With the Coven witches finally returning to our screens last week, AHS: Apocalypse’s fourth episode, titled Could It Be… Satan?, promised the show’s fans what they have long been waiting for. And, boy, did it deliver.
Opening right where the last episode left off, this week’s episode introduced us to the existence of male witches—called “warlocks”—and their strained relationship with the Coven witches. Story-wise, the plot for this season became more concrete, as the rivalry between the two covens proved to be an important point, in addition to Michael Langdon’s (Cody Fern) reign alarming current Supreme, Cordelia Foxx (Sarah Paulson).
One major thing noticeable in this episode was the more fantastical approach towards magic that contrasted with the magical realism of Coven, where the witches’ powers were presented in simpler ways. Personally, I’ve always liked how the magic was presented in Coven, it made it seem almost believable. Nevertheless, Apocalypse’s take on it was enjoyable and offered some beautiful scenes.
The meeting between the witches and the warlocks.
I do believe that the characters still need work. I found the interactions between the witches and the warlocks rather too hostile from the witches’ part (they mirrored actual men in power a little bit too much for my liking), so I’m hoping that the show elaborates on their background and we learn more about how their current relationship with the warlocks came to be, in a way that justifies their apparent disdain towards them.
Furthermore, I hope that Madison Montgomery (Emma Roberts) returns to her former self, as the way her character was presented in this episode was much like her character from Scream Queens, Chanel Oberlin—who is not a bad character in her respective show, it’s just not who Madison is according to Coven.
Madison (Roberts) meeting Michael Langdon (Fern)
Aside from my mentioned observations, the episode was arguably one of the best in the series. It gave viewers everything they wanted without seeming like solely fan service, and its additions to Coven’s canon were compelling enough to send discussion boards on a theory frenzy, something I had not seen since, well, the original Coven season.
Apocalypse is continuing its journey forward, proving itself with each new episode. And, if next week’s episode preview is any indication, that journey will only continue going upwards.