The universe Ryan Murphy and Brad Fulchuk built for themselves in Coven is one that will only be properly utilized as long as it doesn't take itself too, too seriously. The first three episodes were weighed down by incessant preaching and heavy-handed "messages", as well as subplots which were too dramatically serious for a show this silly to handle in a satisfying manner. Pranks does away with most of these problems by focusing on the strengths this particular story lends itself to; bitchy, violent, sassy, creepy drama. The themes of marginalization and oppression are relegated to the position they should have been in from the start; subtext. The oppressive straight-faced performing is done away with entirely. In its place we're given Jessica Lange and Frances Conroy going at each other in a battle of wits and deception, we get voodoo zombies tearing people apart, we get a mute Denis O'Hare having a tea party with a corpse in a room full of creepy dolls, we get THIS LINE: "If she's dead she probably got wasted and tried to offer the Grim Reaper a handjob or something.", AND we get voodoo zombies that tear a bunch of racist murderers limb-from-limb! The entire thing is completely insane and every second of it is monstrously entertaining. Coven is slowly but surely learning how to have fun, and is finding the best, most satisfying version of itself in the process.
If this episode is a one-time anomaly, then I'm glad it happened. If it's a sign of the quality of the show to come, then color me excited. Very, very excited.
Grade: A
Other Thoughts
Every other line in this episode was a venomous and sassy insult and it was just the best thing. Also, it has Leslie Jordan as a wonderfully flamboyant member of The Council, I mean, how can you beat that?
The cold open flashback to the sixties was killer in every way possible. And voodoo zombies are even better than regular zombies!
On a less jovial note: kinda unclear on exactly what happened with Queenie there... Did Bastien rape her? Or did he just attack her? Was her proposition to him last episode just a diversion tactic or an act of lonely desperation? Even bigger question: do I actually expect the show to address any of the preceding questions? (The answer being "No, you idiot")
I will never get over that "Grim Reaper Handjob" line.
And I'm actually slightly depressed that Bastien is dead (? Kinda? Just decapitiated?). The literalized Minotaur was just too creepy and zany to feature significantly in only one episode. I'm hoping they find a way to bring him back.
Andrew Allen is a television (and occasionally film) writer for Action A Go Go. He is an aspiring screenwriter and director who is currently studying at the University of Miami. You can check him out on Tumblr @andrewballen and follow him on Twitter @A_B_Allen.
