While last week's episode of FX's American Horror Story: Coven was a bit of a departure in terms of advancing the plot, things got back on track for all concerned this week.  The conflict between the witches and the voodoo priestesses jumped up a notch in this episode with an unexpected betrayal and a reconciling of old grievances.  Relationships within the coven are just as treacherous as truths are revealed, bonds are broken and then reforged again in the strangest of ways.  Hit the jump for my recap and review.

This week's episode "The Dead" kicks things off with a Millennial monologue from the recently revived Madison Montgomery (Emma Roberts).  Death seems to have done little to change her disposition as she's still in search of the next fix, in whatever form that may be.  In this case, the particular fix is found in another reanimated character: FrankenKyle (Evan Peters).  Peters actually gets to speak in more than just grunts and growls this time around, as we flash back to his pre-accident days when he had aspirations of becoming a respectable engineer.  FrankenKyle's story is sad enough without us learning that his current mental state is likely a hodgepodge of memories and inclinations cobbled together from his stereotypical fraternity brothers. Tragic.  I thought for a moment that Zoe (Taissa Farmiga) and Madison might have been in conflict over the love triangle, but then I remembered that this is American Horror Story and they can just pave over that ill will with a two-thirds undead three-way.

Zoe was up to more than just double-dipping in necrophilia, however.  After being informed by Cordelia (Sarah Paulson) that Fiona (Jessica Lange) was the one responsible for Madison's death and would likely be going after Zoe next, the possible new Supreme decided that she needed to hear the confession from the horse's mouth, so to speak.  And speak he did, as Zoe magically reattached Spalding (Denis O'Hare) and his estranged tongue ... briefly.  When she got what she needed out of him, Zoe put a blade into Spalding, but as we've seen so far this season, death is merely a temporary inconvenience, so he may yet return.

A new character proved his worth this week in Danny Huston's Axeman.  Last week's introduction of this historically accurate (thank you, fact checkers!) jazz-loving serial killer appeared to muddy the waters, but his backstory as a longtime (and insanely creepy) admirer of Fiona was an interesting twist.  Just how their noir-y relationship plays out in the end remains to be seen, but it gives the Supreme an additional ally for what has been a one-woman battle thus far.

Ah, and now we get to the crux of this week's big story surprise: Queenie (Gabourey Sidibe) and Delphine LaLaurie (Kathy Bates).  Just when it seemed like Queenie was bringing Delphine ever so slowly into contemporary times (thanks to fast food and bedazzled tiger sweatshirts), the former betrays the latter and turns her over to Marie Laveau (Angela Bassett).  So now we've got Cordelia and Zoe out to take Fiona down, and Queenie siding with the voodoo priestess and possibly abandoning her witchy sisters.  It's still anyone's guess as to who will emerge the victor in this battle, but a lot of blood is sure to be spilled along the way.

Rating: B

Quotes & Miscellanea: 

Getting a shitty tattoo is bad enough, but having multiple shitty tattoos forced upon you is just awful.

LaLaurie to Queenie: “I’m startin’ to understand why you’re so enormous.”

Queenie: “I dragged my ass all the way here from Detroit to be with my quote ‘sister-witches’. Instead, I’m sitting in the fast food parkin’ lot at three in the mornin’ with an immortal racist. How’d that happen?”

Oh hey, Hank (Josh Hamilton).  What a lovely gun collection you have!

Axeman: “I wasn’t expecting company.” Fiona: “I wasn’t expecting Buckingham Palace.”

Cordelia: “If she even thinks you’re next, you’re next.” / “We’re going to kill my mother. Kill her once, kill her good, kill her dead.”

FrankenKyle banging Madison up against the wardrobe was classic AHS.

Axeman: "I wanted to protect my little flower, but you were no hothouse orchid. There was nothing fragile about you, Fiona. As you grew, I began to see the fire in your belly and the steel runnin down your back. You were the most fearsome thing that ever lived. While others only saw the ruthless manipulator, I saw so, so much more. My feelings became complicated, and I fell in love, but not like a father, like a man.”

Spalding: “Whose tongue is this?” Zoe: “Yours. I found it the other day, hidden away.”

Delphine: “This batch is extra special. Can you guess why? It came from a boy, barely born. Youth begets youth.”

Fiona’s not looking to good as her hair continues to come out in clumps.  I'm glad that sexy jazz music stopped her from shaving her head.

I think this is the first time since the first (or maybe second) episode that they've mentioned Zoe's latent sex-to-death power.

Laveau, slathering blood on her face:  “Beautiful.”