“American Horror Story: Freak Show” Episode 4.11, “Magical Thinking.” Written by Jennifer Salt; Directed by Michael Goi; Starring Jessica Lange, Evan Peters, Sarah Poulson, Jamie Brewer, and Neil Patrick Harris.
Why did no one tell me this season was supposed to be a comedy? I really feel like I would have been enjoying the series so much more had I known to look for the humor that was so very evident in “Magical Thinking.” As it stands, this review could easily consist of naught but “WHUT.” gifs and pictures of a laughing Fire Marshall Bill.
Yeah, I’m being a wee bit facetious, but I’m completely genuine when I say that this shit was hilarious. Oh my god. I think we’ve reached that point in the season when I can’t even try to make sense of what’s going on, so I’ll share a brief recap and then some liveblog bullet points. There are spoilers all nilly willy herein.
We open with Stanley serving up some ipecac to an incarcerated Jimmy. Once the vomiting commenced, Stanley was able to weasel Jimmy out of jail and whisk him to a hospital. It was there that the dildohands were removed, as Stanley promised he would fetch a pretty penny and Jimmy could then hire a lawyer to free him of the Dildo Party Murder charges. Turns out only half of that was true.
Meanwhile, Elsa is preparing to leave her children behind and travel west to gain fame and fortune. And even though she has done nothing but talk about how important her freaks are, she decides to sell the freak show to a total stranger (Neil Patrick Harris) instead of her children. Chester, said stranger, is really into magic and ventriliquy. More on that later.
Dot and Bette are secure with themselves and content with their home at the carnival and have decided to bestow upon one lucky gentleman their womanly flower. Naturally, they’re having auditions.
And our last “plot” point involves Del and Eve bustin’ Jimmy out of the pokey and killin’ some cops.
Where’s is all going? What does it all mean? Who among us is still invested?
- Neil Patrick Harris is a delight. I bet all those magic tricks are really magic tricks and not TV magic. A delight, I tell you.
- You know, the bonding between Del and Jimmy is a prime example of this show not letting us think about things other than “why the shit is she singing a David Bowie song?” Del’s revelation that he had never fed his own son would have been such a powerhouse of a moment if the viewer had been left to realize it on her own. But instead, we’re spoon fed sympathy for the self-loathing misogynistic murderer. Which, by the way, I ain’t drinking that Kool-Aid. Del has done nothing to deserve forgiveness other than be nice to his son. And if I may paraphrase Chris Rock, you don’t get a cookie for doing what you’re supposed to do. And because of that, I felt absolutely nothing when Elsa shot him in the back of the head.
- Sweet Screenwriting 101, why is that dummy randomly wooden and randomly human? There’s no- just – oh my god. She’s human when she’s alone for Chester and wooden in front of strangers? Sure. I get it. It’s trite as hell and serves NO PURPOSE but at least it makes sense within its own little worn out device. But NOPE. Not on AHS, friends and neighbors. Sometimes Chester’s going to see a doll in front of him, and sometimes he’ll see Jamie Brewer in a fright wig and some pancake makeup. I’m so pissed off at this show right now.
- Not even exaggerating: Neil Patrick Harris watching two lesbians do lesbian stuff while he smokes a cigarette with a wooden dummy on the knee of his army dress uniform is the funniest fucking thing I have ever seen on this show. I had to pause it. I had to pause, collect myself, rewind and lose it all over again, pause, and continue. What did this… Why… What is going on?!!? OK. Chester went to war and came home to find his wife had fallen in love with a woman. So, you know, he stayed. And got a puppet. And then he started hallucinating that the puppet talks, and theeeeen he hallucinated that the puppet killed his wife and her lover with a hammer. Or did he? I think maybe we’re supposed to wonder if the puppet really does come to life and do some Twilight Zone shit, but as I mentioned before, I am fresh out of craps to give.
- Oh, and bang up job representing homosexuals as something other than asshole-y horrible people. /sarcasm
- Meanwhile, Amazon Even appearing out of the dark to lob a projectile through the windshield of a paddy wagon was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen on the show. It was the best kind of shot; one that took careful considerations, probably like some math, and preternatural timing, but came off as just a cool camera angle. Does anyone else think that part of this scene might have been a nod to “Irreversible”? I kind of hope not. While I enjoyed all the homage I’ve caught so far in the season, I feel like a nod to that particular flick would be tacky. Mostly because AHS is a poor imitation of the true horror of that movie. And now I’ve realized this is not the first time I’ve mentioned “Irreversible” this season, so maybe there are some clues to be found?
- Oh man. I really wish that puppet looked and sounded like Madame.
- And lastly, can someone please explain to me why Dandy is wearing his pimply furs at a swamp-adjacent carnival in Florida? Why does he even own a fur? Because he can?
Welp, two episodes left. I guess if there is indeed a point we will be arriving shortly. I can promise you this: if this turns out to be Sister Jude’s catatonic fever dream, I will likely have a stroke.