AHS, why you so literal?!?
Let's get right to the eye-popping moment that started it all:
Too soon?
Ethel Darling. Ethel Freakin' Darling met her end, and at the hands of BFF Elsa, no less! In a clash of acting titans that involved heavily accented monologues, a gunshot to the prosthetic leg, and, as seen above, a well-aimed knife to the eyeball, both Jessica Lange and Kathy Bates gave it their Oscar-winners all before the first commercial break. Their confrontation was epic, badass, and heartbreaking to watch; knife-throwing and gun-slinging aside, we were witnessing the end of a friendship that seemed ultimately one-sided. All her life Elsa has starved for the spotlight, and her methodical, careless dispatching of Ethel (which continues in a bizarre yet slightly humorous sequence where Elsa and Stanley stage Ethel's death as a suicide) in order to keep her dark secrets quiet and pursue her dreams of stardom shows that she is the biggest freak living under the candy-striped tent.
And poor Kathy Bates. Can't a girl keep her head?
Like most other fans watching, I was not expecting Ethel's demise to come so soon, and especially not by murder. We learned in "Edward Mordrake Part 1" that Ethel was terminally ill, which lead me to believe she'd get a weep-fest sendoff near the end of the season. But her earlier-than-expected death really ups the ante, brings the conflict of Elsa's "fight" against the freaks to a higher simmer that's bound to boil over once the truth comes out. Because the truth has to come out, right? How long are Jimmy and the other freaks going to believe that Ethel tied a chain bound to a tree around her neck, went down on the gas, and drove until she decapitated herself?
As for my feelings toward Elsa...well, all I've got to say is:
And now, turning the corner to the other big, unexpected death of the night...
This one really made my jaw drop. How could Ryan Murphy kill off two acting queens in one night?!? But alas, he did the unthinkable, killing off wannabe-dame Gloria Mott, played to the dismal end with fabulous quirk by Dame Frances Conroy. Her killer? None other than the "love of her life," her son Dandy.
I've mentioned before how I find the relationship between Gloria and Dandy to be so disturbingly fascinating. The woman clearly knows her son is a psychopath, has witnessed him kill and helped him bury a body or two, and yet continues to live on as if nothing is wrong. Spoiled in the very worst sense of the word. This week, we learned what may be the cause of Dandy's homicidal tendencies and Gloria's blind eye when it comes to the subject--that is, if you believe Dandy's version of the truth. Turns out, Gloria was so desperate to maintain her lavish lifestyle that she married a wealthy second cousin, a case of inbreeding that Dandy is certain has made him the way he is. Gloria insists that she loves Dandy, "even the madness," and she would die if anything happened to him, to which Dandy replied with a simple "OK" before ending her life. Which brings us again to the lovely image at the start of this post.
So. Literal.
I'm sad to see Gloria (and Frances) go so soon, but much like Ethel, her death serves as not only a shocking blow but to up the stakes even more for the show. Dandy is officially untethered, free to engage in murderous mayhem without worrying about his over-bearing mother (not that her idea of "over-bearing" helped much). With Regina (Gabourey Sidibe) in town determined to find her missing mother and his supposed love for Dot, Dandy has a few loose ends he needs to tie up. I'll miss the Gloria-Dandy dynamic, but I'm looking forward to seeing what Dandy does once he emerges from that bathtub.
Elsewhere at the freak show, my dreams of more Desiree Dupree fully blossomed when Angela Bassett was finally give the tools--namely some tar and feathers--to become the full-fledged power diva she was meant to become this season. The death of her friend Ethel enraged Desiree, ignited some serious girl-power in her as she banded together with Amazon Eve, Legless Suzy, and Penny, candy-striper turned Lizard Girl, to take down Penny's cruel father for horribly disfiguring her in the previous episode. The ladies broke into his house, snatched him up, and subjected him to a new kind of torture, freak-style. Penny nearly got the justice she deserved but had a change of heart about killing Dear Old Dad (way to go, Emma Roberts). Nevertheless, I loved that Desiree and the girls took a stand against their oppressors, and more Desiree/Angela is a prayer answered by the AHS gods.
WORK.
Other quick quips...
* Evan Peters' acting during Ethel's funeral was raw and incredible. I was seriously getting Tate-like feels during that scene. Jimmy Darling is definitely Peters' best AHS character since Murder House.
* Where were Bette and Dot? Ethel mentioned she had hidden them away from Elsa, but they kind of fell off the tent after that. Will anyone find them? Well, someone must, given they were in the preview for next week. Right?
* The Roosevelt exchange between Gloria and Dandy was perfect. "How dare you mention that name in this house." LOL.
* Was the brief scene about how Elsa got her legs necessary? Maybe the fact that it featured a cameo by The Axeman, a.k.a Worst Subplot of Coven contributed to some of my distaste for this scene, but I felt it unnecessarily interrupted the momentum of Elsa and Ethel's showdown. But hey, at least it was brief, and here's hoping we don't see anymore of Axeman this season. (Literally knocks on wood).
But really, this episode was probably my favorite of FREAK SHOW so far. Ryan Murphy took some bold, creative risks with "Blood Bath", especially being so literal with that title. And also, the writer in me kind of geeks out when a show's creator writes an episode, so I was bound to gush over this installment even if it was bad.
What about you? How long do you think it'll take before the freaks figure out what really happened to Ethel? How much further can Dandy's freak flag fly? Will Bette and Dot ever be found? Feel free to let me know what you think, and thanks for reading!
--Dustin
@DustinVann
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