The FBI moves in and starts taking over the office. Harrison tells his staff to get their friends on the phone. Fiona is calling for them to be put into a weakened state so that they come begging for mercy. Then she starts to collapse. Marie catches her, but she faints anyway.
Nan and Zoe are riding in an elevator and Nan just can’t believe that Madison could be the Supreme. Zoe contemplates the fact that they can’t survive on their own. They need each other. Nan maintains that she’d be a nice Supreme and only do nice things. Zoe says that’s the kind of Supreme they need, and that Nan doesn’t have “a mean bone in her body.” When they go to the reception desk, the nurse informs them that Luke died the day before, and that the mortuary came for his body already. Nan is in shock, crying that she wanted to see him to say goodbye.
Marie mixes a noxious potion to help make Fiona feel better. She’s casting the evil spirits from the room because she isn’t done with Fiona yet, but Fiona knows that as the new Supreme rises, the cancer grows. After all these years she’s finally found true love (the Axeman), and she has the desire to continue to live. But Marie could help her, she says. Marie says that she gave a vial of her tears to Madame LaLaurie, but if she did the same for Fiona, Fiona would be condemned to spend the rest of her immortality on the verge of death. Fiona grabs Marie’s arm and asks who gave the gift to her. Marie says she summoned Papa Legba, and when Fiona’s eyes widen, she decides to tell the tale. Three hundred years prior, Marie thought she was “invincible” and she gave birth to a baby. Papa Legba came to her and said she could have immortality if she gave him a gift every year. She thought he meant sex, but when he came to her while she was with her baby, he said motherhood wasn’t in the cards for her. He wants her baby, an innocent soul, in return for the gift of immortality he gave her. Marie hands over her baby and he disappears. Fiona wants to know what he wants every year, but Marie says that if you want him bad enough, he will come to you. And you never really know what he’ll want. She tells Fiona to get some rest, but clearly Fiona is thinking about this news.
A jazz funeral makes its way through the streets of New Orleans. Madison and Misty trail behind the musicians eating skewered chicken. They’ve spent the day together and Misty thanks her for lunch. Misty is wearing her new shawl. Madison says that as the potential new Supreme, she now owes favors to Fiona and Stevie—to Stevie for the shawl and Fiona for bringing Stevie. Madison says that “everything is transactional” and soon people will be expecting her to return favors. Misty can’t believe that Stevie was only there to gain favor, but “players only love you when they’re playing,” Madison reminds her. This angers Misty. They walk to the cemetery and Madison asks Misty to enchant the workers who are about to entomb the coffin in the above-ground crypt. Madison wants to show her something. Madison waves her hand and the coffin opens and the man inside rises. He gets up and looks around, and then he walks away. She’s as powerful as Misty, so she doesn’t need any favors. Instead she just wants to be friends. She tells Misty to lose the scarf. “No way, this came straight from Stevie,” Misty replies. Madison tries to make it seem like Misty needs to build her own image away from outside influence, and she tells Misty to throw the shawl into the coffin. Misty considers this and holds the shawl in the air. Madison hits her with a brick and knocks her into the coffin. She pauses to retrieve the shawl. Once it’s closed again, the men return to life and slide it into the tomb. Madison dances through the cemetery while twirling in the shawl as the newly reanimated man still wanders around.
Nan and Zoe go to Joan’s house to find out where Luke’s body has been taken. That way they can go to the mortuary and get his body, and they can be together forever. Joan tells stories of a young Luke as she serves cupcakes to the girls. Nan interrupts and asks where Luke’s body is. When Zoe tries to smooth things out, Joan says that Luke is there with them. He’s been cremated. She pulls out the urn to prove it. “You bitch!” Nan cries, sending Joan to her knees with her newfound powers. Zoe tells Nan to stop but Nan sends her flying across the room. Pulling out a bottle of bleach, Nan tells Joan that she “has to be cleansed.” Joan downs the bottle of bleach and promptly dies.
Cordelia is in the calm sanctuary of her conservatory. Myrtle is there as well, filling the room with the cosmic sounds from her Theremin. “What is that thing? It’s hideous and weird,” Cordelia says. If you don’t know what a Theremin is, think of the score from the original Star Trek series. And the thing that Sheldon Cooper once played on an episode of Big Bang Theory. It seems so right to see flaming-red-haired Myrtle playing a Theremin. “Don’t be a hater, dear,” Myrtle replies calmly. Cordelia doesn’t know what to do now that she has no powers and no purpose. Myrtle offers her a demi tasse de realite, telling her that she could bottle salad dressing or work on a cruise ship. What can she do when her mother is “Hillary Clinton?” Cordelia thinks Myrtle is trying to wound her, but she’s just pointing out the truth. This causes Cordelia to start trashing her workshop, screaming that she’s a failure. Myrtle returns to the soothing tones of the Theremin.
Harrison Reynard receives news that their stock has taken a major hit in just ten minutes. The FBI is cleaning them out. Harrison wants to talk to his friends, but his assistant says that no one will answer the phone. There’s nothing natural about this, Harrison says. “It’s time to deal with those witches,” he says.
Fiona prepares several lines of cocaine on a mirror. She begins an incantation to call forth Papa Legba. When he arrives, he samples the cocaine and tells her that she got the good stuff. Fiona says that she doesn’t want to die. She’s the queen of the witches, but he doesn’t give a “white donkey shit” about her title. They get down to business. She’ll give up her soul, and he’ll grant “freedom from death.” She wants terms. No aging, no sickness, immortality. He wants services once a year. Crippling her daughter, murdering an innocent person; she agrees. They have a deal. “Seal it,” she says. They kiss. “The deal is off,” he says, breaking away. “You have nothing to sell. You have no soul.” He disappears.
“Bum luck, baby. No sale,” the Axeman sighs. He says that they need to find the person who is taking her down. “Haven’t you heard, I have no soul,” Fiona says. She snorts some cocaine. “I’ll just kill them all.” The Axeman smiles at her callousness.
Zoe, having witnessed Nan’s new powers, says that she could be the Supreme. She’s only ever seen Fiona do those things. “Fiona’s a bitch. I want to be a nice Supreme,” Nan says. Never mind the fact that she just killed (or re-killed) the neighbor. Nan hears something and goes to investigate. She finds the baby that Marie stole in Marie’s closet. She smiles at the infant and picks her up. Marie storms in and realizes that Nan is “the clairvoyant.” Nan says that she’s the next Supreme and she just killed the neighbor with her powers, and she’ll kill Marie too. She knows that Marie is going to kill the baby. Fiona comes in and commands Nan to give the baby back. Nan leaves, saying that they both have blood on their hands. Marie thinks Nan is dangerous. Fiona agrees. She wants to know who the baby belongs to. Marie explains that Papa’s requests get worse every year, as Fiona will find out. It has been so long that she can hardly remember her own baby’s face, so this child could almost be her own. Fiona tells Marie that she and Papa “couldn’t come to terms,” but she suggests an alternative.
Next we see Fiona and Marie trying to drown Nan in the bathtub. They didn’t think she’d be so strong. “You’re not the first witch to be drowned,” Fiona tells her. Nan struggles wildly until her movements slow and she dies. Papa Legba materializes as soon as Nan died and says that he was clear that there would be no substitutions. He wanted an innocent, and Fiona says she’s practically innocent (the neighbor had it coming). “Come on, be a sport,” Marie adds. “You two together. Big trouble,” he sighs. He summons Nan, who appears from behind him. She frets about wearing the same outfit for the rest of eternity, but Papa Legba assures her that the Other Side has “lots of treats for a girl like” her. “Anywhere is better than here,” she says, and he puts his arm around her and escorts her out.
Stevie sits at the piano and plays for Fiona, who says it’s the perfect ending to a “long day.”
As she plays, Fiona reclines in a chair and looks on despairingly.
And that was the end of the episode. Don’t worry—Stevie will be back.
I find it interesting that this is the second time that Fiona has intervened in the life of a baby. She saved the baby from death tonight, and she brought another baby back when Cordelia was in the hospital. As much as she believes that she doesn’t have a soul, she certainly has a soft spot for babies.
If you’re keeping score, we didn’t see Kyle, Delphine or Spalding tonight, and we lost Nan and Joan. And Misty is locked in a crypt.
With three episodes to go, anything can (and will) happen. Be sure to leave your comments below, and see you next week!
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