Witches—and their male counterparts, warlocks—were introduced into American Horror Story canon in season 3, Coven; warlocks were expanded on in season 8, Apocalypse, and share some marked differences from the ladies.
Coven remains one of the most popular—and most critically acclaimed—seasons of American Horror Story to date. Along with season 1, Murder House, it is arguably the season that Ryan Murphy has an interest in returning to over and over again. Season 8, Apocalypse, served as a crossover between the two seasons, which Murphy teased years ahead of time. For Apocalypse, Murphy brought back several iconic characters from seasons 1 and 3, but expanded on the magical world that was Coven's focal point. Murder House's characters were a small part of the season, so in many ways, season 8 felt more like a continuation of Coven than a crossover. However, Apocalypse's main plot involved the son of Tate Langdon (Evan Peters) and Vivien Harmon (Connie Britton) from season 1. Michael Langdon, who became the Antichrist, was connected to a society of warlocks and became their Alpha, or the male version of a Supreme.
A major element of Coven involved the rise of the new Supreme after Fiona Goode (Jessica Lange) was diagnosed with cancer. Though Fiona wasn't keen on losing her mantle, the young witches who arrived at Miss Robichaux's Academy all competed for the coveted spot, and eventually performed the Seven Wonders to see who would be the next Supreme. Cordelia Goode (Sarah Paulson) ended up being the one to take over for her mother, and she was the one who led her coven in season 8 against the Antichrist as well. While many facets of warlock society seem to be just a reflection of witches, but with male practitioners, Murphy cleverly utilized warlocks in a different capacity that subverted several tropes and stereotypes surrounding the use of magic and how it's been portrayed in media before.
In other media, witches and warlocks have essentially been one and the same. Sometimes, the warlocks are even more powerful than witches even when witches are the focal point of a movie or series. Despite witchcraft being a primarily female-focused practice, elements of a patriarchal society have periodically co-opted witchcraft by making them equal to—or lesser than—men rather than the more powerful beings. Conversely, witches are often more celebrated in media than men, even if warlocks and other male magical practitioners can occasionally pack a stronger punch.
This is the biggest difference between witches and warlocks in American Horror Story. For once, the women are more powerful than the men, and this is how it's been for a very long time. In a 2013 interview, Ryan Murphy discussed that warlocks were going to be a bigger part of the interconnected American Horror Story universe. Leslie Jordan's character, Quentin, was introduced in Coven as part of the council. While Quentin was just a tease of the larger universe, which would be explored more in-depth with Apocalypse, Murphy stated, "... there are male witches who are descendants of Salem and then there are other sects we get into later in the series of male witches who are not of the Salem tribe but other breeds of witches. Not necessarily warlocks".
While this wasn't necessarily the case in Apocalypse, as the Hawthorne School for Exceptional Young Men—the mirror image of Miss Robichaux's Academy—was focused on warlocks. Men played a prominent role in Coven as an opposing force to witches, though they were witch hunters, not warlocks. The underlying theme here was how men often try to take a woman's power away when their way of life becomes threatened. Similarly, the warlocks at the Hawthorne School are looking for their Alpha, who according to prophecy, can help them rise to the top—above the witches—for the first time. Tired of being reduced to "lesser than", the warlocks put their power behind Michael Langdon, believing that his exceptional abilities are the answer to their woes. Supposedly, he could make them more powerful than the Supreme, and earn them a more coveted spot in the magical world's matriarchy.
Cordelia states that testosterone is an "inhibitor" to unlocking the full potential of one's magical powers. While Michael does end up causing the apocalypse, it's because of his parentage, not because warlocks are more powerful than witches. Even in Coven, Quentin seemed to ride on the coattails of his female associates, who referred to him as a "colleague". Though the other aspects that Murphy teased haven't necessarily come to fruition on American Horror Story yet, he has talked about bringing back the witches from Coven once more; the show has been renewed through season 13, so it's likely only a matter of time.
from ScreenRant - Feed https://ift.tt/2PUlAXc
0 Comments