Come one, come all to the new weekly TV Recap of American Horror Story: Freak Show in which every Thursday I take a look at the latest happenings in Fraulein Elsa's Cabinet of Curiosities. What will the fourth season of Ryan Murphy's anthology series bring and what will we remember from this delightfully oddball group of characters? Join me as I look at the Top 5 Characters of the week, recap important events, and share overall thoughts on the series as well as any other interesting tidbits worth of mention.
Top 5 Characters of the Week
1. Dandy Mott (Finn Wittrock)
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| Finn Wittrock |
Importance: Following the death of Twisty the Clown and the murder of his maid, Dandy begins his quest to be the ultimate killer. Instead of donning the clown mask, he decides that the best approach is to become a super suave Patrick Bateman-esque killer who strikes with good looks as an actor. We learn that his father hung himself and his mother doesn't seem to care about the murder. However, his choice to murder people at gay clubs is particularly striking and confusing. However, it allows him to try out his new look and makes him into the strangest psychopath. I'm just glad that he ditched the clown outfit.
Best Scene: It is a painful one to watch, but his first murder with his new identity happens to a John whom he meets at a gay club. Things are going well until he asks the man to disrobe in the abandoned bus. From there, things begin to decay and soon the John ends up dead by Dandy's hand. It is a gruesome scene made worse by the man asking Dandy to just kill him, if just to escape misery. It is less sporadic and annoying than he was as a clown, but now his strange sense of class makes him a seriously disturbing threat, especially since his mother doesn't mind.
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| Denis O'Hare |
2. Stanley (Denis O'Hare)
Importance: When Maggie Esmerelda (Emma Robers) fails to do the trick, Stanley steps in to get some prized freaks for his exhibits. He has his hearts set on Bette and Dot Tatler (Sarah Paulson), whom he plans to poison with pink cupcakes. He also wants to get Elsa Mars (Jessica Lange) to go along while faking as a TV guy who will make her famous. He is conning them good, for the most part.
Best Scene: In a fantasy, the situation plays out in which Bette and Dot fall victim to a pink cupcake. It is a sadistic realization of what is to come from Stanley's time with them. While we don't see his final trap, we do get time for him to put on the salesman act long enough to win everyone over as Elsa's show collapses and the future of the business is brought into question. Overall, it is the haunting nature that works as a misdirect that makes the bit work all the more. Also, seeing the two headed woman in a tank at an exhibit is especially alarming.
3. Elsa Mars
Importance: The worst has happened for the show. Her performance bombs as people throw garbage at her. There is no hope for the show to maintain a popularity after an incident like that. She much make tough decisions as she watches the world crumble. She eventually decides to stop by Stanley's tent and have a quick conversation about being made a star. What exactly is to happen is unclear, but she is about to make a radical shift for the company.
Best Scene: In the moment of defeat, she decides that what needs to be done is to become pals with Stanley. With everyone excited about the potential about becoming a star, she puts on her best party dress and decides to have a meeting to him. Meanwhile, David Bowie's "Fame" plays in the background. In one incident, she manages to sell out the show in order to maintain any sort of revenue or acclaim. Coming off of a failed show, this is really all that she has. The implicit understanding by the audience makes the moment all the more unnerving.
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| Angela Bassett |
4. Desiree Dupree (Angela Bassett)
Importance: After trying to have sex with Jimmy "Lobster Boy" Darling (Evan Peters), she begins bleeding. A quick visit to the doctor reveals a whole lot about her condition. She had a miscarriage. She also has an irregularly large clitoris that can be surgically shrank. She decides to do it, which annoys Del Toledo (Michael Chiklis). What starts off as the end of the world ends up becoming a conflict for Del while Desiree tries to understand why it's a big deal.
Best Scene: Upon discovering that she is bleeding, Desiree goes to the hospital with Ethel Darling (Kathy Bates) and discovers all of the tragic news. It is alarming and strange, but makes her seem like less of a freak in reality. She decides to consider some life altering situations that may help to make her seem more normal and less interesting to Del. Who knew that slight body modifications could have such repercussions.
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| Michael Chiklis |
5. Del Toledo
Importance: After discovering that Desiree might have a surgical change, he decides to go missing for a few days. He is found in a bar having discussions of his frustrated self. He is developing an anger problem, and it may not be going too well for anyone who has to deal with it. He even goes so far as to break the doctor's hands in order to help him avoid giving her the proper surgery.
Best Scene: A frustrated Del finally decides to go after the doctor. While we have seen him attack people in flashback, he has been rather calm in the time afterwards. With a lot of other tragedies coming along, he manages to hold it together well. Then, there comes the breaking of the doctor's hands and it becomes disturbing again. It seems like the start of something far worse for Del. Who is he going to hurt next, and is he going to become an unstoppable force against the freaks?
Overall Thoughts
Well, the show has decided to go in a strange and questionable direction. The first four episodes are really strong and engrossing mixed bags of horror. I am really into how the show established itself while managing to reference a whole lot of different horror properties. I felt like it understood what it was doing. Then last week saw Twisty die and it changed how I saw the show. I became skeptical and I hope that it is a momentary bump. However, it seems like the series is entering a more unpleasant, dark later half. I don't know what exactly this will mean for my overall thoughts on the show, but it does seem like it will be coming quickly to attention.
However, the one positive is that Dandy is not a clown anymore. I like that it was an excuse for him to take on his own persona. I personally felt like he was annoying as a clown and felt like a forced identity. To know that the Motts have a disturbing past helps to make his new, suave personality a lot more acceptable. Even then, there's the fact that him killing a random guy leads to a lot of more gruesome moments in the episode. It's not a very optimistic outing for American Horror Story, and I am not entirely sure how to feel about it. It is striving for something creepier than jump scares or the initial strange set pieces. I also don't know if I can watch Dandy methodically kill random people like this.
However, it does raise an interesting idea of what is to happen. Will Del interfere and kill everyone in his path due to anger problems? Admittedly, it seems stupid to get that upset over a minor difference. Then there's Elsa, who takes Bette and Dot to the Mott house at the end of the episode and raises the question of what is to happen next. How will Dandy take to seeing the freak that he loved at the circus now that he has been rejected by them? Also, I am sure that this isn't the end of Stanley's little adventure. Something else will happen.
However, I do feel like this is the end of the freak show performance, at least for the near future. Elsa has made up her mind, and it is best to start pawning everyone off for attention. She cannot handle the feeling of failure, so she has compensated in desperate measures. I don't know what it means, but I am sure that somebody is going to die next week. Hopefully the show will manage to work out its strange kinks in the process. The sexuality was a weird touch that was at times campy and others horrifying. The show is still throwing everything at the screen, and it works for me a little bit.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
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