“American Horror Story: Freak Show” Episode 4.12 – “Show Stoppers.” Starring Jessica Lange, Evan Peters, Emma Roberts, Neil Patrick Harris, and the Ghost of Tod Browning; Written by Jessica Scharzer; Directed by Loni Peristere.
Step right up, step right up! Spin the AHS Wheel of Fortune! Where will she land? Will the gods smile down and land you on a great, well written episode with laughs and shocks, or will those spiteful Fates send you to Eyeroll Limbo where you’ll while the eternity away wishing you were watching “Hawaii 5-0”?
Well, a little bit of both, honestly.But that Hawaii 5-0 thing was a lie, I’ve never seen that show. This was truly the most fun I’ve had watching AHS all season, and probably in the last two seasons together. Thanks for waiting until the penultimate episode to be awesome, show. Sheesh. I really don’t think there was any plot payoff, but some of the devices that have been used through the season got to show off, and then some shit just got weird, and then I got real suspicious that I’ma be wildly pissed off next week at 11-ish when the finale ends.
The opening shot was a direct “Freaks” rip off. That’s maybe a poor word choice, but it was literally shot for shot at many points during the scene. But’s it’s cool, for a couple of reasons. First – this is a great example of evidence that there is in fact some real planning done in the writers’ room. There have been plenty of examples peppered throughout the season of homage to classic horror, usually the way a shot is framed and not an entire scene, but it still works. And secondly I’m just really glad that the creators knew they had better pay tribute to the All Father of circus performer tales. You can’t tell a story about freaks while casting real “freaks” without a shout out to Browning – he got shit done so that Jim Rose and his contortionist could make me pass out at the Newport Music Hall in 1996. And also so this show could happen.
Danny Huston returned as gifted prostheticist Massimo Dolceblahblah. Man. He’s gotten some pretty dumb roles in this show, but the chemistry between Huston and Lange is perfection. And I think the chemistry is even more impressive when the crap roles are taken into account. Anyway, Massimo constructed Jimmy some wooden dildohands, which was probably supposed to be this epiphanous moment, but it wasn’t. It was just Jimmy pausing for a big reveal of his new hands and then lifting the wooden dildos into the frame. Whatever.
But of more interest is the fact that Massimo Dolceblerbler fell in love with Elsa and tracked down her assailants. Sadly, he was never able to catch up with the young Hans Gruper, and when he lost Elsa to the winds of time, he lost the ability to love. That particular reveal was STUPID, but of course we all remember that Hans Gruper was the real name of one Dr. Arden of the Briarcliffe Asylum. And hoo hoo – that was some good casting for young Hans, because before the name was ever uttered I loudly shouted to no one “HEY THAT’S ARDEN!” And then got really squinty and pre-pissed because I am increasingly sure this is going to be a big bullshit finale that prequels “Asylum” somehow.
There were actually quite a few notable events this week. In the aforementioned “Freaks” open, the company attacked murderous Stanley McGiantPeen and transformed him into one of them (get it?). Dot and Bette had sex with Chester, which, just, hm. That was awkward. The Dot and Bette makeup/effect didn’t really move and it just… didn’t work. Chester in turn murdered Margery because he realized she’s been holding him back and then turned himself into the police. With Chester out of the picture and a whole gaggle of performers after her head for murdering Ethel, Elsa high tails it out of Jupiter, but not before selling the show to Dandy.
Before his Margery incident, Chester tried to test his hand at running the show. Dot and Bette (with a little nudge from Dandy) became suspicious of Chester’s mental status and refused to be his assistants, so Maggie, eager to prove herself after her origin story came out, volunteered. Faux pas, blondie. Faux pas.
Chester sawed her in half. Like, literally. It was probably the grosses thing I’ve ever seen on television in the best possible ways. The visuals were gross, the sound effects were nauseating, but the cap – the grand Guignol finale of it all, was Neil Patrick Harris’s performance.
You guys. That “ta-da” he unleashed has been giving me the breath of life all day. I don’t even care how horribly unstable it makes me sound, it was hilarious. I am left wondering if the humor was intentional, and also if it was a directorial decision or if Harris came up with that one on his own. It was perfection.
So there’s one episode left. Yet again I’m tempted to go back and look for clues, but again I will probably watch Willam Belli videos on youtube instead. And as I am admittedly terrible at theorizing it would likely be for naught. As it stands, I’m going with an “Asylum” tie in as “the point of it all.” That, or Dylan McDermott’s gonna step out of a shower and tell Victoria Principal that he had a weird dream and I will put a fist through my television.
What say you? Thoughts, theories, any great movie cinematography shout outs that I missed? Sound off below, and see you next week.
Do you think we should get loaded for the finale?