"In this house, we obey the laws of physics." Fiona Goode didn’t say that. Actually, she said the exact opposite. When American Horror Story Season 3 Episode 1—titled "Bitchcraft"—first aired on FX back in October 2013, it shifted the entire DNA of Ryan Murphy’s anthology series. We went from the suffocating, grim walls of Briarcliff Manor in Asylum to the sun-drenched, jazz-soaked streets of New Orleans. It was a tonal whiplash that some fans initially hated, but honestly? It’s arguably the most iconic hour of television the franchise ever produced.
The episode doesn't just introduce witches. It introduces a legacy of trauma, power, and high fashion.
Most people remember the "Surprise, bitch" meme from later in the season, but the groundwork laid in this premiere is where the real magic happens. We start in 1834. Delphine LaLaurie, played with terrifying precision by Kathy Bates, is hosting a party. She isn't just a mean socialite; she’s a monster. The show wastes zero time showing her "beauty treatments" involving human blood. It’s visceral. It’s gross. It’s exactly what AHS needed to remind us that despite the stylish outfits, we were still watching a horror show.
What American Horror Story Season 3 Episode 1 Got Right About New Orleans
The setting isn't just a backdrop. It's a character. By moving the production to Louisiana, Murphy and Brad Falchuk tapped into a very real history of voodoo and witchcraft that permeates the French Quarter.
Zoe Benson, played by Taissa Farmiga, is our way into this world. Her "discovery" of her powers is... well, it’s dark. It happens during a sexual encounter that turns fatal. It’s a classic AHS move—mixing the erotic with the macabre in a way that makes you feel a little bit greasy. She gets shipped off to Miss Robichaux's Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies. It looks like a pristine white mansion, but it feels like a cage.
Sarah Paulson’s Cordelia Foxx is the headmistress, and she’s the polar opposite of her mother, Fiona. While Cordelia wants to hide and protect, Fiona—played by the legendary Jessica Lange—wants to burn the world down before she gets a single wrinkle.
The tension between them is the heartbeat of the episode. It’s a mother-daughter dynamic fueled by resentment and the fear of fading relevance. Fiona’s return to the academy isn't out of love. It’s out of a desperate, clawing need to find the secret to eternal youth. She sees these young girls—Zoe, Madison, Queenie, and Nan—not as students, but as batteries. Or threats.
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The Power Dynamics of Miss Robichaux’s Academy
Madison Montgomery is the one everyone loved to hate. Emma Roberts stepped into this role and basically defined the "mean girl with a soul" trope for the 2010s. In "Bitchcraft," we see her as a hard-partying Hollywood starlet who just happens to be able to move objects with her mind.
Then you have Queenie (Gabourey Sidibe), a "human voodoo doll." Her power is fascinating because it’s so self-destructive yet defensive. If she hurts herself, the person she’s looking at feels the pain. It’s a brilliant metaphor for internalized struggle. Nan (Jamie Brewer) rounds out the group with clairvoyance, often being the smartest person in the room because she literally knows what everyone is thinking.
The episode spends a lot of time establishing that these girls aren't a "team" yet. They are rivals. They are survivors.
Breaking Down the LaLaurie Connection
One of the boldest moves in American Horror Story Season 3 Episode 1 was the blending of historical fiction with modern camp. Finding Delphine LaLaurie buried alive in a backyard? It’s ridiculous on paper. In practice, it works because the show commits to the absurdity.
The real Marie Laveau, played by Angela Bassett, is teased here as the eternal rival. The history of the real New Orleans Voodoo Queen is legendary, and AHS leans into the friction between the "Salem" witches (the white women in the house) and the Voodoo practitioners of the city. It’s a commentary on race and class that the show doesn't always handle with total grace, but it definitely swings for the fences.
Fiona digging up LaLaurie is the catalyst for the season's chaos. She wants to know how the woman stayed alive for 180 years. She doesn't care about the ethics; she just wants the recipe.
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Why the "Bitchcraft" Premiere Still Ranks So High
Visually, this episode is a masterpiece. The use of wide-angle lenses and Dutch tilts creates a sense of vertigo. You never quite feel like the ground is level.
- The Fashion: Louboutins in a cemetery? Yes. The "Coven" aesthetic launched a thousand Tumblr blogs.
- The Dialogue: The writing is sharp, biting, and incredibly quotable.
- The Stakes: Unlike Asylum, which felt like a slow descent into madness, Coven feels like a race.
There’s a specific scene where Madison takes Zoe to a frat party. It ends in a horrific gang rape and a subsequent act of supernatural vengeance that remains one of the most controversial moments in the series. Madison uses her telekinesis to flip a bus full of frat boys. It’s a moment of "good for her" catharsis that is immediately undercut by the sheer brutality of the violence. That’s the AHS sweet spot—making you cheer for something that should probably horrify you.
Addressing the Common Misconceptions
People often think Coven was the "lightweight" season. Because it was "pretty," critics at the time dismissed it as "American Horror Story: Mean Girls." That’s a massive oversimplification.
If you rewatch American Horror Story Season 3 Episode 1 today, the horror is actually quite profound. It’s the horror of aging. The horror of being a woman in a world that wants to use your body. The horror of ancestral guilt. Fiona Goode isn’t just a diva; she’s a predator. She represents the older generation refusing to step aside for the new one, literally sucking the life out of the youth to maintain her status.
Also, the "science" of the witchcraft here is more structured than people remember. This episode introduces the concept of the "Seven Wonders," though they aren't fully named yet. We see the seeds of Pyrokinesis, Telekinesis, and Concilium (mind control). It’s a hard magic system disguised as a soap opera.
The Musical Influence
You can’t talk about this episode without mentioning Stevie Nicks. While she doesn't appear in the premiere, the "White Witch" energy is everywhere. The soundtrack, the flowing black garments, the misty New Orleans mornings—it all builds toward a specific pagan-chic atmosphere that hadn't really been seen on TV since Charmed, but with a much higher budget and a lot more cigarettes.
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What to Do If You're Rewatching Now
If you are diving back into American Horror Story Season 3 Episode 1, pay attention to the background details in the Academy. The production design by Mark Worthington is top-tier. The house is filled with actual antiques and art that reflect the history of the South.
Also, watch the mirrors. Fiona spends a lot of time looking at her reflection. It’s not just vanity; it’s a countdown. Every time she looks, she’s checking for the rot. It’s a visual metaphor for the "Supreme" losing her power as the next one rises.
Next Steps for the Coven Obsessed:
To fully appreciate the narrative arc started in "Bitchcraft," you should cross-reference the historical accounts of the real Delphine LaLaurie. While the show takes massive liberties, the "Attic of Horrors" was a real thing discovered after a fire at her Royal Street mansion in 1834.
After finishing the episode, track the evolution of Zoe's "Black Widow" power. It’s one of the most unique concepts the show introduced, even if the writers kind of forgot about it toward the end of the season.
Finally, compare the opening sequence of this season to the previous two. The change in music and imagery—moving toward hoodoo symbols and skeletal figures in the woods—perfectly sets the stage for the war between the Coven and the Voodoo practitioners that defines the rest of the year.
Watch it for the style, but stay for the cold-blooded power plays. Fiona Goode is waiting.