American Horror Story Season 3, Episode 8 Review and Recap: 'The Sacred Taking'
I don't know about you, but a week break from "American Horror Story: Coven" was a week too long for me. This show is by no means the best show on TV right now (that would go to Showtime's "Masters of Sex"), but it is by far the most entertaining. And after next week, the show takes another hiatus until January for its final three episodes, just like it did last year. Ryan Murphy and Co. certainly made up for the break though, as "The Sacred Taking" seemed almost stuffed with two episodes worth of "AHS" craziness.
No I'm the next Supreme
When you think about, so much happened in last night's episode and it all ultimately led to nothing. But that's OK, because it was a pleasure to watch. Cordelia was hellbent on killing Fiona after discovering she killed Madison, which doesn't really matter because no one on this show will ever stay dead. Fortunately for her, Misty and the newly revived Myrtle (who was looking fabulously undead) arrived at the mansion because they were almost murdered by witch hunters. I don't understand why the two were so terrified though, because all Misty does is bring people back from the dead (I don't know why I'm even trying to understand the show's discrepancies).
Myrtle's plan was to perform a sacred ritual that had only been done by the Salem witch coven three times before, where all the witches dressed up in red outfits and gatheedr in a circle to make Fiona commit suicide, thus bringing forth the next Supreme. Fiona is not one to go down without a fight, as we've come to learn. But, she almost did. Madison tricked her into thinking she was the next Supreme and had the power of resurrection, and enticed her to kill herself with a bunch of sleeping pills.
Fiona, who's cancer is getting the best of her, imagined herself dying in a hospital bed with Axeman leaving her to die alone. She didn't want any of that, so she took the pills. Spalding (Spalding's spirit?) greeted Fiona in purgatory and convinced her to take ipecac syrup to throw up the pills and save herself, telling her about the coven's trick. Kudos to this show for the ipecac syrup bit, which is a callback to Season 1 when Constance (the character that got Lange an Emmy) put ipecac in a cupcake.
Meanwhile, Nan thought she might be the next Supreme, but Madison shot that idea down right quick with "Because you have no style and your pits smell like fish sticks." Harsh. Nan rushed over to see Luke, who was given a forced enema by his batsh-t crazy religious mother, for hanging out with the coven on Halloween. Hank was waiting outside though, and took shots at Nan, Luke and his mother, who took a couple of fatal bullets.
Luke was taken out in a stretcher, and crazy mama was revived by Misty at the orders of Fiona. In the end, Fiona was proud of Cordelia and the coven for trying to kill her, and both have somewhat reconciled and agree that their main enemies are the witch hunters. She may have forgotten about Marie Laveau, who gave Fiona a taste of her own medicine when she sent Delphine's talking head back to her in a box, mirroring that time Fiona sent her Minotaur's head. I'll admit, I let out a scream/shrill laugh at that final scene.
Charms
- Queenie was being Queenie in this episode, ripping out the hearts of homeless rapists and delivering them to Marie, who spent the episode torturing Delphine. Marie's ultimate plan for the coven is unclear. I can't see her teaming up with the coven to battle the witch hunters, considering she hired Hank herself.
- I for one, am over this Zoe-Kyle-Madison love triangle. It's not interesting in the slightest, and Madison was completely out of character when she cried after seeing the other two making out.
- Even playing a cancer victim, Jessica Lange remains fierce. She would be on her deathbed with a head wrap and a black fur coat.
- The MVP of this episode, though, was Frances Conroy, who delivered the a fantastic performance as Myrtle and also provided the night's best lines.
- "I'm told it starts as a tingle in the cooch."
- No nudity in this episode. What gives, "AHS"?
- I may have gotten a little too excited for the commercial break promos for seasons 2 and 5 of "The Americans" and "Justified." Two terrific FX dramas (and yes, both are better than "American Horror Story").