This is the most captivating American Horror Story yet! A well thought out plot. I love the incorporation of real time, place and historical characters. And kudos to Jessica Lange, Angela Bassett, and Kathy Bates for making these parts what they are! Also as a Stevie Nicks music fan, I loved the incorporation of her music and her guest appearances as a “white witch” well.  Although it’s hard to say which character I liked best, in my opinion have to say I loved Myrtle Snow (Frances Conroy). Flamboyant and over the top in dressing and personality! Perfectly played.

Frances Conroy is part of the recurring cast for the American Horror Story FX anthology.

The third season of American Horror Story primarily follows the antics and events of a coven of Salem descendants who reside within a boarding school, Miss Robichaux’s Academy, centered in New Orleans, Louisiana. The academy is run by Headmistress Cordelia Foxx , who has always lived in the shadow of her mother, Fiona Goode (JessicaLange). Fiona is the Coven’s “Supreme”, a witch born every generation who embodies countless gifts and magical abilities, namely, the Seven Wonders of Witchcraft. Danger lurks inside the academy’s past due to the mysterious butler Spalding and his relationship with Fiona. The entire coven is accessed and evaluated by the Council of Witchcraft, which includes Fiona’s old rival and Cordelia’s mother figure, Myrtle Snow.

Zoe Benson  is sent to the Academy after discovering that she possesses a strange genetic affliction that traces back to the days of Salem. She is a descendant from the Salem coven and therefore is a witch herself. Upon arrival, she meets telekinetic movie star Madison Montgomery , human voodoo doll Queenie , and enigmatic clairvoyant Nan . One night, Zoe and Madison attend a frat party and meet a fraternity headed by Kyle, who takes a likening towards Zoe. Madison is gang-raped by the other frat members and vengefully flips their bus with her powers, killing seven on board including Kyle. Madison attempts to revive Kyle by attaching other limbs to his body and cast a resurrection spell. The revival works but Kyle returns as an aggressive and simple-minded creature. The presence of a revived corpse attracts Misty Day , who has the power of necromancy and even revived herself after being burned at the stake. Misty begins a friendship with Zoe and often takes care of Kyle.

Meanwhile, Fiona is cursed with an untreatable cancer due to a new Supreme rising to power within the Coven. Fiona tries to cure herself and regain her youth at all costs. A famed voodoo priestess and rival of the Salem witches named Marie Laveau (Angela Bassett), has regained her youth and immortality by bargaining with the voodoo devil, Papa Legba . To get a rise out of Marie, Fiona frees the immortal and buried alive Delphine LaLaurie (Kathy Bates), a 19th-century slave killer, who mutilated Marie’s lover by transforming him into a Minotaur. Delphine becomes a maid at the Academy and struggles with adjusting to the modern world due to her past history as a racist.

The past slowly unravels as it is revealed that Fiona killed the previous Supreme in order to take charge of the Coven. Myrtle discovered the truth and tried to reveal it by enchanting the only witnesses tongue, Spalding. Spalding later cuts his own tongue out in order to protect Fiona and has remained mute ever since. Spalding also helps cover up the secrets of the Coven including when Fiona slits Madison’s throat, believing her to be the next Supreme. Zoe discovers Spalding’s secrets and kills him, turning him into a ghost that haunts the Academy. Cordelia is blinded by acid in a freak attack by witch hunters, one of whom she is married to. Myrtle is framed by Fiona as the attacker and is burned at the stake. Misty revives Myrtle along with Madison, all who return to the coven with vengeful notions as Madison seduces Kyle and Myrtle slaughters the rest of the Council.

A notorious serial killer named The Axeman was killed by former students of the Academy in the 1920s. Since then his spirit was confined inside the Academy’s walls, but is freed when the current students are trying to contact the ghost of Madison via an Ouija board. The Axeman later begins a romance with Fiona. Recruited by Marie, Queenie joins the voodoo women and in turn gives over Delphine, who is immediately tortured and beheaded, but remains alive due to her immortality. Cordelia’s husband slaughters the voodoo tribe including Queenie. Marie hopelessly joins the Academy. Nan is killed by Fiona and Marie to get rid of a Supreme candidate and fulfill a deal with Papa Legba. At the funeral, Queenie returns with a reattached Delphine due to new powers developing. Marie, Fiona, and the Axeman slaughter the witch hunters. Delphine and Spalding manage to knock out Marie and dissect her, spreading her body parts all around various parts of town.

Cordelia is cured of blindness by Myrtle only to blind herself again to regain powers she had developed while blind. New powers develop throughout all the witches. Kyle chooses Zoe over Madison and is also mentally revived by Fiona. Kyle becomes a “watchdog” for the coven. Madison also knocks out Misty, locking her in a coffin in order to eliminate Supreme competition, but she is later freed and revived by Queenie and Cordelia. Confident after killing Laveau, Delphine leaves the coven to become a tour guide at her old house. Queenie kills her by dealing with Legba to return her mortality. Marie and Delphine become trapped in hell for eternity due to their murderous life actions and are forever taunted by Legba. The Axeman is believed to have killed Fiona as Cordelia envisions her death. Zoe, Madison, Misty, and Queenie kill the Axeman in return. The Coven sets out to find the new Supreme through the test of Seven Wonders: seven acts of magic that, when performed successfully, determine who is next in line for the Supremacy. Zoe and Misty are killed when attempting to perform different tests. Queenie is disqualified for not being able to revive Zoe. Madison refuses and then angrily leaves the Coven after also not being able to complete a test once Cordelia enters the competition, as advised by Myrtle. Madison is strangled by a mournful Kyle. Cordelia performs the Wonders successfully and revives Zoe. Cordelia becomes the new Supreme, regains her sight, and reveals the Coven to the world. Myrtle wishes to be burned once again for her murders of the Council and Cordelia tearfully agrees. Zoe and Queenie become the new Council and Kyle becomes the new butler. Cordelia finds Fiona alive but withered from the cancer. In a vision, Cordelia foresees Fiona, who implanted a false memory in the Axeman. Fiona and Cordelia make amends after a life of disapproval. Fiona then dies in Cordelia’s arms and is banished to hell with the Axeman, where she is also taunted by Legba. Cordelia, Zoe, Queenie, and Kyle opens the doors to the Academy welcoming the Coven’s new recruitment of witches.

A delicious guilty pleasure! And worth catching up with if you can.