American Horror Story (Coven): Episode 13 “The Seven Wonders” [Season Finale] – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)

Overview

And so, it comes to an end.

Review (with Spoilers)

The 7 wonders are performed with very little in the way of outside distractions. Well, with the exception of a visit from Stevie Nicks singing before the competition. But, despite the crowning of a new supreme, there are remnants of the old one still in the coven house.

Topic 1: The 7 Wonders

One by one the trials are done and it leaves Misty Day (Lily Rabe) permanently dead, Zoe (Taissa Farmiga) temporarily dead, and Madison (Emma Roberts) in limbo. You see, Misty Day got stuck in her personal hell and died; Zoe teleportation skills lead to her impaling herself, and due to Madison refusing to revive Zoe until she was named the supreme, Kyle (Evan Peters) kills her. Making her another witch who seemingly dies by mortal hand.

But, the real kicker of this who fight is that, low and behold, the daughter of the current, though by episode’s end last, supreme is the new one. What happens is, Myrtle (Frances Conroy) pushes for Cordelia (Sarah Paulson) to become supreme since despite Queenie (Gabourey Sidibe) doing well through most of the trials, she fails to transfer some of her life force to revive Zoe. But, Cordelia finds that with one final ego boost from Myrtle, her powers explode and she is able to do every wonder with ease.

This leads to Zoe getting revived, and though Kyle kills Madison and isn’t put in any type of situation in which she couldn’t be revived, it seems Madison’s potential personal hell, being Spalding’s (Denis O’Hare) doll, is set in motion.

Topic 2: A Personal Hell

As noted, during the 7 wonders trials, personal hells are traveled to, if not simply talked about. For Queenie, she returns to the chicken shack; Madison ends up on a Glee type show; Zoe breaks up with Kyle over and over; and Misty Day dies due to a loop of her being forced to dissect a frog. But, then comes Cordelia. Her loop deals with her seeking her mother’s approval and being slapped asking for it. But, once she has done the 7 wonders, we see her mother, seemingly in the final stages of her life. Mind you, despite her vulnerability, her tongue remains sharp and her mind as selfish as ever. However, it seems with this new born confidence comes a strength to push past her wanting her mother’s love, for now she is needed by what seems to be hundreds of girls who are potential witches. So, with tears in her eyes, the child that needed, and wanted, Fiona (Jessica Lange) dies as does Fiona in her daughter’s arms.

Thus leading to Fiona’s personal hell. Despite her tricking the Axeman (Danny Huston), in reality, by changing his memories so he would have himself killed, and then she later would kill the next supreme, in hell she finds herself in the life the Axeman wanted. A simple life in which they eat catfish and live in the middle of nowhere. And you can see in Fiona’s eyes the hatred for the man and that everything said in the memory she put within Axeman was true. But, with her powerless now, all we see is her deal with the man who built her up, as Papa Legba (Lance Reddick) laughs in the background.

Topic 3: The Future

With Cordelia now the supreme, and Fiona dead, Cordelia begins to do as her mother didn’t. She takes on a very public role and calls out to the witches of the world and invites them to the coven. But then, an issue rises with Myrtle. With her killing her fellow members of the council, she must burn once more. Cordelia, naturally, isn’t for burning the sole maternal figure in her life, but it has to be done or it will be her “Watergate.” So, for her crime, Myrtle dies and seemingly Zoe and Queenie take on the roles of the council as hundreds, if not thousands, of girls line up to join the coven. Most of which are more Zoe looking than Queenie, but that is a subject someone else can write about.

Overall

In all honesty, I think Coven suffered from the issue Asylum did. It had interesting characters, and had enough of a story ready for a pitch. But, to me, the long haul wasn’t fully thought of. Take note of the battles between Fiona and Marie (Angela Bassett) as well as the Witches vs. Delphi Trust. Though there was time put into creating an intrigue, the payoff was weak. Marie was made to be interesting, but with a lack of allies, and then her becoming a second fiddle to Fiona, it was the worst kind of downfall. As for Delphine (Kathy Bates), while interesting, she was one note and though they gave the thought she may evolve, they made her stuck in her ways, which did fit, but was just eye-rolling. Fiona though, from start to finish, maintained the type of quality which makes Jessica Lange ending her tenure next season more horrifying than anything ever seen on this show.

Overall though, nostalgia will keep this season in good graces, for with only 13 episodes, and months before the next season, we are sure to forget the issues and only remember the banter and the many .gifs made to highlight the comical situations.