American Horror Story Coven – Mosley Grand Canyon University Course Number: Course Title Frank – Studocu

American Horror Story: Coven Review

Shane A. Mosley
Grand Canyon University
Course Number: Course Title
Frank Hodges
11/15/

Introduction to American Horror Story
American Horror Story is a horror television series where every season takes place in a different
place and time; however, they all tie together by very small details and character references to
make a detailed world with twisted stories. The order in chronological order according to the
American horror story timeline is Season 4: Freak show 1952, Season 2: Asylum 1952, Season 9:
1984 1984, Season 1: Murder House 2011, Season 3: Coven 2013, Season 6: Roanoke 2014-
2016, Season 5: Hotel 2015, Season 7: Cult 2017, Season 8: Apocalypse 2020-2021. Each season
coming out in a different order than the chronological timeline. With that being said as an
audience member you get to watch all of the small connections be made and you get to take time
to see how each world plays into the next. For this review, however, I chose to specifically
review season 3: Coven due to the fact that Coven is where many individuals start to see large
aspects of the show start tying to other seasons and foreshadowing for newer seasons. Therefore,
I chose for my criteria the following: Characters, Timeline, and Tone.
Characters
Throughout this season we begin to see ties from previous seasons when it comes to names,
locations, and maybe even some familiar flashbacks that the characters may be having. Fiona
Goode in Coven is considered the supreme witch with her daughter Cordelia Goode who holds a
boarding school for young women with “exceptional talents” meaning a house for witches. These
two characters play a detrimental part in the entire American Horror Story franchise due to the
fact that the show follows the seven circles of hell and the witches do all the dirty land work for
the devil himself. So, the supreme witch has many orders to follow out in the name of the devil
and throughout the seasons you will see things unfold due to interference from witchcraft even
though witches may not be the focal point of the season. The concept of a supreme witch is

in 1692 where the supreme witch at the time was located in Salem during the witch trials. Facing
persecution from the Salem witch trials, the ailing Supreme Witch, Prudence Mathers gathers her
witches to invoke the Sacred Taking. Her selfless suicide allows a new Supreme to rise to power
and lead the Coven away from Salem, where they eventually settle in New Orleans (Coven
Timeline). However, in the flashbacks and episodes that go back to the 1600’s it shows how
deeply rooted the problems are and how vengeful the characters have become due to the trauma
that is not only in their timeline but the trauma in their own bloodline.
Tone
The only way to properly describe the tone of this season would simply be a female-
empowering, dark yet glamourous aesthetic to it. Watching the show it is very evident that it is
female-led and is written to show that these women in the series are not to be underestimated,
taken advantage of, or just swept under the rug. It shows these girls coming together to work
with each other and against each other. In the article, Spellbound: why witchcraft is enchanting a
whole new generation of teenage girls the author goes to interview Owens Davis and he goes to
say “Those shows gave teenage girls a feeling of empowerment; there’s something very
appealing about magic and witchcraft. There have also been studies of girls who were interested
in witch shows in the 1990s, following how many went on to become practicing Wiccans."
(Owens, Hughes 2013). It is also dark and glamourous due to the use of blood, gore, and scare
factor that these witches bring to the table when they use their powers. It also is dark due to some
of the true history that is presented in the show dealing with the witch trials, slavery, and racism.
The Glamourous aspect shines through when we can see that they can be vicious while also
being quite beautiful at the same time, which is an intriguing combination. In many of the

scenes, you will see the witches kill or attack people or beings in designer outfits and a face full
of makeup.
Conclusion
In conclusion, with my reviewing of American Horror story Season 3: Coven it is truly an
empowering and very detailed season that holds more depth than any other season. The season
has characters who have such detailed lives that it is hard to not be able to relate to them and also
see their development throughout the season. As a result of its tones, characters, and timeline the
show gained a lot of traction with younger crowds as many TV series don’t show many strong
female lead stories where the women only depend on themselves and each other. Not only does
the wow factor of strong women hit crowds hard but they also added a twist with the
supernatural aspect of the show playing a large role in the characters’ lives, while also throwing a
decent amount of gore and jump-scares into the mix. As American Horror Story is a very popular
TV series I can only assume that it will continue to be popular as it tackles very real-life
situations with fact and fiction.