Again this week, I’ve broken down my recap to help understand what is happening with each character and how they are developing. Enjoy.
The music of AHS is enough to scare the skin right off my eye balls. I like how they’ve changed the sound of the intro music, yet it’s still the same. As far as the other music goes, my wife and I have differing opinions on the musical aspect of the show this year. I like the modern songs being recreated to help carry the story along. I don’t think it’s necessary per say, but I like the artistic part of it. My wife is more of a concrete thinker, so she would actually like for those songs to be from the same era. I’d be fine with either way honestly. After the recap, feel free to leave your comments below and let us know what you think.
The Doctor and his Accomplice-
This week’s episode opens with the debut of The Con Artist(Dennis O’Hare) and his accomplice (Emma Roberts), and after visiting the eerie Morbidity Museum with a failed attempt at creating a baby sasquatch specimen, he’s informed of what the cost of the first conjoined twins’ liver is worth. They talk with the employee there about where they found the liver, and she mentioned that their exhibits come from all over. Further conversation reveals that she would pay a high price if he brought in a real specimen. They found out that it may be possible to find an oddity at freak shows, which are still existent in Florida. With money in their eyes, they make their way to down south to find their “cash cow”. Luckily for them, they find their way to Elsa Mars’ door steps and put together a plan to get in. His accomplice takes on the role of Esmerelda The Fortune Teller (Ema Roberts) as a way to work herself into the freak show, and after giving Elsa Mars a convincing private performance, she is thrown in the show with the rest of them. She quickly realizes how hard it’s going to be to keep face with the group, as she is extremely uncomfortable around everyone. After a call to her partner in crime her worries are set aside, momentarily. Apparently the Con may be headed for the freak show himself, as it is revealed he has a third leg (it’s not a leg if you know what I mean). It immediately had me thinking about how he was portrayed as a doctor in the first scene, and how his side show name could be Doctor Dong. Just saying.
Twisty-
Twisty you mother creeper you. He doesn’t even have to make a move and the guy is bone chilling. We find him roaming the streets in a friendly neighborhood on Halloween creepin’ on little kids. He’s snatchin’ someone new up left and right each week. I’m now sure what the body count is up to now with twisty, but I think it has to be around 9 people so far. At this rate we might have 30 dead with about 10 captured. Hide your kids, hide your wife, cause Twisty’s gonna take you out a window.
Bearded Lady –
After years of drinking, the lady with the bearded face is diagnosed with cirosis of the liver. Her end is near (which her scene is so brutal) and brings about a true look at how nasty humans can treat each other as she admits that if she had met a doctor that didn’t treat her like a freak she might have had more time. She immediately begins hitting the bottle again, which tells us she doesn’t give a crap about that hope speech she got from the friendly doctor.
Jimmy and the Gang-
Everyone is having a Halloween party right after the burial of our homie Meep(they actually poured one out for him at his burial), everyone except for Jimmy. While the site of the party upsets the Twins and Jimmy, there is some reasoning behind it. The bearded lady joins them after her news about her health and what will be her death, and while taking back a few drinks, the twins are trying to rehearse for a show. She explains to them that freaks don’t perform on Halloween night because of the tale of Edward Mordrake.
The Story of Edward Mordrake: Edward Mordrake was a 19th century performer, but not originally. He was born with a face on the back of his head, and while it could only make facial expressions, it was said that at night it would whisper ungodly things to Mordrake in his sleep. After many failed attempts at trying to kill the face on the back of his head, he eventually went insane from its constant whisperings to him and was sent to an asylum. At some point, Mordrake has enough of the asylum and breaks out only to join a side show act. One Halloween night, after his performance, the face on the back of his head convinces him to kill everyone in the side show including his self. The superstition among freaks is that if any freak performs on Halloween night, than Mordrake and his lovely two face will return seeking for another act for his eternal side show.
Dandy and Mommy-
Mother is in her smothering ways again and after giving Dandy a lovely handmade Howdy Dudy outfit, another titty baby outburst is had. A slight confrontation with the made sends him further into his rage. Immediately he’s seen cutting up a new costume, which we can assume is a clown costume. Sure enough he shows up again dressed like a guy out of clock-work orange, and after grabbing the sharpest butter knife I’ve ever seen, approaches the maid Dora(played by Patty Labelle) in an attempt to kill her. Dora is obviously the dose of reality that Dandy needs. She stands up to him, even with him wielding his shiny butter knife. I love Patty Labelle.
The Twins-
We realize how dark and selfish the mind of Dot is as we are brought into a dream of hers. In the dream she is on an operating table with a nurse prepping the twins body for what appears to be the removal of Beth. In the dream Beth is begging the nurse and doctor for them to no perform the operation. Her please go unanswered and as the operation begins Beth wakes Dot from her sleep. For me once they awake, we realize that they share the dream and it is not just Dot’s. We also realize that she plans to save her money, and have the surgery in real life. This shows you how naïve and ignorant the Dot is, simply because she doesn’t realize they will probably both die if that surgery happens. We also see exclamation points to the twins’ characters, Dot is a selfish heartless person with goals in mind, and Beth is a warm, life loving, being. They need each other not only to live, but to balance out their personality. I just question who controls the legs, because if I was Beth I would not be walking my leg anywhere to perform to make more money for Dot’s planned surgery.
Elsa Mars-
I think Elsa is such an interesting character. She’s someone who longs for the applause of many, and longs to be special, yet she is a no one and surrounded by special people. Esmerelda fools Elsa by reading her fortune which is all about being a star and how a special visitor will be coming to give her career a much needed boost. Against the better judgement of the other carnie’s, Elsa performs yet another top ten pop number, and low and behold Edward Mordrake appears. You’ve just opened a can of worms Elsa. A can of worms.
Strong Man and Breasted Lady-
Trouble in paradise and the strong man can seem to stand up if you know what I mean. We don’t see much else of them in this episode except for a back story on the Strong Man and his terrible ways from the bearded lady.
Edward Mordrake-
First, let me say, I like how they have him looking like Doctor Jekyl and Mr. Hyde. I think that’s a smart take on him. I wouldn’t say that this character is a much needed boost of horror to the show, but it’s definitely a welcomed one. After his brief appearance in front of Elsa Mars, he vanishes to the tent of the bearded lady where she is forced to tell stories of her past. Mordrake basically holds an interview with the freaks of the show in hopes of finding the “purest” of freaks. What rules does he have on what makes a freak pure? I have no idea, but the scene with him interviewing the bearded lady was very intense. During this, we also got more history on the Bearded Lady and The Strong Man, and we realize how broken Ethel is. After hearing her story, Mordrake and his band of ghouls take pitty on her and move to the next tent.
This episode ends with Dandy visiting the bus of Twisty and trying to torture his captives. Twisty shows back up with a fresh captive for his lovely games, and we are left with Dandy exclaiming “You’ve brought more fun!”
What was your favorite part of this week’s episode?
Did you enjoy the Edward Mordrake story?
How do you feel about the musical aspect of the show this year? And do you like they are using songs from a different era each week?