"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
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