We get a few more backstories this week, thanks to Edward Mordrake and his demon faces search for Americas Next Top Freak. A doctor took Suzis legs at age two after a spinal condition, and her parents abandoned her shortly thereafter. She ended up on the streets and, in an act of jealousy and hatred, she stabbed a dancing hobo in the leg. She hit an artery, and he bled to death. But he inspired her to perform, and she joined the circus. Paul was hated and abused at home, but he loved the cinema, so he came to the States, hoping to get into the movies. He landed during the Depression, was tired of being attacked, and hated himself. They wanted a monster, so he decided to give them one. Couldnt make the world love him, so he would make them fear him. He chickened out of getting his face tattooed because he knew he had a handsome face. This mug on a normal body, I could have ruled the world.
These stories do not appeal to Edward and his demon face. Next he goes to Elsa. Her story is set during the Weimar Republic days in Berlin. It is 1932, and the country is in sexual chaos, before Hitler could channel it into another war. Every deviance you can think of was for sale in Berlin: pregnant hookers, watersports, and all manner of BDSM. Elsa was unable to find work on the stage, so she became a dominatrix. She had a reputation for being something special and never let her clients touch her. She attracted an audience she called The Watchers, and true to their name, they would merely sit and watch her degrade other clients. I never knew their names, but they paid well. Ambition was Elsas downfall, and she started appearing in porno loops. The Watchers drugged her drink so that she was powerless but not unaware. Her co-star was a chainsaw, and they cut her legs off. She was one of the lucky ones because she was left to die. Luckily a soldier had become obsessed with her and followed her everywhere. As soon as the Watchers left, he rushed Elsa to the hospital and she was saved. Interestingly, Elsa refers to this as a snuff film, which I take exception to. First, if it were a true snuff film, the Watchers would have filmed until she died. Second, the term snuff film was not coined until 1972, when rumors circulated that the Manson family had filmed murders and buried the reels in the desert. Ed Sanders coined the term in his book on the Manson family. But I digress.
Elsas snuff film was passed around Germany, and rumor had it that even Hitler had seen it. She was a star – but it was all over for her. Edward and his demon face seem ready to accept her into their troupe, but before he can actually kill her, the demon face gets a whisper of another freak they need to interview. This would be Twisty the Clown.
Esmerelda and Jimmy are headed back to the carnival when his scooter runs out of gas. With no one on the road due to the curfew, they have no choice but to walk back, avoiding cops along the way. They stop when they see a girl run, screaming for help. She is closely followed by Twisty, who knocks her out and takes her back to his little camp. Jimmy goes to rescue her, Esmerelda close on his heels. They discover Twisty and Dandys horrifying carnival, are knocked out, tied up, and made part of the show. Jimmys unique hands make it easy for him to wiggle out of his bonds. He frees Esmerelda and encourages her and the kids to run. Dandy follows and quickly loses track, leading to a temper tantrum. Twisty returns to the camp site and Jimmy hides in the bus. He is there when Edward arrives to grill Twisty.
Twisty cannot talk, but Edward assures him if he focuses his mind, he will understand. Twisty was a happy circus clown, a bit slow (his mother dropped him on his head as a baby) but very popular. He hated the dwarfs – they always bullied and teased him. They started a rumor that Twisty was inappropriate with children, a claim he vehemently denied, but it didnt matter. Word got around and he couldnt find work as a clown. He returned home to Jupiter, but his mother was dead and he couldnt find work. He decided to turn garbage into toys, and took them to the toy store (the same one he attacked a few episodes ago). The owner wasnt interested, and it led to Twisty trashing the store and the owner accusing him of doing things to kids. Twisty went back to his bus in the woods and planned to kill himself. He couldnt even do that right, and blew off the bottom of his face. He had the idea to make a new mask for himself, and save kids from their mean parents, parents who make them do chores. He made a funny show for them, and got them a pretty baby sitter. Im a good clown.
This is the story that makes demon face weep. Edward stabs Twisty dead, then his other freaks gather around and take him off to their realm. Jimmy finds Twisty the Clown dead. Cops arrive and take statements from Esmerelda and Jimmy. The word hero is bandied about, and Esmerelda sees Jimmy as her white knight. Jimmy cant see past his anger about Meeps death and is still determined that someone will pay for it.
Esmerelda and Jimmy return to the freak show. Esmerelda is only too happy to announce that Jimmy caught the killer and saved the kids. She gives him a kiss on the cheek before skipping off to the bathroom. Jimmy tells Elsa that it was Edward who killed the killer clown, not himself. Elsa seems disappointed, but that wouldnt last long. Carloads of people arrive at the front gates of the carnival. All of them are here to thank Jimmy. The father of the most recently abducted child wanted to shake the hand of the man who saved his son and the town. He does not recoil from Jimmys disfigured grip. In fact, the entire town is grateful and gather around the freaks like they would anyone else. Its quite a nice scene, especially considering that before this, the townies treated the carnival performers as monsters. You can see a glimmer in Jimmys eye, that a normal life is possible.
Elsa invites everyone to buy a ticket for tonights show, and the show sells out. Esmereldas cohort, under the name Richard Spencer, shows up, disappointed that he cant get a ticket. He tells Elsa he is a talent scout from Hollywood, and she assures him she will find him a seat.
Before the cops could come, Dandy found his new friend dead. He took his mask and put it on, seemingly empowered by it. Sirens are heard in the distance and he makes a hasty retreat. Back at home, and wearing Twistys mask and clutching a knife, he confronts Dora. Dora yells at him, tries to make him take a tray to his mother, and reiterates that she isnt afraid of him. Dandy slits her throat and watches her bleed to death in the dining room. He takes off his mask and looks horrified – but only for a moment. Then the horror dissolves into maniacal giggles.
I liked this episode, but I fear that, as is the trend with AHS, it is all going to go downhill. They tend to be great up until about the fourth to sixth episode (usually the Halloween episode) then the whole thing falls apart. The preview for next weeks episode, with its seemingly random scenes of poisoned cupcakes, familial strife, a bathtub drowning, and Dandys new persona, supports this theme. It could just be the promo editors doing.
I am going to miss Twisty – he was a fucked-up son-of-a-bitch, and quite frankly, I didnt like his backstory. It made him more sympathetic, and less scary. I liked the idea that he was just pure evil. Of course, Dandy is picking up the mantle, and he is so obnoxious it is terrifying. He is unhinged in more ways than one, but I liked the unnatural, mysterious evil of Twisty.
