AHS: FREAK SHOW Review - "Edward Mordrake Part 2" (SPOILERS)

Well, that was...twisted.

"Twisted" is definitely the word that comes to mind when summing up this week's episode of FREAK SHOW. Not only was it the second half of the show's annual Halloween two-parter, the show made some bold moves that will undoubtedly shape how the rest of this season turns out.

Let's start with perhaps the biggest twist...By the way, this is the part where I warn you once again of SPOILERS, so if you haven't watched this week's episode, STOP READING AND LOOK AWAY NOW.

(Awkward pause.)

Okay, are all our non-watchers gone? Good. Alright, so, big twist: Twisty the Clown is dead.

That's right: Our scary-as-hell antagonist has met his demise 4 episodes into the season, dead at the hands of carny spirit Edward Mordrake (played with just the right amount of British pomp by Wes Bentley). As carny lore has it, Mordrake can't leave our world until he adds another "true freak" to his collection, and Twisty proved to be the right--and extremely unexpected--choice. Of course, we had to get Twisty's origin story before Mordrake impaled him with his walking stick, a heartbreaking sequence that showed us Twisty wasn't born an outcast but made one by society. People see clowns and automatically turn the other way, fearful of someone who just wants to make people happy. The bottom half of Twisty's mouth managed to slip past his scary mask, also, getting way more screen-time this week than Sarah Paulson's two heads put together. I'll leave that little side to Twisty a surprise and not share a picture, but yes, it's gross, and yes, Twisty's story will get you in your feels. Unless you're like my friend Mr. Squidward.

But seriously, Twisty's death is a huge turning point for FREAK SHOW, one I didn't expect so early in the game. Prior to the season's start, Twisty had been carded as the main antagonist, so I pictured him holding that title at least until Episode 11 or 12, probably like many of you did. I think it was a pretty ballsy move on the writers' parts, and I applaud them for taking the risk. However, I imagine a lot of fans freaking out and thinking that without a main antagonist, the show will stall creatively.

But of course there's another antagonist in Jupiter. We knew it the second he slipped on that grimy half-smile mask...

...And we definitely knew it after he slit Patti LaBelle's throat and laughed about it.

(RIP Dora. We'll miss your sassy one-liners.)

So Dandy is officially Twisty 2.0. I'd actually argue he's the truly twisted one of the two, considering his psychological problems seem to go into way deeper and more disturbing territory than Twisty's ever did. Like I said in last week's post, I find Dandy to be such a fascinating character, and Finn Wittrock plays him so well. I can't wait to see his character progress and reach his full psychotic potential.

Did I really just write that? See what this show does to me? Anyway...

This episode felt like a finale in some ways, and not just due to Twisty dying. The scene with the citizens of Jupiter coming to the freak show, thanking Jimmy (Evan Peters) for saving the children Twisty had kidnapped, ending his reign of terror (or so they think) and seeming to accept the freaks in all their shapes and sizes felt like something we'd get at the end of the season. It was in this regard that the Twisty arc serves as the closing of a chapter for FREAK SHOW and brings us right into the beginning of a new one: We have Dandy as the new Twisty, and there is also the conflict with Stanley and Esmerelda, the "freak collectors" we met last week who are infiltrating Elsa's show as a con talent agent and fortune teller, respectively. There is also much we have yet to learn about Del (Michael Chiklis) and Desiree (Angela Bassett), and I know eventually Jimmy's going to find out that Del is his actual father.

I guess you could say that I'm in favor of the move to kill off Twisty. His storyline--capturing the young children, forcing them to watch his demented shows--didn't fit in as well with the main storyline at the freak show, and it honestly could've started to feel drawn-out if some actions weren't made to drive that arc. The creepiness that John Caroll Lynch brought to the role of Twisty was great, and Twisty definitely takes the cake for creepiest AHS icon, but I'm glad they ended it sooner rather than later. His absence will give us more time at the freak show (I hope), and also opens the door for Dandy Mott to unleash all hell on Jupiter. We saw Dandy interact with a few of the freaks this week (Jimmy and Esmerelda), and since Dandy wanted so much to be a part of their group, I hope he pays those red-and-white tents a visit in the near future.

Elsewhere on FREAK SHOW, Elsa was put in her place by Edward Mordrake:

In addition to Twisty's backstory, we all got a look into Elsa's life before the freak show in a series of flashbacks to a German sex chamber that involved toilet seats with spikes and a chainsaw to the legs. The sequence, learning how Elsa lost her legs, was both disturbing and tragic, and of course Jessica Lange acted the hell out of it. She pretty much locked herself a fourth consecutive Emmy nomination for the show with this episode--well, let's face it, she locked that in the moment it was announced she'd be back for Season 4.

My only gripes with this episode are that we didn't get much with the freaks, apart from Elsa, Jimmy, and Twisty. Bette and Dot had a brief scene at the end of the episode, Ethel was nowhere to be found (though last week's episode focused heavily on her, so that may be why), and then Del and Desiree made blink-and-you'll-miss-them cameos near the end. But leave it to Desiree to chew what little scenery she has:

#WeNeedMoreDesiree

Overall, I thought "Edward Mordrake Part 2" was a strong episode that pushed the show's narrative in a new, radical direction. Next week's episode seems to mark the beginning of a new era for FREAK SHOW, and I'm excited to see what we as the audience will get because of it. What about YOU? Were you a fan of Twisty's early demise, or do you think it'll do more harm to the show than good? Do you think #WeNeedMoreDesiree? Let me know what you think about all these questions, plus whatever else AHS-related you feel I should know about, below in the comments or get at me on Twitter, @DustinVann. Thanks for reading, and come back next week for an all-new review!

--Dustin (@DustinVann)

*All photos/GIFs found on Tumblr

Thoughts on AMERICAN HORROR STORY: FREAK SHOW (Mild Spoilers!)

It's that glorious time of year again. As you can probably tell from the title of this post, the time has once again come when Ryan Murphy and Co. has blessed us with another season of AMERICAN HORROR STORY. After months of anticipation (at least for me), the series' 4th incarnation, FREAK SHOW, premiered two weeks ago, and I am pleased to report that this freak show is well worth attending. Come for the conjoined twins and killer clowns; stay for Jessica Lange's flawless acting (and singing!).

FREAK SHOW centers on one of the last freak shows in America, located in the town of Jupiter, Florida. The ringleader of the show is Elsa Mars (Lange), who sees herself as the circus' star, despite her firm convictions she herself is not a freak. This is an interesting contradiction to see play out, and in Lange's extremely capable hands, Elsa becomes a beautiful mess of lost dreams and futile optimism. Plus, she puts on a damn good show (we'll get to that later), and has already had her share of memorable one-liners.

So basically, Jessica Lange is Queen of Everything. But we all knew that. Let's get to some of the season's other shining stars...

After a relatively quiet role in COVEN, Sarah Paulson, another AHS mainstay, has been thrust into the forefront with her dual roles as conjoined twins Bette and Dot. For some this may seem like a gimmick, or the visual effects may prove too distracting, but Paulson is so damn good I forget she's just one person. She plays sweet, naive Bette and the darker yet relatable Dot with ease, and her performance brings to light the fascinating, complex relationship between Siamese twins on a physical and mental level. We see in the first few episodes that Bette and Dot's talents are a threat to reigning queen Elsa's role as the star of the freak show, and I think Paulson has the potential to steal the spotlight this season if she keeps turning in spectacular performances (which of course she will). Part of me is also still pissed that she didn't win the Emmy for ASYLUM, so I'm hoping justice will be served this time around.

FREAK SHOW has gone for the slow-burn approach in terms of character introduction; we didn't meet the three-breasted hermaphrodite Desiree Dupree (Angela Bassett) and her strongman husband Del (AHS newcomer Michael Chiklis) until Episode 2, and this past Wednesday's episode introduced us to Emma Roberts and Denis O'Hare's con artists Esmerelda and Stanley, respectively. I appreciate this tactic as opposed to having the full ensemble introduced in the first episode, as we have been able to get to know these characters individually and not just as one "big group of freaks," so to speak. Elsa, Bette and Dot aside, Kathy Bates is endearing as bearded lady Ethel Darling, and I'm intrigued to learn more about Desiree and Del's past before coming to Elsa's freak show (and because I just love Angela Bassett). Then there's Dandy Mott, played by another AHS newcomer, Finn Wittrock. Of course, I knew Mr. Wittrock way back when he was Marnie Piper's boy-toy in the third Halloweentown movie.

(Not the best picture, but it was the best one I could find on Tumblr!)

But Wittrock has left Cody behind and has completely transformed into Dandy, a sweet boy who drinks alcohol from a baby bottle and is buddies with a killer clown.

Teetering on the brink of homicide, combined with the Norman Bates-on-crack relationship he has with his mother Gloria (played with twisted delight by the great Frances Conroy), Dandy is proving to be one of the most interesting characters this season, and Wittrock seems totally game to go there with his character. I can't wait to see where he ends up by time FREAK SHOW closes up shop.

Unlike last season, COVEN, which I loved but wasn't in love with, FREAK SHOW seems to be fully embracing the wide scope of its premise in a way that is entertaining and scary. COVEN was definitely light on the horror, but FREAK SHOW, just three episodes in, is bringing the terror to the forefront, thanks largely in part to this guy:

This is Twisty.

Not only is he a terrifying, murderous clown, but he has no qualms about being terrifying and murderous in broad daylight.

Don't let his charming gesture fool you; things don't end well for homegirl and her boo.

I've never been one that's had an extreme clown phobia--I've only seen bits and pieces of It, and my circus experience is limited--but I don't think a pre-phobia is necessary to confirm that Twisty is one scary dude. He may be the scariest icon in the AHS canon, right there with Bloody Face from ASYLUM. Not only does he do his bidding in broad daylight, but he also doesn't speak. This may have something to do with what's lurking behind that mask of his, which we got a glimpse of in Episode 2 (it wasn't pretty, folks), but I'm looking forward to learning more about Twisty. We're apparently getting treated to his backstory next week, and I can't wait to report my views on that little development next week!

I mentioned earlier that there were quite a few musical performances, and with this season being subtitled FREAK SHOW, a musical diddy or two is a give-in. But what is unique about these performances, besides their show-stopping delivery thanks to Lange and Paulson being amazing divas, they also take advantage of an under-utilized literary device called anachronism: Each performance features a song that was released way after the events of FREAK SHOW, which takes place in 1952. In the first three episodes, we've seen covers of David Bowie, Fiona Apple, and my personal favorite of the three, Lana Del Rey. Elsa/Jessica blessed the world with this diva-tastic rendition of "Gods and Monsters" on this past Wednesday's episode:



Only Jessica Lange could summon a murderous spirit with such class. And while these performances are not as #iconic as ASYLUM's "Name Game" performance, they are all fantastic.

As you can see, I've been making a lot of comparisons with ASYLUM when it comes to FREAK SHOW. ASYLUM remains my favorite season, but FREAK SHOW's tone very nearly dovetails ASYLUM's, and if it continues to be this consistently scary and entertaining, FREAK SHOW could very well snag the top spot in my heart. It's a huge feat to accomplish, but something tells me FREAK SHOW is up to the challenge of trying to steal my heart. Or have Twisty carve it out of me himself.

Before I stop my rambling, let me just say that I am making it my mission to remain consistent with this blog, and to do that, I will be back every week for the entirety of FREAK SHOW's run, writing and GIF-ing my thoughts on each episode. I hope you all come back, too, but until then, remember: #WirSindeAlleFreaks!

-- Dustin
@DustinVann