"Go to Hell" is the twelfth and

penultimate Penult is a linguistics term for the second to last syllable of a word. It is an abbreviation of ''penultimate'', which describes the next-to-last item in a series. The penult follows the antepenult and precedes the ultima. For example, the main ...

episode of the third season of the

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...

television series ''

American Horror Story ''American Horror Story'' is an American anthology horror television series created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk for the cable network FX. The first installment in the '' American Story'' media franchise, each season is conceived as a ...

'', which premiered on January 22, 2014, on the

cable Cable may refer to: Mechanical * Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof * Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...

network FX. The episode was written by

Jessica Sharzer Jessica Sharzer (born October 26, 1972) is an American screenwriter, director, producer, and editor. She is known for her work on the Showtime drama series ''The L Word'' and the FX horror series ''American Horror Story''. She wrote the screenp ...

and directed by

Alfonso Gomez-Rejon Alfonso Gomez-Rejon (sometimes Alfonso Gómez-Rejón; born November 6, 1972, in Laredo, Texas) is an American film and television director. His television program credits include ''Hunters'', ''Glee'' and ''American Horror Story''. He was nomin ...

. With Fiona (

Jessica Lange Jessica Phyllis Lange (; born April 20, 1949) is an American actress. She is the 13th actress to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting, having won two Academy Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award, along with a Screen Actors G ...

)'s deteriorating health, the girls show new powers as Queenie (

Gabourey Sidibe Gabourey Sidibe ( ; born May 6, 1983) is an American actress. She made her acting debut in the 2009 film '' Precious'', a role that earned her the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead, in addition to nominations for the Golden Globe an ...

) searches for Marie Laveau (

Angela Bassett Angela Evelyn Bassett (born August 16, 1958) is an American actress. She had her breakthrough with her portrayal of singer Tina Turner in the biopic ''What's Love Got to Do with It'' (1993), which garnered her a nomination for the Academy Award ...

). Angela Bassett, Gabourey Sidibe, and

Danny Huston Daniel Sallis Huston (born May 14, 1962) is an Italian-born American actor and film director. A member of the Huston family of filmmakers, he is the son of director John Huston and the half-brother of actress Anjelica Huston. He is known for h ...

guest star as Marie Laveau, Queenie, and the Axeman, respectively. This episode is rated TV-MA (LV).

Plot

Fiona shows Queenie a silent movie about the Seven Wonders (seven acts of magic a witch must demonstrate to be labeled the Supreme), which leads her to schedule Queenie's test of the Seven Wonders. Queenie says she considers Fiona's action as another desperate attempt to kill the Supreme. Fiona insists she wants to enjoy her last weeks of life peacefully. After successfully returning from her own personal version of hell, Queenie convinces Papa Legba to take away Laveau. Meanwhile, Madame LaLaurie is working as a tour guide in her own house, lying about her history after attacking the previous guide. Queenie arrives and offers to help her, but she refuses so Queenie stabs her to death. Papa Legba orders the deceased Laveau to torture LaLaurie's daughters for all eternity. At the Academy, Cordelia experiences a futuristic vision about the Coven, in which everyone (including herself) has been killed by Fiona as she maintains her position as Supreme. Cordelia uses her sight to see the Axeman waiting for Fiona to arrive at the motel room. After she arrives, he confronts Fiona about the passport. After informing him of her plan to kill her successor and retain her youth, the Axeman hacks Fiona to death. Back at the Academy, the witches execute the Axeman for his crimes against the Coven. The Coven hangs Fiona's portrait and Cordelia informs the girls they will all be undertaking the tests of the Seven Wonders.

Reception

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reports a 62% approval rating, based on 13 reviews. The critical consensus reads, ""Go to Hell" presents a microcosm of Coven's flaws with a crowded episode whose messy narrative crowds out an effective surprise for a leading character." Matt Fowler from

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

gave the episode a rating of 7.9, adding that, ""Go to Hell" was a more focused episode, with a lot of driving action. It sounded off a few sour notes here and there, but in the end parts of it felt like a season finale." Emily VanDerWerff of ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...

'' rated the episode a D+, stating, ""Go to Hell" kills off ''Coven'' older generation in its entirety, turning things over to the next generation, and I could not give two shits about it." He added, "By far the worst thing any TV show can be is boring, and that goes doubly for a Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk show. But in "Go to Hell", even the outrageous stuff feels rote." The episode received a 1.8 18–49 ratings share and was watched by 3.36 million viewers in its original American broadcast, a decrease from the previous episode.

References

External links

*
"Go to Hell"
at

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.com {{American Horror Story episodes, 3 2014 American television episodes American Horror Story: Coven episodes Television episodes set in hell