“The Freaks shall inherit the earth.”
Created by Brad Murphy and Brad Falchuk
Original air date October 8, 2014- January 21, 2015 for FX.
Streaming now on HULU.
American Horror Story: Freakshow was truly a difficult watch. Feeling exploitative from the start. AHS: Freakshow pulled no punches. However, we found this season lacking any real cohesion. Whereas previous seasons of American Horror Story missed so many opportunities, Freakshow was filled to the brim with fuckery that led down a path to nowhere.
Sarah Paulson returns for Freakshow as Bette and Dot Tattler, Siamese twin sisters raised in hiding, longing to enter into a life outside of their farmhouse. Evan Peters stars as Jimmy Darling, a young man known as The Lobster Boy, flexing his way into an unwelcoming world. Jimmy’s mother, Ethel Darling, is portrayed by the outstanding Kathy Bates, in her life she put her faith in just one person... can she still? Michael Chiklis (The Shield) joins the cast as Wendell “Dell” Toledo. Dell is a strong man with a serious temper, as being a closeted, married gay man in the 1950s could understandably result in a short fuse. Dell is married to Desiree Dupree, a three breasted hermaphrodite, masterfully played by the one and only Angela Bassett. Desiree finds out a truth that changes everything.
Jessica Lange plays Elsa Mars, the proprietress of the last remaining freakshow in the U.S., Ms. Elsa’s Cabinet of Curiosities. Ms. Elsa also fancies herself a star. Denis O’Hare returns as Stanley, a gay con man. Emma Roberts as Maggie Esmerelda, a “soothsayer," both entering the Cabinet of Curiosities with money on their minds and awful things planned for the freaks.
Francis Conroy also returns in all her glory as Gloria Mott, the obscenely wealthy mother of Dandy Mott. Dandy, Dandy, Dandy. Much can be said about this character, because Finn Wittrock nailed him. Dandy Mott and Ms. Mott’s storyline was the saving grace of AHS: Freakshow. The mother trying to handle her spoiled psychopathic man-child, said man-child looking for friends and love by any means. And Dandy Mott has endless means. Delivering a standout performance as Twisty the Clown, John Carroll Lynch (Zodiac) joins the cast as a homicidal killer clown befriended by Dandy Mott, forming a macabre dynamic duo of terror. Patti Labelle, the “Godmother of Soul”(like no joke, it’s HER!), guest stars as Dandy and Gloria’s maid, Dora Ross. Gabourey Sidibe also shows up again as Regina Ross, Dora’s determined daughter.
Just when we were checking out of AHS: Freakshow, this cast of miscreants would appear to our thunderous applause. We stuck this season out to see exactly how fucked up things around Dandy Mott and crew were gonna get. Ben Woolf* (Insidious) as Meep, Jyoti Amge (Body Shock; Ep. Two Foot Tall Teen) as Ma Petite, and Mat Fraser (Cast Offs on Channel Four, UK) as Paul the Illustrated Man cannot go without being mentioned here. All three give an impactful performance that is an accurate portrayal of what their day to day life is like. Well done. From the first moment the “freaks’ are seen, you may recognize Naomi Grossman (Rev's note: who we interviewed here!). You would probably remember her as Pepper in AHS: Asylum. This one fact alone intrigued us. Could it be? A connection in the American Horror Story franchise. We are beyond the moon to tell you, YES!! Lily Rabe surprises us as she reprises her role as Sister Mary Eunice McKee, a young, naive nun working at Briarcliff Sanitarium. Mare Winningham, as Pepper’s sister, Rita Gayheart, gives a jarringly real look into what life must have been like for a family dealing with such challenges during that era.
AHS: Freakshow is set during the 1950s. Whomever was in charge of choosing the music, as far as we are concerned, lost their damn minds. For a reason we cannot comprehend or see ANY value in, the choice was made to use Fame by David Bowie and Come As You Are by Nirvana. Why not use music true to the period, like Sentimental Journey by Wes Brown & Doris Day or I'm Beginning To See The Light by Duke Ellington & Ella Fitzgerald. Either of those songs would have been far more impactful. Patti LaBelle guest starred for gawd's sake.
Final Thought: There was so much going on in AHS: Freakshow that it was hard to get a read on the story itself. This entire season felt like watching a fever dream.
*September 15, 1980- February 23, 2015. Rest in love
