The freaks come out at night. The freaks come out at night. Well, except when there's a curfew in which case they'll do matinees. In Freakshow's second episode, the police have locked down the town at night. Apparently there's no CSI people around to explain to them that that murderous clown, played by the Zodiac killer John Carroll Lynch, has mostly been killing in broad daylight. Much scarier time for murders, I think we can all agree. Meanwhile more freaks arrive at Elsa's tent seeking employment (Hi, Angela and Angela's boobs... and I do mean plural), Bette and Dot's rivalry increases - they share the same body but not the same brain or talents, and Dandy and his mother Gloria meet Twisty the Clown to upsetting results. Neither of them are remotely scared of him which makes the scenes a strange mix of genuinely terrifying and hilarious.
More after the jump including Sarah Paulson dueting with Sarah Paulson on Fiona Apple's "Criminal"
First things first, I'm tempted to hand Sarah Paulson squared the MVP trophy again if only because it's so damn fun to watch her play each scene twice, and simultaneously. Last week the internet got weirdly obsessed with Jessica Lange's weakish cover of David Bowie's "Life on Mars" but this week, Elsa realizes that the Tattler Twins are way better singers than she is so art is imitating life because Paulson's musical number is great with solid lead vocals and shy haphazard harmonizing, all while juggling two different character arcs and an upcoming romantic arc AND the narrative jump which spurs Elsa towards action. Elsa is not happy that the twins have stolen her thunder and warns Bette about Dot's dark soul. This seems redundant since Dot did stab Bette in the first episode so surely Dot knows.
Such a classic song! I don't think Fiona Apple meant it quite this literally since Bette and Dot have been very very bad girls and don't just feel like but are criminals. Their mama has the stab wounds and toe tag to prove it. But in the end I had to hand the prize to another.
Episode MVP
Finn Wittrock as Dandy. Dandy and Gloria are already the comic highlights of the season. They have the best Art Direction (that mansion. the toy chest. a home puppet theater), the best props (that baby bottle as flask - LMAO), the best lines, and the funniest walks, Dandy stomping like a 5 year old brat, hands clenched to sides and Gloria bouncing out of rooms like she's living on an entirely different fairytale planet. Definitely not the planet where her baby boy is probably a serial killer in training.
Hats Off To...
The director of this episode Alfonso Gomez-Rejon. Is it just my imagination or does he have a way calmer eye than Ryan Murphy? Yes the canted angle madness is still there but it's less hyperactively edited and there are numerous gorgeously lit wide shots of the inside of tents with the characters arranged wonderfully to complete the colorful, odd, and frameable tableaus
Most Quotable / Best Line Readings
NEVER! Babies are more boring than anything."
-Dandy to his mother who wants grandchildren.I'm turning to dust from boredom."
-DandyYou can't live on sweets and Cognac. It's bad for the temperament."
-Gloria giving Dandy adviceYour silence is utterly provocative."
-Dandy to Twisty the Clown.
Movie & Pop Culture References: Yul Brynner and The King and I (nice touch given the unrelated 'all the way from Siam' business under the circus tent). The other actor reference is a bizarre delight. Gloria tries to convince her son Dandy to stay at home. "We'll play June Allyson paper dolls or whatever you'd like!" Hee hee. It's not quite "Balenciagaaaaaaaaa!!!!!" but it's absurdly funny and there's still several episodes left for Frances Conroy to top herself yet again. Where's her Emmy?!? Six nominations and no wins? That's not okay given the quality of her work on this series and previously on Six Feet Under.
Other Funniest Moment: Jessica Lange's response when she sees how low the Strong Man has billed her on the new poster ("He has to go.")
Best Entrance
Please tell me this is a rest stop."
That'd be the pan up on Angela Bassett who then throws immediate shade right and left. Beneath the superiority, though, she's as desperate as any of the freaks. I like the way she mixes in spousal backstory with her watchful eyes on the Strong Man. You know what's odd, though? Angela Bassett once famously thought Monster's Ball was racially uncomfortable, even offensive. And yet on AHS she's been playing crazy race-baiting parts (like last year's voodoo queen) and now this genderfuck madness, referring to herself as a "full blown hermaphrodite" and prompty bragging about her "three titties and a ding-a-ling" We're at a different point in her career but clearly she's not easily offended or worried about offending these days.
How does Ryan Murphy get actresses to consistently do and say these outre things?
Also introduced in this episode: Clara (Patti Labelle) who is Dandy & Gloria's personal chef and definitely hates Dandy, and The Strong Man (Michael Chiklis) who basically hates everyone and is (surprise) Jimmy's father and The Bearded Baltimore Accent's ex-boyfriend. We're still missing Emma Roberts and Denis O'Hare though among the principle cast
If you follow blood trails you die. DUH! Everyone but soon-to-be dead people know this
Body Count: 5 listed from most upsetting to least upsetting - the neighborhood cat (offscreen thank god), "Mr. Hanley" the toy shop owner, a bird the Meep eats (poor little birdie), a delivery boy (that's what you get for following blood trails in a horror movie/tv show, dumbass) and Meep himself (who the police murder to avenge hundreds of bird deaths. No, not really. They kill him as warning/threat to the freaks because they think the freaks killed one of their own. Which, to be fair, they did. It's kind of hard to sympathisize with anyone on this show, you know?)