American Horror Story: Coven

American Horror Story: Coven is the third season of the FX horror anthology series American Horror Story. It premiered on October 9, 2013 and will conclude on January 29, 2014. Stevie Nicks made an appearance in the 10th episode "The Magical Delights of Stevie Nicks" and the 13th episode "The Seven Wonders", playing herself. Nicks' songs "Rhiannon", "Sara", "Edge of Seventeen", "Leather & Lace", "Silver Springs", "Seven Wonders" and "Gypsy" have all been featured in the show.

Plot
It's been around 300 years since the Salem witch trials. Those witches who remain are almost extinct and in danger once again. A school has opened in New Orleans to teach young witches how to protect themselves. The long-absent Supreme, Fiona (Jessica Lange), arrives to ensure the safety of the coven and their secrets. Fiona's daughter, Cordelia (Sara Paulson), teaches at the school. Events reveal a long-held rivalry between the witches of Salem and the Voodoo practitioners of New Orleans, as well as a historic grudge between Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau (Angela Bassett) and socialite serial killer Delphine LaLaurie (Kathy Bates). The primary theme of the season is oppression; specifically, the oppression of marginalized groups. Other themes include witchcraft, Voodoo, racism, and family, such as the relationships between mothers and daughters. The season is set primarily in modern day and includes flashbacks to the 1830s. (Taken from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia).

Cast and characters

 * Zoe Benson (Taissa Farmiga) Zoe is a young girl who discovers she's a witch. In the premiere episode ("Bitchcraft"), she kills her boyfriend Charlie, and is sent to Miss Robichaux's academy to help learn about her powers. Upon entering the school, she immediately meets the other students at the school: Madison, Queenie and Nan. Madison possesses telekinetic powers, Queenie is a "human Voodoo doll" and Nan is clairvoyant. Afterwards, Madison takes Zoe to a frat party, where she meets Kyle Spencer. At the party, Madison is drugged and then gang raped by some of Kyle's frat brothers. Madison then aveanges her raping by flipping their bus, killing mostly everyone aboard including Kyle. Zoe visits the hospital the next day in hopes that the one who survived was Kyle, but is disapointed to learn that it is Madison's rapist. She then uses her "black widow" powers to kill the boy. Later on, Zoe accompanies Madison in a dark ritual which brings Kyle back to life. Zoe has the power to cause a brain aneurysm to anyone she has sex with. In "Burn, Witch. Burn!" she developes the ability to stop the dead and and has also developed indefinite intuitive abilities.
 * Cordelia Foxx (Sarah Paulson) Cordelia is the headmistress at Miss Robichaux's Acadmey. She is very protective of her girls and handles conflict peacefully, opposing her mother's beliefs. In the third episode ("The Replacements"), she learns that she is infertile and visits Marie Laveau for a fertility spell, but she refuses her. In "Fearful Pranks Insude", an unknown figure throws acid in her face, burning her eyes and causing her to go blind. She later developes the ability to view past events, which helps her discover that her mother Fiona killed Madison. Cordelia then rounds up the girls and conspires to kill Fiona, which fails. She also possesses the ability of telekinesis, when she opens the door for Hank.
 * Myrtle Snow (Francis Conroy) is the eccentric head of the Witch's Council. She is a rival of Fiona's, but a good friend of Cordelia's. She is refered to as "Auntie Myrtle" by Cordelia. She is the one who brings Zoe to New Orleans when she discovers she's a witch. Myrtle is burned at the stake when Fiona accuses her of being the one to kill Madison and blind Cordelia. Myrtle is later resurrected by Misty Day, who then heals her burn scars. Myrtle returns in "The Sacred Taking" to convince Fiona to kill herself and bring about the next supreme witch. She possesses telekinetic powers, as well as the ability to teleport and possibly the ability to detect when others lie to her.
 * Kyle Spencer (Evan Peters) Kyle is a college student. He meets Zoe at a party, and instantly falls in love with her. He is killed in the premiere episode by Madison, but is later resurrected by Zoe and Madison. He returns as a Frankenstein-like creature, not fully aware of his conditions. Misty Day, a witch who lives in the swamps, takes care of Kyle until he his healed. Zoe then takes Kyle home, but he kills his mother when she attempts to have sex with him. Zoe takes Kyle back to the Academy, where she chains him up. Zoe attempts to re-kill Kyle, but she cannot bring herself to do it. She instead unchains him.
 * Misty Day (Lily Rabe) Misty Day is a witch, but not a member of any coven. She is a necromancer and is obsessed with Stevie Nicks. She lives in a shack in the swamps of New Orleans. She nurtures Kyle back to health after he is brought back to life by Zoe and Madison. She developes a strong bond with Kyle during his healing process. Zoe attempts to take Kyle back to the academy, but Misty cannot let her. Zoe convinces Misty to let her take Kyle back to his home. After discovering Madison's dead body, Zoe asks Misty to bring her back to life. Although with difficulty, Misty is able to bring Madison back to life. She possesses the ability of "resurgence". She revives a bird in "Bitchcraft" as well as Myrtle Snow in "Burn, Witch. Burn!" In "The Sacred Taking", her powers lead Myrtle to believe that Misty is the next supreme witch. In the same episode, she also revives Luke's mother after she is shot.
 * Madison Montgomery (Emma Roberts) is a spoiled young Hollywood star who discovers she's a witch and is sent to the academy. She has the power of telekinesis. Fiona believes her to be the next supreme witch, and therefore kills her to maintain her own supremecy. In "Fearful Pranks Ensue", Madison's body is used as a human dress-up doll by the Academy's butler, Spalding. In "The Axeman Cometh," Misty Day brings her back from the dead. Madison spends the next couple of episodes recovering from her death.
 * Spalding (Denis O'Hare) is the Academy's butler. He has been mute since 1971, after cutting off his own toungue to prevent Myrtle Snow's truth spell from having affect on him. He has been in love with Fiona for a long time. He is fond of porcelin dolls and has tea parties with them. He even uses Madison's dead body as a life-sized dress-up doll. When the girls discover Spalding's collection, they question him as to who killed Madison. Zoe later uses an incantation to reattach his tongue so he may reveal Madison's true killer. She kills him afterwards. In "The Sacred Taking", he comes back as a spirit and convinces Fiona not to kill herself.
 * Madame Delphine LaLaurie (Katy Bates) is a socialite from the 1830s, infamous for torturing and killing her slaves. To punish her, Marie Laveau gives her a potion that makes her immortal. She then is locked in a coffin and burried for 150 years, before being dug up by Fiona Good, who wishes to know Delphine's secret to her eternal youth. She becomes the academy's personal maid.
 * Fiona Goode (Jessica Lange) is the Supreme witch and Cordelia's mother. She lives a glamourous life of luxury and gets anything she wants because she is so powerful. She returns to Miss Robichaux's Academy to ensure that the coven is kept safe. She yearns for eternal life and youth. Being the supreme witch, she possesses many abilities, such as telekinesis, pyrokinesis, telepathy, resurgence, teleportation, mind-control, essential draining and truth indication.
 * Marie Laveau (Angela Bassett) is a powerful high preistess of Voodoo magic. She and her Voodoo witches are the main rivals of the Salem witches. She is unforgivable and ruthless, especially to those who hurt her people. She is centuries old and owns a hairdressing salon called Cornrow City. She hired Hank Foxx, Cordelia's husband, as one of her witch hunters. She is extremely powerful, capable of granting eternal life and raising the dead.
 * Queenie (Gaboruey Sidibe) is a young witch who was a foster child in Detroit and worked at a fast food restaurant. After an incident at her place of work with magic, she was found by Cordelia who took her in to the academy. She is a self-proclaimed voodoo doll, as she can transfer injuries from herself to other people without harming herself. In the third episode, she is attacked and killed by Bastien (Marie Laveau's ex-lover) but is later revived by Fiona. She is persuaded by Marie Laveau to leave the coven and become a Voodoo witch, what she truly is. Queenie turns agains the coven and becomes apart of Marie's Voodoo tribe. She is both a Voodoo witch and a Salem witch.
 * Nan (Jamie Brewer) is a young witch at the academy who is often dismissed and underestimated by her peers. She has the power of clairvoyance and has a crush on Luke, the next door neighbor. She gives details that she is quite promiscuous and has had a lot of sexual relations with many boys.
 * Hank Foxx (Josh Hamilton) is Cordelia's supporting husband. He is a contractor. Fiona dislikes Hank very much and believes he is not good for her daughter. He is, in reality, a witch hunter who was hired by Marie Laveau to take out all of the witches residing in Miss Robicheaux's Academy. He was killed by Queenie when he shot up Cornrow City.
 * Joan Ramsey (Patti LuPone) is a fundamentalist Christian woman who moves in next door to the academy with her son, Luke. Luke immediately catches the eye of the witches at the academy. Madison and Nan decide to welcome the two into the neighborhood, but end up upsetting Joan. She orders the girls form their house and Madison subsequently sets her curtains a flame. Joan visits the academy to complain to Fiona about Madison's visit earlier that day, but Fiona insluts Joan who leaves afterwards. She was shot several times by a witch hunter, but is revived by Misty.
 * The Axeman (Danny Huston) is a serial killer from New Orleans who commited his murders in the early 1900s. He is killed by a coven of witches, and becomes a spirit trapped inside the academy. Zoe later promises to release his spirit if he tells her where Madison's body is. He does, and then is released and locates Fiona.
 * Kaylee (Alexandra Brekcenridge) is a witch and victim of Hank Foxx. She believes she and Hank are simply having an affair, but he instead kills her after they have sex. Before her death, she was offered to become a student at Miss Robicheaux's Academy, but declines as she aspires to have a normal life. She has Pyrokinetic abilities and was previously charged with arson.