‘American Horror Story: Coven’ Episode 3.08: ‘The Sacred Taking’ Recap
Queenie is walking home late at night when a homeless man accosts her. She takes a piece of wood with nails and jams it into her hand, and then beats him with it. Madison and Zoe see her and tell her she needs to come back to the Coven. Queenie declines – Marie Laveau set her straight. She stabs the man in the chest and Zoe tells her she killed an innocent man. Queenie says he’s raped three schoolgirls that they know of. She reaches into his chest and pulls out his still beating heart, saying Marie needs a “dark heart” for a potion. She’s going to make Queenie stronger, something Fiona never did for any of them. She tells Madison and Zoe that the town isn’t big enough for voodoo and witchcraft. A war is coming, and they’re going to lose.
Fiona has meningeal carcinamotosis. She tries to eat and immediately rushes to the bathroom and throws up. She’s “starting to look less Samantha and more Endora,” and says there’s nothing more painful than telling your child you’re going to die. But Delia isn’t sympathetic, and tells her to die before Thanksgiving so they don’t have to suffer through the “mess of raisins and Styrofoam” she calls stuffing.
Fiona is lying in bed with the Axeman, who tells her she looks beautiful. She tells him to take a picture because she won’t look the same in a month. He tells her to run away with him, but she doesn’t want him to see her decay. He asks if she’s thought of making it stop, but she won’t give anyone the satisfaction of her killing herself. The only reason her hair is falling out is because one of the girls is coming into her own, and she has to figure out who.
Luke’s mother, Joan, is cleaning a wound he suffered on Halloween. She says the girls worship Satan, and he tells her they saved him. She makes a mixture of a cleaning agent and water and tells him to take off his pants. He’s unclean from the inside out, and she gives him an enema. Nan feels his pain and tells the other girls Joan is hurting Luke, but Delia tells her to forget about everything outside of that room — as for Queenie, she’s dead to her. They need to focus on their battle plan of killing Fiona. Madison wants to slit her throat, but Delia says Fiona can’t know she’s alive. Everything needs to be flawless. The doorbell rings, and neither Delphine nor Spalding answers it. Zoe goes to answer it and it’s Misty. She’s in danger, and says she’s been found.
As Misty lays in bed, Myrtle comes into her room and tells her a man with a gun is circling the shack. Misty realizes the cicadas have stopped singing just as a man enters and begins shooting. Delia comes out and realizes who she is, and says she is under the protection of the Coven. Misty asks if her friend can stay, too. Delia is surprised that Myrtle is alive, and explains that Fiona killed one of their witches. Myrtle says the people who have died have been brought back by one person – Misty Day. “Behold our next Supreme!”
Zoe is trying to teach Kyle how to speak again. Madison comes in — reminding Zoe that they’re supposed to share him — and asks why he can’t watch porn like a normal guy. Zoe wants him to learn so he can rejoin society, and Madison tells him they’ll have fun later. Zoe comes back and puts headphones on him, and he’s amazed.
Myrtle says Misty has the credentials to be the next Supreme, and that’s she’s “brought back more people than Jesus Christ.” Madison, Zoe, and Nan argue about being the next Supreme, and Delia explains that it isn’t something to wish for, and that it’s a burden. Misty doesn’t want it, but she dosen’t have a choice. The Sacred Taking has only been used three times in the Coven’s history — only being used in times of extreme crisis — and is used to ensure the safety of the Coven. The first time it was used, the Supreme, Prudence, killed herself to allow the ascension of the new Supreme. Madison says Fiona won’t kill herself for the sake of the Coven. “Not without a push,” Delia says.
Madison is dancing around in Fiona’s room in a red dress (a flashback to Sister Jude’s red lingerie last season, perhaps?), and says she’s the next Supreme and brought herself back. Because Fiona killed her and Myrtle, she’ll be burned at the stake. Madison says she’ll bring marshmallows and graham crackers to make Smores. Fiona tells her to get out, but when she tries to open the door using her telekinesis, the door barely opens. Madison tells her she can burn at the stake or swallow sleeping pills and end her suffering – and theirs. As Fiona goes to pack a suitcase, Myrtle appears. “Going somewhere?” She says she’s been brought back by the new Supreme, Madison. Fiona says she’ll be on an island, but Myrtle says that wasn’t one of the choices. Fiona says she has found someone she loves, someone she belongs to. But Myrtle tells her that her dream of the Axeman staying to take care of her won’t come true, and that he’ll leave her.
Nan asks if Zoe thinks she could be the next Supreme. When she doesn’t say anything, Nan leaves and goes to Luke’s house. She opens a closet door to find him locked inside. Meanwhile, Hank is outside the house, watching her.
Fiona is putting on makeup and remembers a six month love affair she had during Woodstock. Myrtle helps her into her fur coat, and Fiona asks her to watch over Delia. She takes the pills and asks Myrtle to make sure they hang her portrait in the place she chose, not in the basement with the disgraced Russian witch. Myrtle empties Fiona’s jewelry box and leaves. Spalding appears and tells Fiona to wake up. He tells her they need to purge her of the pills. She’s surprised he can speak and says she’s finally trying to do something noble for the Coven. He says she’s making a martyr of herself and that she’s been tricked. Madison isn’t the next Supreme; she was brought back by some “dirty little swamp witch.” Fiona takes the ipecac from Spalding and throws up the pills. She promises to avenge his murder –- after she avenges her own.
Queenie brings Delphine food, and she says they haven’t been feeding her – just bleeding her for Marie’s potions. She asks Queenie what she did to deserve the betrayal. Marie comes just as Delphine is asking Queenie to let her out so she can stretch her legs. Delphine taunts Marie, saying she can’t die and won’t take part in a country where there’s a “darkie in the White House.” She says she isn’t afraid of her, and Marie cuts off her hand. It gave her no satisfaction.
Nan and Luke are trying to leave the house, but Joan is calling the police. Suddenly, she is shot. More shots ring out and Luke pushes Nan out of the way and gets hit. Nan pleads with him not to leave her, and says she’s the next Supreme.
The girls, Myrtle, and Delia are waiting to see if Misty notices any changes. She says her stomach feels like a storm is going to hit. She thinks it’s her nerves because she isn’t a natural born leader. Fiona comes in and says her ascension started as a classic migraine, with auras, nausea, and pain behind the eyes. She figured out their plan, and she’s not going to let the new Supreme take over.
Misty is at Luke’s house, and Fiona confronts her. A police officer tells them they can’t be in there, and Fiona uses her mind control to make him tell them what happened. He says there was a shooting, what they think was a robbery gone wrong. Fiona tells Misty she can use her power of resurgence to bring Luke’s mother back. Misty does and faints, and Fiona rolls her eyes. Outside, Delia finds a bullet and realizes Hank shot Luke’s mother, aiming for Nan.
Zoe comes back and Kyle hugs her and tries to kiss her. She says it isn’t him and that she has to get him out of there; they’re under attack. Kyle says, “This road goes two ways,” and then tells her he loves her. Zoe says she loves him too, and Madison — who is hiding — overhears and gets upset. After all, since she came back, Kyle is the only one who has made her feel anything.
Fiona asks Delia where all the servants are, and says maybe they should move her bed downstairs so she won’t have an accident. Delia says she tried to orchestrate her death, and Fiona says it showed real grit. She finally has hope for the future of the Coven. And Delia is really is her daughter, and she’s proud. Delia says if that’s all it took, she would have made an attempt on her life way before then. Fiona sees the silver bullet and realizes it was a witch hunter. The bullet was blessed, and Delia tells her they need her now more than ever.
The doorbell rings and a package is left outside. Fiona waves her hand over it and brings it inside. Inside is Delphine’s head, still alive — perhaps a reference to David Fincher’s Se7en?
