Finally, American Horror Story ended its Freak Show last Wednesday on FX and I must say I was quite relieved, it was a really good episode, a nice conclusion to the season.
Still, I didn't enjoy every parts of it, just like for the rest of the season. Freak Show has been the weakest season so far IMO. It wasn’t all bad, the season had its ups, but it had way too many downs. It felt like the story never really took off, I have greatly missed the fast pacing and the twists AHS has used us to. Those two elements always have been a part of AHS, and of its success. That’s one of the reason I love AHS so much, and missing that made this season more flat than the others.
Honestly, the season finale was very good, one of the best episodes of the season.
But comparing to the others finales, it was the weakest one. Murder House and Asylum were surprising finales, totally different from the other episodes of the season and last year, the quest for the Supreme was fun and exciting. Watching Dandy die and Elsa hated living her dream, basically killing herself to find her freaks family in some happy afterlife was good, but not that surprising or exciting. Dandy’s massacre was thrilling but yet something was off.
The main problem of Freak Show was its characters. They were very promising characters when introduced in the premiere but it turned out they never really evolved. They made the story go on but I found it very hard to get attached to them. They were whether too pathetic or too selfish to truly care and root for them. They had their moments, but in overall, they weren't great characters, compared to past seasons. Except for Desiree, she is just the highlight of the season. I’m sure I wouldn’t have enjoyed the season as much without her. Angela Bassett was just extraordinary. I was so relieved Desiree didn’t get killed !
The main problem with Dandy as character, apart from being a whiny sociopath, was he never really had been a threat to the Freaks. For the whole season, we have watched him revealed his true nature. He killed his maid and then his mother so he could finally become the killer he always wanted to be. He threatened the Freaks but never hurt them (he almost chopped off Maggie, but Chester finished it for him). I wish he had been more dangerous, more present at the show. His final death would have made a stronger impact.
Because in “Curtain Call”, Dandy took over the show, but being an arrogant brat, the Freaks hated him and decided to quit. So he killed them all (it was quite shocking and sad to watch them being executed like that so coldly... yet more blood and gore would have been great). Desiree was the only one to survive the massacre. I really hoped for Eve to kill Dandy. I think her death saddened me the most. I will miss you Erika Ervin (please come back next year !). Jimmy also survived the massacre, because he wasn’t actually there when it happened. It was so heart breaking when Desiree and Jimmy cried in each other arms surrounded by all their dead family. And Dandy finally got his girls : Bette and Dot.
Dandy spared their lives so he could marry Bette, and Dot. He truly believed in her love, oh so naive from him. I could not believe Dot would let Bette marry that man for a second. It was of course a set up to kill him. Desiree, as a maid and Jimmy as a butler drugged Dandy and put him in the Houdini escape cage. Well done freaks !
They had to avenge their family. Watching Dandy crying, begging didn’t touch me at all. He was still whining even before dying. He totally deserved what happened to me. It was actually fun to watch them all eat pop corn and smile while he drowned to death.
So, the show was over and the few remaining freaks lived a nice normal live afterwards. I was so glad Desiree got her happy ending, living her dream, with her man and children. She deserved it, even tough I'd love watching her run her own freak show. She would have been so badass. Jimmy and Bette and Dot also formed a family, they were even pregnant. It was a good and rational idea from the girls to get married to Dandy before his death. They were living comfortably despite being freaks in the 60's.
Elsa Mars also got to live her dream finally. She became the television star she wanted to be, the star of her own show, watched and loved by millions of people in America. She even found a husband, with who she met in a very Hollywood way. I'm always amazed how Jessica Lange can give me shiver and make me cry just with her voice and her eyes.
Despite having everything she ever dreamed of, Elsa wasn’t satisfied. She was still bitchy and bossing people around. Elsa could never be satisfied. When she first arrived in a Freak Show in America, she wanted to be the main star. She finally had her own Freak Show, but that wasn’t enough. She wanted more, she wanted to be a celebrity. So, she became that celebrity, she won 3 emmys and it wasn’t enough…. Honestly, it made it really hard for me to care for Elsa. I adore Jessica Lange, and her performance is perfect. But, I’ve never got attached to Elsa. It saddened and touched me to learn what she went through in Germany, still I couldn’t forgive her actions. She was a terrible boss and human being at the show, she never truly cared for her freaks, she cared for them because they loved her, saw her as their savior… until they get a real taste of Elsa Mars. And as a televisions tar, she was as horrible, especially to her husband.
Elsa was bored in her new life, so she reached to her former flame : Massimo. Their lunch scene was excellent, I’m always so fond of Jessica Lange and Danny Huston’s s chemistry. It was so heart breaking to watch Elsa finally opening up, telling what she always wanted : to be loved. (well she was loved by millions on TV, but that’s not the same love). She wanted to live a quiet and peaceful life in Roma with Massimo. It was a real change of character for Elsa, she got bored of her celebrity quickly. Unfortunately, she came a little too late to Massimo. He had only one month left to live, because of his lung and bones cancer. Poor Elsa, her new dream was crushed. And afterwards, her former dream, her new life, being a television star was also crushed.
Elsa' snuff film made in Germany had been found and was soon to be released. Her career would be soon over and she learnt her family had been massacred back in Jupiter. That was the moment that changed everything for Elsa. Maybe she remembers her time back there at the show, being loved and feared by her Freaks, but they were forming a family, more honest than Hollywood world. She wasn't very happy there, yet she was happier than in Hollywood. Elsa finally accepted to perform a special show on Halloween… And we all know what it means for Freaks.
Elsa choose to die, she let Edward Mordrake come back and take her soul. I was very happy to see Wes Bentley again. The whole scene with Jessica Lange in white singing “Heroes” from Bowie was exceptional, one of the best of the season. Edward took Elsa’ soul, so Elsa died as she always wanted to : on stage, on air, as a star. It was very beautiful and powerful.
I’m not pleased about what happened afterwards. Elsa was sent by Edward to the Freaks afterlife, where everything was nice and everyone was happy. It was nice to see Ma Petite, Ethel, Paul, Penny, Eve, Suzy and all the freaks keeping doing their stuffs at the show. But when Ethel revealed they all had forgiven Elsa and they were glad to see her back as the headliner, I was very surprised. The freaks were ready to kill her when they were alive, because she was a selfish, lying woman. She broke their code by plotting against Bette and Dot and killing Ethel. I can understand death had changed their perspective, but I was a bit disappointed they forgave her so fast. They were too nice, she didn't deserve their pardon.
The Freak Show is not dead, it will never stop existing. The freaks will keep on performing every night forever and ever… And actually, we never really got to watch much of their acts. For me it’s a real pitty. I was really looking forward watching more performances from the Freaks. We watched Elsa and Bette and Dot musical acts, a bit of Ethel, a tiny bit of Desiree but that was all. I really wanted to see more.
Freak Show had ended, and for me it will always have this unfinished business feeling. Maybe I had too much expectations from it. It was a bold choice to have a season focused on Freaks, I was quite surprised when they first announced it. Freak Show was quite different from the past seasons, and for me it didn’t really do it. This season has been a quiet ride, I have enjoyed some parts of it, there were some great moments with Gloria and Dandy, with Twisty and also Edward Mordrake but in the end, it feels like nothing major really happened. AHS Freak Show never was as shocking and disturbing as the other seasons.
Did you enjoy the season finale ? What are you feelings about this season ? Who do you want to be back next season ? Hit the comments !
Carnies notes :
- Three headed girl ? Loved Dot’s face ! Finn Wittrock has really rocked his part this year, I really want to see him back next year. !
- So why so many clowns in the opening title ? Twisty was there for only 4 episodes…
- There has been some problem with the special effects this year. Elsa’s legs never looked wooden except when they had to for the story and Bette and Dot were nicely done in the first episodes, Afterwards, the quality wasn’t as good.
- It’s funny how time passed and nobody aged…
- Still can’t believe it was Jessica Lange’s final episode on AHS… It can't be... She has to come back next year right ? Even just for two or three episodes. It would be so weird to have a whole season without her :/
- So, any idea what next season will be about ? Did you catch any clues ?
