Why There Should Be No Supreme on 'AHS'

Gearing up for the finale of American Horror Story: Coven , there's one question on everybody's mind: Who will be the next Supreme leader of the witchy women? So far, it seems, any of the girls could feasibly be the new generational queen, and each will be tested when they perform the dangerous Seven Wonders. But, ultimately, none of them should win the title. Because, let's be real: If Ryan Murphy has any justice in his heart for the feminist cause and the plight of women — which seems to be the conversation at play on American Horror Story: Coven — he'll axe (heh) the idea of the Supreme altogether and let the witches fend for themselves. That would be the ultimate act of female empowerment that these witches so desperately need.

That's right. I don't want there to be a supreme leader of the coven anymore. Why have a dictatorship when things generally tend to work better with a democracy? Inherent in the show's mythology is a rule that each generation, a Supreme is born stronger and with more varied powers than the rest. But there's a chance that Fiona's grab for power might have actually changed all the rules, since she killed the preceding Supreme instead of performing the as-yet-unseen Seven Wonders. Who's to say she was supposed to lead and not Myrtle?

As it stands, only one girl seems morally capable of handling the duties of being Supreme fairly — Zoe Benson — and guess what? She doesn't really seem to want them all that bad. Maybe that's because she's seen the writing on the wall: Having a Supreme destroys the coven. By creating the role of "one supreme leader," in-fighting and competition amongst the women is practically guaranteed — forcing literal wars to be waged instead of fighting the real enemy (namely, the Delphi Trust and haters of witches everywhere). Even just the shortest of glances at that power dynamic and you can see what Murphy's playing at: namely, the patriarchy's proliferation of insecurity and so-called markers of femininity in order to keep women down. Force them to fight amongst themselves than look upward and out.

The only way to strengthen the witches is to unite them, not divide them in a search for power. And that means getting rid of the Supreme. We've already seen the women's capacity for sacrifice in the name of the coven: Just last week, Cordelia gave up her renewed sight in order to recapture her visions by ripping out her eyeballs. Myrtle Snow has already died once for it, as has Queenie (more than once). And while there are a few bad eggs among them (cough cough Madison Montgomery and Fiona Goode), the good far outweighs the bad — and who's to say that Madison can't be turned around in the end? Forming an alliance, as Fiona had done with Marie Laveau, across all spectrums of witchhood would ensure not only the proliferation of all witches, but also ensure their safety and strength.

Besides, the remaining women are resilient — some literally more than others, as death is often of no consequence to the show — having already proved that they possess the powers within themselves. Murphy's been playing at this all season, showing the girls' attempts to one-up each other as their powers grow stronger across the board. All of them are capable of doing more than they originally could upon arrival at Miss Robichaux's Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies, which is really saying something, considering the fact that they never spent even a day in the classroom. Dying cured Madison of her heart murmur, Nan could not only read, but control minds, and all that fire. These are women who are equals in many measures and deserve to have all their different viewpoints and opinions heard — just like real women out in the rest of the world. Why should there only be one?

Image: FX [1]; jensllawrence/Tumblr [1]