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.
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
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