IGN, by Matt Fowler 2/9/2014
http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/02/...-season-review
"Time casts a spell on you...
"...but you won't forget me."
Yes, I thought I'd start off this Coven season review with some Fleetwood Mac lyrics. Seemed appropriate since "Silver Springs" is really the only Mac song I like. And since they actually played the song in the season finale yet didn't somehow get to the chorus, I thought I'd throw it in. With lyrics apropos the themes of Coven too.
It also allows me to kick off the review by talking about Stevie Nicks and her role on the show this year. A small part, sure, but an ill-conceived one. Now, now, before you leap to Stevie's defense, just know that not everyone in the world is a Stevie Nicks fans. It's just a cruel fact of life, I'm afraid. I have nothing against her, solo career or Mac years, but her voice and music (aside from the aforementioned song) just never did anything for me. If you're a Stevie enthusiast though, her bits throughout Coven probably tickled you to no end. Playing actual songs, as opposed to a composed soundtrack score, in TV shows and movies is always a risk. Because there's a chance that they won't strike a chord with everyone. It can be divisive. And, in worst case scenarios, exclusionary.
Having Lily Rabe's swamp witch character, Misty, be a die-hard Stevie fan was fun. But the goof should have stopped there (more on AHS' over-tendency toward goofs in a few paragraphs). Having Stevie herself show up (as rumors of witchcraft have always been part of her pop mystique) was pushing it. Because too much meta-levity and celeb-worship amusement can come off clumsy and gauche. It's only several steps above Mr.T showing up on Diff'rent Strokes to talk to Arnold about bullying. All of a sudden the actual story that you've invested in doesn't matter - replaced with a tongue-in-cheek rib.
Having Stevie play and sing actual songs (like the two she sang in an episode actually called "The Magical Delights of Stevie Nicks") was the cake-topper mistake. Again, divisive. Some found her scenes touching while others rolled their eyes. Creative risk. The worst offense though came at the end in the season finale, "The Seven Wonders," when the pre-credit scene was just a Stevie Nicks music video featuring the witches interacting with a lip-syncing Stevie as she walked through the mansion to her old 1987 hit.
And if you're going to argue, "Well, this show isn't meant to be taken seriously," then what are you even doing in here reading this? You're not going to enjoy any attempt at analysis as you've already determined that it's not welcome.
I'm taking up a lot of space writing about Stevie here because it connects to a bigger problem with the show. Namely, what the show has evolved into since Season 1. I liked Season 1 a lot. Liked most parts of Asylum, though we began to see evidence of pacing problems and character payoff issues. Coven then seemed like it was designed to counter-balance the grimness of Asylum. In the same way, say, that Batman Forever was Warner Bros. reaction to parents complaining that Burton's Batman Returns was too Gothic and scary for their kids. Coven was most definitely the lightest American Horror Story season yet.