Spoiler Alert! FREAK SHOW Might Just Be Best AMERICAN HORROR STORY Yet

By: Matt Tamanini Oct. 08, 2014

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NOTE TO READER: This is not a recap, instead my Spoiler Alert! columns will serve as a more in depth critical review of specific episodes and shows as a whole. I always invite your participation in the discussion, so please feel free to leave comments below, or to reach out on Twitter @BWWMatt, just do me a favor and keep it civil, ok? Fräulein Elsa would want it that way.

When I was a kid, my parents never let me go to any of the traveling carnivals and circuses that crisscrossed the Midwest. They were afraid that the Ferris Wheels, Roller Coasters, and Tilt-a-Whirls that were hastily assembled in rundown shopping center parking lots weren't safe, and that if I was to climb into one of the rides, I could become the victim of a terrible tragedy. Having watched the two hour premiere of AMERICAN HORROR STORY: FREAK SHOW, I now think that my parents significantly underestimated just how dangerous those wayfaring fairs actually were.

Directed by Ryan Murphy, and written by Murphy and his series co-creator Brad Falchuk, the opening hour and a half of the fourth entry in this groundbreaking anthology series is just about as terrifying as television gets. Over the first three seasons, Murphy and company have taken classic American horror tropes and repackaged them into intense, while still frightening, character studies. However, the first episode of this new iteration promises that FREAK SHOW just might be the most horrific of all.

This season is set to play on a number of innate fears that many people share; the fear of those who are different than us, and the fear of clowns. The performers in Fräulein Elsa's Cabinet of Curiosities include many of Murphy's familiar repertory cast (Jessica Lange, Evan Peters, Kathy Bates, Angela Bassett, Emma Roberts, etc.), but others in the cast are actors who have some sort of abnormality that, in a cruder time, might have labeled them a freak. From the "World's Smallest Woman" Jyoti Amge as Ma Petite, to the "World's Tallest Model" Erika Ervin as Amazon Eve, to Mat Fraser as Paul the Illustrated Seal, to Rose Siggins as Legless Suzi. Though, of course, their inclusion in the cast is partially meant to shock viewers, it also adds a level of realism to the otherwise fantastical story.

Though it probably will be lost in the much deserved adoration of the style and performances in the premiere, also notable is Murphy's deft touch to remind us that these "freaks" are not here for our ridicule, and that they actually are still human beings. While it might sound "GLEE-che" of me, he creates small, touching moments to remind us that these individuals deserve respect, and a life that the cruel world often denies them, especially in 1952 Jupiter, Florida. The "revolution" spearheaded by Evan Peters' "Lobster Boy" was one of the most interesting elements of the first episode. I am excited to see where this homicidal insurgency goes; and it should let me make a few LES MISERABLES jokes along the way.

As for the performances from the premiere, though it seems ludicrous to suggest that Sarah Paulson could be the breakout star of this season, given her three Emmy, two Golden Globe, and one SAG Award nominations, but her work in tonight's episode was so captivating, that I am tempted to give her this year's Emmy right now. Though the conjoined twins that she plays, Bette and Dot, share one bladder, three kidneys, four lungs, two hearts, and a circulatory system, their faces, personalities, and thoughts make it clear that they are indeed two very different people. She plays both the sweet and naïve as well as the jaded and self-righteous. This should be quite the journey with Tattler sisters this season.

As much as she has been in every other season, Jessica Lange is a mesmerizing force as Fräulein Elsa Mars. Though her German accent was a little tough to distinguish at first, she slings the harsh dialect around like a broadsword cutting anyone down who stands in her way. This is one of many traits that Elsa has in common with Lange's previous AHS characters. While I have loved seeing her play these manipulative, domineering women, they all seem like a variation on a theme; the same character reincarnated into different times and places. Though the season is only an hour and a half old, I was hoping that we would see something unlike what we've seen before from this incredible actress, especially since there are increasing rumors that this will be her last season with the show.

While Ryan Murphy has a somewhat mixed reputation in Hollywood, this episode reminded me of just how powerful his direction can be. From the constant underscoring of unsettling music, to the unusual camera angles, his subtle touches kept me on edge from start to finish; and that's not even talking about the most disturbing opening credits in television history. The harsh soundtrack includes an unnerving use of a cuckoo clock, SWEENEY TOOD-esq screeches, the constant sound of crickets, and unsettlingly slow versions of carousel music. If the show itself wasn't going to keep me up tonight, the music surely would have.

Ok, have you noticed that I put off talking about Twisty the Clown until the end? Seriously, what is up with that guy? With a face that looks like it has been half-ripped off, to his severely soiled costume, to the most terrifying grin in the history of the world, clearly this clown ain't Bozo; heck even Krusty and Pennywise don't have anything on him. I've never really suffered from coulrophobia (yes I looked that up), but after a couple more mutilations at the hands of John Carroll Lynch's Twisty, I might need to seek some counseling.

Things That Make You Go Hmmmm...
1) It wasn't until after her opium bender that I actually recognized Grace Gummer. Gosh I love me some baby Streep.
2) New Rule: All characters named Elsa who sing, can only do so to songs by Robert and Kristen Anderson-Lopez.
3) With Lea Michele and Neil Patrick Harris both reportedly getting guest spots this season, what do we have to do to get Tim Curry a role as a sweet transvestite killer clown?
4) Pepper! It's Pepper; and she has a brother/lover/male doppelgänger. Yes, it was widely known that the ASYLUM alum would be appearing in this season, which takes place 12 years before the craziness at Briarcliff, but it is still cool to see her.
5) It's a crime that Jessica Lange never played Sally Bowles.

Quotes of the Night
1) "Has anyone tasted your cherry pie?": Jessica Lange's Elsa asking about Bette and Dot's sexual history in the most creeptastic way possible.
2) "But no flipper action.": Kathy Bates' Ethel telling her "Lobster Boy" son Jimmy (Evan Peters) not to dip his lobster hands in the Tattlers' cherry pie.

Ok, so, on a scale from 1 to turning on all the lights, hiding under the covers, and calling your mom "just to say hi," how freaked out by AMERICAN HORROR STORY: FREAK SHOW were you? As long as I don't have to resort to wearing Depends to watch the show, I will be back after every episode this season with a review of what happened. I hope you will join me, fellow freaks.

So, are you going to be joining the FREAK SHOW this season? Let me know what you think in the comments below, or on Twitter @BWWMatt. Also, don't forget to follow @BWWTVWorld on Twitter and Like us on Facebook for all of the latest TV news, reviews, and recaps.

Check out a sneak peek at next week's episode titled "Massacres and Matinees":

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