Cordelia Foxx (later Cordelia Goode) is the Headmistress of Miss Robichaux's Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies, and later reigning Supreme Witch of the Salem Coven; she is also the daughter of Supreme Fiona Goode an a master at potion work.. She is a character in Coven primarily portrayed by Sarah Paulson.
Background
Cordelia Foxx was the idealistic headmistress of Miss Robichaux's Academy, and fiercely protective of the girls entrusted to her care. In the face of her larger-than-life mother, Fiona, Cordelia struggled to maintain order amidst the dark forces of chaos gathering within the school. [2]
Personality and Appearance
Cordelia was a young blonde haired woman with brown eyes (one brown, one blue after her sight was restored) and a light complexion.
Cordelia was gentle and caring toward others, particularly her students, much to the chagrin of her mother, Fiona. Her disdain toward her mother was made clear when she tried to give her mother a potion that would have put her into a coma for a few weeks. Such acts were an established part of their relationship, as were quips and sardonic remarks. However, despite attempting even to murder her, Cordelia was intelligent enough to conclude that the coven would not survive without her mother's power. She showed a dark side by proclaiming Queenie as "dead" to her for the witch's betrayal and alliance towards voodoo. As a teenager, Cordelia was left behind by Fiona to Myrtle, who was in charge of the academy back then. Cordelia frequently showed her love for the elder witch and often referred to her as Auntie Myrtle. She showed extreme dedication and loyalty to the coven and her students.
Story
Cordelia Foxx explains the history of the Academy to new student Zoe. She also warns Zoe to be careful with her powers so that she will not get caught by humans. A month ago, a witch named Misty Day living in the swamps was burned alive for practicing her power publicly.
Cordelia brews something chemically and is interrupted by her mother, the Supreme Fiona Goode. Cordelia is angry with her for "dumping" her there and wants her to leave. Fiona is disappointed with her daughter because as the daughter of the Supreme, she could have been rich and famous if she wanted to. Fiona reveals that she was convinced to come back when she saw, through the news, that a witch was killed. Despite Cordelia's reluctance and disapproval of being anything but discreet, her mother decides to stay and teach her students how to defend themselves.
At the hospital Cordelia eagerly hopes for some good news from her fertility physician. Much to her dismay, the doctor tells her she is not ready. The doctor leaves her alone with her husband, Hank Foxx, and the two discuss an alternative means of conception, magic. Cordelia, afraid of becoming like her mother, initially refuses to take such a route, claiming that she does not want to play God. However, her husband shoots back that their current route with science is no different and she reluctantly gives in.
Back at the school, Cordelia collects the needed ritual instruments and ingredients. In her bedroom, she creates a casting circle, placing four eggs around it. She cuts her naked husband's hand and he cuts hers. They drink each others blood and then begin to have intercourse. The casting circle goes aflame around the impassioned lovers and snakes hatch out of the placed eggs and slither around the entwined couple. After the ritual is over, ending with the two spouses achieving climax, the hope is a baby will be conceived from the union.
Cordelia sees the fertility doctor, who informs her that she cannot become pregnant. Desperate, Cordelia makes an appointment with Marie Laveau about a fertility ritual, to which Laveau guarantees of a 100% success rate. However, thanks to Fiona's actions towards her earlier, Laveau refuses to do the ritual to help Cordelia, "the daughter of her sworn enemy".
She was visited by the Witches Council, who were summoned to the school by Nan in the matter of Madison's disappearance. Cordelia and her sister witches are questioned on the matter. The head of the Council, Myrtle Snow, was convinced that Fiona murdered Madison to keep her from replacing Fiona. Cordelia defended her mother, telling the Council that Madison was not the next Supreme as she had a heart murmur, which contradicts the prerequisite of radiant health. She and Fiona exchange honest questions at a bar, but Fiona swears that she did not kill Madison. Fiona is obsessed with who the next Supreme is to be. In the restroom, Cordelia is accosted and has acid thrown in her face.
Cordelia is taken to a hospital and Fiona learns from one of the doctors that Cordelia is blinded by the sulfuric acid thrown in her face. Hank shows up and tells Cordelia that he will never leave her and touches her hand. This causes Cordelia to convulse with a vision of Hank's infidelity.
After being released from the hospital, Cordelia makes her way back to the home with slight help from Hank. As she enters the room, she complains about the flower arrangement. When Hank attempts to help her sit, she once again has a vision of the mysterious redhead. When questioning Hank about it, he was incapable of a coherent answer, and Cordelia forced him to leave.
While undressing, she seems to struggle, and Fiona tries to help her. Cordelia once again gets a vision, this time of Myrtle being burned. She is angered and hurt by this, and Fiona decides to leave her to grieve.
Feeling her way through her room, she bumps into a table, and struggles to take her medicine. She senses someone else in her room, and is frightened when she "sees" The Axeman at the foot of her bed. He presses her against the wall, demanding release, but she reveals she is incapable of doing so. She is chased around the room, and hides under a table. Zoe, Queenie and Nan attempt to help her, yet are unable to break into the room. They chant a spell, and The Axeman disappears. Cordelia is saved by the girls, and is comforted by them.
In the middle of the night, Hank attempts to call Cordelia, who hangs up on him. Cordelia touches Madison's arm while looking for Delphine at the academy and has visions of Madison's murder at the hands of Fiona. Later, she meets with Zoe and informs her that she is well aware of Zoe's new powers since she unleashed The Axeman into the new world, and that because of this, she will now be a target of Fiona. She tells Zoe that Fiona killed Madison so that she could get her life force and help her remain as the incumbent Supreme and that they have to work together to kill Fiona for good.
Cordelia orchestrates a plan to try to get Fiona to take her own life so a new Supreme (which they assume is Misty Day) will arise. The plan is thwarted because Fiona is saved by the ghost of Spalding. When Fiona goes next door to see Misty, Cordelia begins to follow, but then discovers a silver bullet, a type of weapon used by witch hunters.
In the morning, Fiona says how proud she is of Cordelia's initiative to try to save the coven. Cordelia shows the silver bullet to Fiona and expresses the need for Fiona now that they are under attack by witch hunters.
Cordelia's sight was restored by Myrtle Snow, though it resulted in her loss of the Sight. She began teaching Misty new potions when she was confronted by Hank, begging for reconciliation. She outright rejected him, telling him she was filing for divorce.
After Hank is killed following his attempt to murder Marie Laveau, Cordelia is distraught, believing she drove him to it. Marie reveals that Hank was a witch-hunter and Fiona berates Cordelia for endangering the coven by marrying him. After Nan is killed, Cordelia blinds herself to regain her foresight. After some practice, Cordelia has a vision of Fiona killing all the potential Supremes as well as Cordelia herself. Cordelia confronts the Axeman, informing him that Fiona plans to leave town without him after she kills the next Supreme. Cordelia also uses her vision to locate Misty Day, who was buried in a tomb by Madison. She recruits Queenie and they free Misty. Cordelia uses her powers on the Axeman to reveal that he has killed Fiona, and the entire coven kill him for his deed. With Fiona gone, she tells Misty, Queenie, Madison, and Zoe that they will have to try out the Seven Wonders in order to determine the next Supreme.
All four girls are able to pass telekinesis, and Concilium, but during Descensum, Misty Day fails to return to her body from Hell on time and Cordelia cries over the her inevitable death as a result of failing the test. After Zoe dies, Queen is unable to resurrect her while Madison refuses to revive the fallen witch.
To Cordelia's distress, Madison appears to be the next Supreme. Myrtle Snow convinces Cordelia to try the Seven Wonders, stating that she has much power and potential that was never achieved thanks to Fiona's treatment of her for years. Cordelia passes Pyrokinesis, Telekinesis, Concilium, Descensum, and Transmutation, leaving Divination (the one test Madison hasn't passed yet), and Vitalum Vitalis. Cordelia passes Divination while Madison fails. Afterwards, Cordelia resurrects Zoe, proving herself as the next Supreme, and her sight is restored after she passes all of the Seven Wonders.
Afterwards, Cordelia reveals to the media the existence of witches to inform witches of the Coven's existence and to be used as a safe haven. To Myrtle's insistence, she burns her at the stake for killing two council members. Cordelia confronts Fiona, who reveals that she created a false vision for Cordelia to read so she could find out who the next Supreme was and also revealing deep down she always knew Cordelia was the next Supreme since she was born. However, Fiona's disease has made her too weak to kill Cordelia and she begs for her daughter to kill her. Cordelia refuses, saying that Fiona needs to confront her mortality and embrace it. She and her mother hug as Fiona dies in her arms. Her mother's death causes Cordelia to become the next reigning Supreme.
Quotes
- To Misty Day
Your feet should be getting warmer.
- Cordelia Foxx: "Careful, girls, it's not a game."
- To Fiona Goode
Feel the fear and the pain, let it all in, and then let it all go.
Notes
- She is the third character to be portrayed by Sarah Paulson. The others are Billie Dean Howard
, Lana Winters , and Bette and Dot Tattler . - Cordelia is based on the youngest daughter of Shakespeare's King Lear. "I would read more into Lear than the Buffy spin-off," executive producer Tim Minear joked. He added, "I think some of the bigger themes this year is oppression of minorities of all kinds and within that idea, the idea of minority group going after each other and doing the work for the larger culture. There’s a very strong feminist there, there’s also themes of race and themes of oppression and a very strong theme of family, specifically mothers and daughters. Those are some of the things we’ll be exploring this year." [3]
- She is the only known Supreme to be related to another former Supreme by blood.
- It is unknown if the reason for her Supremacy was directly linked to her lineage. Fiona remarked upon feeling as if part of her power had been stolen upon Cordelia's birth and even knowing deep down, Cordelia was meant to be a Supreme, thus the reason Fiona always despised her.
Cordelia arguing with her husband
Gallery
- See also: Cordelia Foxx/Media
