With one episode to go, American Horror Story: Coven seems to have abandoned the entire system it had set up. I don’t think anyone knows what’s going on anymore.

As you may remember, I mentioned certain gardening utensils going into a certain someone’s eyes by their own hand. Well, let me put it this way: whoever the makeup artist is that worked on Sarah Paulson’s eyes deserves all the awards. Her eyes are gnarly and she’s all over this episode and you just have to cross your fingers that she’s wearing sunglasses for most of her scenes. Her eyes are absolutely grotesque. Cordelia spends most of this episode using her re-gained sight to right some wrongs, such as finding Misty in the grave Madison put her in. More on that later, though.

A fair chunk of this episode centers on Queenie, and her tracking down Madame LaLaurie. Queenie finds her with ease and attempts to talk her back into returning to the coven and repenting. This is when the show decides to get real and make social commentary through LaLaurie, using images of politicians and Paula Deen with LaLaurie (rightfully) saying, “They’re only sorry they got caught.” Fair point.

Queenie then has the full realization that this woman is never going to change, and kills her. LaLaurie looks at Queenie and says, “I don’t wanna die.” To which Queenie replies, “Tough shit, who does?” That’s right. We have one immortal dead. Well, I’m pretty sure. I think. I mean. Oh, whatever, you know how this show is.

Speaking of character deaths, Fiona bites it at the hands of her lover, the Axeman. I thought this whole scene was incredibly dumb as it echoes Asylum in that Jessica Lange’s character is killed off and it feels like an afterthought. She deserves better than being chopped up and fed to swamp gators, and it would appear her coven agrees.

The Axeman’s wrath is set off by Cordelia, and he appears at the Coven house after killing Fiona. Misty returns to pummel Madison, and Kyle and Zoe return after a stint in Florida because Zoe realizes she can’t escape her fate. Essentially, the Axeman returns at the worst possible time, because the entire coven is riled up. When he comes for the group, the witches flick him away and an orgy of blood ensues. When Kyle goes after the Axeman, the women stop him, telling him “We don’t need a man to protect us.” In a very macabre way, I cheered.

This entire season was played up to be very “girl power!,” but it never really delivered until this episode. All of the rage these women have felt toward everything they had been through was taken out on the Axeman. If you believe in fighting violence with violence, it was completely justified, albeit extremely gory. When it’s stated that next week they will figure out who the next Supreme is, it feels like the proper way to end the episode. Except it’s not over.

In some pit in hell, we are launched back into LaLaurie’s house, where it’s her turn to be tortured by none other than Marie Laveau, who we had previously seen being ripped limb from limb by LaLaurie. She’s going to torture LaLaurie’s daughter in front of her, which seems a bit much even from Laveau. That’s when the Voodoo Man appears and Laveau snaps out of it. However, the Voodoo Man is pure evil and makes it clear that Laveau is going to torture this girl whether she wants to or not.

And therein lies the biggest message I got from this episode: men are evil killing machines. The Axeman, Cordelia’s husband, the creepy butler, and even Kyle are just men that kill and manipulate to get what they want – sometimes against their nature.

I give this season credit for not revealing the Supreme early in the season. When Leather Face was revealed earlier than anticipated in the previous season, I expected the same early reveal. Apparently not. Next week we (hopefully) get a definitive answer on the next Supreme, and to be honest I’m rooting for Queenie.