25 of TV’s messiest meltdowns

Fiona Faces Her Own Mortality — American Horror Story: Coven

It’s not a proper meltdown unless there is a mountain of cocaine involved. And you know if Fiona Goode is going to have a proper meltdown, it’s going to be good. Such is the case the first time we meet the supreme witch Fiona. Disappointed that the youth serum she demanded from her doctor isn’t working, she devolved into a cocaine-soaked tantrum that proves the be the best first impression ever.

This meltdown is a direct result of her obsession with youth and beauty, and the witch subsequently spends the rest of the season relentlessly chasing these things — ironically, to her ultimate detriment.

In the throes of her breakdown, Fiona calls her doctor to her hotel room, to further berate him for his inability to make her eternally young and beautiful. Fed up with her vanity, he dares to remind her that everybody gets old, and that it’s a natural part of life. Fiona isn’t having any of that nonsense and she uses her powers to telekinetically lock the door, toss the doctor across the room and drain his life force. This does the trick, momentarily, but her powers aren’t strong enough to sustain this change, and she’s back to her same self.

(Side note: Jessica Lange is the most beautiful human, and she only gets better with age. Never change!)

Her breakdown results in her trip to New Orleans, and all sorts of terrible things happen once she’s there. Her mental breakdown is a cautionary tale for every woman who’s ever stood in front of the mirror and was far too critical of what they saw looking back at them.