TV Recap – American Horror Story: Freakshow ‘Monsters Among Us’
2 min read
This week American Horror Story returned to our screens for another season of sex, death and all-round scariness. The theme this season is Freakshow; set in 1952, a troupe of ‘curiosities’ arrive in town, coinciding with the strange emergence of a dark entity that savagely threatens the lives of townsfolk and freaks alike.
The first episode did a great job of establishing the 1950’s time period and, in true AHS fashion, dived straight into the weird and the unsual. The impeccable Jessica Lange returns as Elsa Mars, a wannabe star who never made it but still has high hopes. She rescues misfits like herself and gives them a home as well as a place in her show. This episode saw her acquire siamese twins Bette and Dot, portrayed by the exceptionally talented Sarah Paulson. Bette and Dot have extremely different personalities, and it’s fascinating to watch Paulson play the two.
Freakshow sees the return of many cast members from previous seasons. Evan Peters (who got more screen time in one episode than he did all last season) is Jimmy, a guy with webbed hands who basically prostitutes himself for a little extra money. His mother Ethel (Kathy Bates) is Elsa’s sidekick and the classic bearded lady. Naomi Grossman is back as Pepper – the first time the same character has appeared in multiple seasons of AHS – and Coven alumni Emma Roberts and Gabourey Sidibe will also be returning. With so many intriguing characters, it’ll be interesting to see how the writers balance character development alongside the thrills AHS is known for.
Okay, let’s talk about THAT clown: you know, the one killing people, abducting children and never talking (he’s been dubbed as ‘Twisty’). Obviously not associated with the freak show, no one really knows much about this guy except that he likes to sneak into peoples houses and stab them repeatedly in the middle of the night. However, I have a feeling our carny folks may be recieving a visit from Twisty soon, as he witnessed the freaks unleashing their own murderous rage on the police chief. Producer Ryan Murphy has said that he really wanted to get at people’s fear of clowns with this season; not only do I think he has succeeded, I think he’s probably caused a new phobia for many people.
The premiere of Freakshow demonstrates a lot of potential to become one of AHS’ best seasons yet (although it’s not that hard after Coven). So grab your popcorn, purchase your ticket and come on down for what’s sure to be one hell of a show over the next 12 weeks.
