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American Horror Story - Show Stoppers - Review: "Dreams"

Jan 16, 2015

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   Last Wednesday, AHS Freak Show offered us a great episode. It was really an appreciated improvement since last week episode. Finally, this episode made sense and even gave sense to the previous episodes.
   I still don’t understand why FX chose to cut the season like that. I’d rather watched the whole season without break. Anyway, “Show Stoppers” was last episode before the finale, and it’s an AHS tradition for that episode to resolve and conclude many of the ongoing plots of the season and to start new and challenging stories to finish the season. “Show Stoppers” had everything, from horrible and yet funny murder, to very touching and sweet moments. It was definitely one of the best episodes of the season.


   Elsa was quite impressive in “Show Stoppers”. I really, really appreciated her part in the episode. Probably feeling guilty over Ethel’s death, Elsa took care of poor injured Jimmy Darling, the orphan with no hands.
   He was still in depression, refusing any kind of help, especially coming from Maggie. He still couldn’t get over her betrayal. I can totally understand him, but the situation had changed. He had lost both of his hands, it made him dependable on others. It’s never easy to accept but well, he trusted Stanley.
   Elsa did something very kind, and yet selfish too in a way. She called up Massimo (Danny Huston), the man who saved her from her legs injuries and who had created her wooden legs. She wanted him to create Jimmy’s new hands, so he could have a chance at being normal. Very sweet from Elsa, and that way she also got to see her lover back.


   The chemistry between Jessica Lange and Danny Huston is outstanding. Only by looking at each other, they brought so much emotions to the screen. I must admit I’m so thrilled about Elsa finally revealed herself and expressed her real feeling towards another human being. Since the season has started, Elsa has been nothing but selfish, concerns about only her and her dreams. Her dreams of glory didn’t touch me, but watching her with her past love, who saved her life but with who she couldn’t be with, was heart breaking. And it’s in those moments, Jessica Lange is the most powerful and brillant.
   After rescuing Elsa and sending her to America before the War, Massimo went on a revenge mission, killing every men involved in Elsa’s attack. He wanted to avenge her lover but he lost his lost, his humanity, his ability to love and to be loved in the process, how tragic. Massimo made shocking revelation for us, it turned out the man behind Elsa’s attack was actually Dr Grouper, from Asylum. Another connection… I won’t repeat myself, IMO, it’s a bad move from Murphy and Co. I don’t think the seasons between linked together.
   Elsa and Massimo’s relationship was doomed, it was so tragic and so beautiful in a way. I totally changed my perspective on Elsa Mars, and now I am fonder of her character. Too bad it’s one episode before the finale. So finally, Massimo gave Jimmy the hands he really wanted : his lobster hands, wooden made. Jimmy didn’t want to change, he wanted to stay the same, to keep being the Freak he always has been. It could have been nice for him to change, to be a normal.


   Elsa also continued her own revenge plan she started last week with Dell’s murder. He broke the Freaks code, he murdered another freak so he deserved to die. I was very satisfied with his death. His character actually felt a bit under used.
   Anyways, after Dell, it was time for Stanley to get he deserved. The opening scene with him and the freaks was absolutely great. It had the tension, the suspense, and yet the light and fun atmosphere that I wanted to find in Freak Show. I loved it when they brought back Elsa’ spinning wheel. I really thought they would kill Stanley, after everything he did but it turned out the Freaks had another idea. They “Meepeed” him.


   Actually, I wasn’t pleased with that. Stanley’s punishment was to become a Freak, because it meant the freaks saw their lives as a punishment. I thought they had a more positive opinion of themselves And we all know what make Stanley a real freak, and I would have love to see it. Still, it was very cruel from the freaks to butcher him like that. He deserved for what he did to the show.
   Stanley wasn’t the only one getting punished for breaking the Freaks code. Before being chased by the freaks, he revealed to them Elsa had murdered Ethel and he helped her covering it up. The freaks quickly understood what really happened and that Ethel never committed suicide. They were ready to stop Elsa’s reign on the show.
   Luckily for Elsa, she had a last and unexpected ally in the show : Dot and Bette. The girls came and saved Elsa’s life, after seeing her real legs. Since Elsa saved their lives in the premiere at the hospital, Bette and Dot decided to return the favor and save hers, so they’d be even. It was really touching from them to care a bit for Elsa despite everything she did against them. Of course, Jessica Lange was exceptional and heart breaking playing Elsa Mars realizing she had been betrayed by her family. The family she had put together since many years, but the family she really mistreated too. She was never the mother she wanted to be for them, she always had been too self centered to be a real mother, a real support for the freaks. So, Elsa went away to become a television star (that we already know) and sold her show to Dandy. God, what a terrible choice for the new owner.


   As expected, the freaks themselves are causing their own end. They started killing off each other, so they can really only blame themselves. They had a nice place, where they could live and be accepted, a better place than what the world could offer and still, they messed up with it. Now, Dandy is in charge of the show, and it means the show won’t last long. The man has money and dreams of glory, but he’s a psychopath. He will probably murder all the freaks, like he murdered the tupper ware party women or he might even murder the audience.
   Before Dandy, the Freak Show had a previous owner, who didn’t stay very long but his performance was amazing. I really enjoyed Neil Patrick Harris’s performance as Chester. I had no doubt NPH would bring his unique talent to the show and would transcend his character. And pairing him with Jaime Brewer was an excellent idea, they work so well together. I was impressed by their performances.


   Marjorie was quite frightening, there’s something so wrong about that doll, I’d rather see Jaime Brewer in flesh. IMO, Marjorie was Chester’s double psychotic personality. There is the part of him, Marjorie, who is a psychopath, who wants to kill but still there’s this humanity, this act he put on to world, caring about others, being able to love someone else. So, his troubled mind separate the two personalities. Chester tried it with the Bette and Dot, and they were actually making feel better. But, there was this darkness inside him, Marjorie. But Marjorie finally revealed to Chester he was actually a murderer, the one who murdered his wife and her lover. So did Bette and Dot, thanks to Dandy who brought them his file on Chester. Chester was shocked when he finally realized he murdered his wife, And yet, he still saw her doll as a woman.


   The best part of NPH’s performance was of course the magical act on Maggie ! Chester, being the new boss was clearly very stressed on stage. Bette and Dot refused to be his assistant this time, after Dandy’s revelation, it felt more like a trap than a magical act.
   Maggie, still trying to be accepted and to repay the harm she had done with Stanley offered to be the Magician's new assistant. Oh girl, worst idea ever. Something was very wrong with Chester from the beginning of the scene, but when he called her Lucie, I knew this wouldn’t end well for Maggie. And it was quite gore and sad… Yet, it was a bit funny I thought,. Her death felt a bit stupid and so unreal in a way. Chester was delusional, trapped in his fantasies. He cut Maggie in half, for real, without any tricks. It was horrible. I actually watched that scene in the morning, I felt so glad for skipping breakfast. It was so sad for Maggie, she wasn’t a bad person, she just met the wrong man and she tried everything to stop his deadly plan. Her end was very painful to watch in every ways.
   The other freaks’s reaction was priceless. They were all shocked and disgusted, and yet they didn’t stop or arrest Chester. They just let him go, after all Maggie was associated with Stanley but she saved all of their lives when she told the truth to Desiree… The freaks don't forgive that easily.
   Finally, Chester decided to go the police and confess the murder he committed… on his doll.. What a whack-job. I bet he will end up in Briarcliff too… It was so pathetic to watch Chester being so stressed and all by his doll. NPH was absolutely amazing, putting so much dimension for a doll.

   “Show Stoppers” was an excellent episode, perfectly packed with everything that makes AHS so special and unique on television. I wish this season would have more episode of that quality.
   Anyways, the finale is coming up next Wednesday ! Are you excited about it ? What do you think will happen ? Who will survive ? Hit the comments !

Carnies notes:

   It's all about my girl : Desiree


   Even if she didn’t appear a lot, each of her interventions were divine. Desiree is my favorite character of the season, maybe of the show right after Constance. Every time she appears on screen, Angela Bassett brings so much, she has a real presence on screen.
   I loved it when she screamed Ethel’s name and drank up the bottle ! And was I the only one to notice that when she was the only one with an umbrella, at the beginning, outside while chasing Stanley. So classy ! And she murdered that horrible lady of the Museum of Monstrosity !

 Best line : “Steal her jewelry and bury the bitch”

About the Author - Romain Ossust
I'm a 28 TV addict. Here is a non exhaustive list of my favorite shows : 12 Monkeys, Ab Fab, 24, Alias, American Horror Story, Banhsee, Bates Motel, Black Sails, Carnivale, Daria, Dead Like Me, Desperate Housewives, Dexter, ER, Fargo, Fringe, Game of Thrones, Girls, Grey’s, Hannibal, Homeland, HIMYM, HTGAWM, Looking, Lost, Agents of SHIELD, Medium, OUAT, OUAT Wonderland, Orange is the New Black, Orphan Black, Pan Am, Penny Dreadful, Person of Interest, Power, Pushing Daisies, Raising Hope, Rectify, Reign, Scandal, Sex & The City, Six Feet Under, Sleepy Hollow, Spartacus, The 100, The Affair, The Americans, The Big C, The Fall, The Killing, The Leftovers, The Missing, The Strain, The Tudors, The Walking Dead, Transparent, True Blood, True Detective, Tyrant, Ugly Betty, United States of Tara, Utopia, V, Veronica Mars, Weeds.
For SpoilerTV, I'm reviewing The Walking Dead, American Horror Story, Looking, Sleepy Hollow, The Americans & Orphan Black
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15 comments:

  1. Thanks for the review! Show Stoppers was a great episode, and I agree that more episodes should have had this quality. Much of this season was just so-so for me. It had a great start, blah middle, and great last few episodes. I can't wait for the finale and I hope to see Twisty one last time! I hope next season is more Asylum style because that was my favorite season and seems to be most everyone else's also.

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  2. This season has been the worst (plot wise) but i have enjoyed every single episode. I feel that everybody is going to die and only a few will survive and one of them will be Elsa right? ( we saw that magazine Pepper found one year later about Elsa and her tv show) but we see her in the promo in the tent, maybe shw will get shoot and her lost love will save her again.
    As you say is momment like those where Jessica is at it's best. Elsa has been selfish but everything change in this last couple of episodes and now that everyone knows what she has done she had to leave because she knew they were going after her.
    I didnt like the way they killed Maggie off and how not any of the freaks did something to stop Chester.
    I feel like crying when Jimmy show his new hands. He is a freak and he will always be one and he is proud of it.

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  3. I agree with you, this season is the worst. The storylines are all over the place, and I don't feel very attached to the characters, except for Desiree :) Since the start of the season, it has been cleared it is the tale of the last freak show, so it's likely all the freaks will die in the finale. Elsa's appearance in the promo might be a flashback.
    I really didn't enjoy the previous episode, Magical Thinking. I actually tried to write my review but I couldn't, I was too negative.
    Maggie's death was cruel and it was great in a way.

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  4. For me, this season has been too dark and depressing. This was probably one of the best eps because we got alittle humor with Stanley's end and Neil and Marjorie were the best. Mostly, I came away from every ep this season feeling too down. I hope next season is a bit lighter.

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  5. I don't think it was that dark, the first two seasons were darker (and better) but yes, the freaks are way too depressing. their stories are really sad and hopeless. It's often tragic. At least Coven was funny.
    I loved that episode too because of the hulor, Jaime Brewer' laugh is so great, Neil was legendary ! I had to say it lol

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  6. Thanks, glad you liked it :)
    I agree with you, the quality of the middle of the season was very bad, very slow and the stories never really collide.
    Asylum is the favorite among the fan from what I could see, but my favorite still is Murder House. I loved so much Constance, and the pacing of the season. It was so full and well constructed, I've been missed that. Asylum my second favorite ;) and clearly freak show is my least favorite lol

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  7. Maggie's death was hard to watch. I was hoping she could make it and succeed in gaining Jimmy's forgiveness. Her dying instead just piss me off. Her death just seems senseless and out of the blue, another loose end to tie up before the end.

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  8. They literally killed each other or tried to kill each other one after another on this episode. "Maggie is dead" "Want to know the details?" "We are killing Elsa tonight."

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  9. I was expecting the death to be part of Chester's illusion. You'd think someone would actually *run* when she started screaming.

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  10. This season has been better than the previous one, but in these past two episodes, nothing good has happened to anyone, and the trailer for the finale makes it look depressing too.

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  11. Agree that this is a great episode and finally dandy's storylines collided with the freaks in a more meaningful way!


    However, I disagree with your opinion of the season, I find that this season boasts stellar content; if you look at each character's individual journey, it's all fantastically arced, e.g. jimmy's this week; he was bitter about how freaks were being treated in the beginning, and said to dandy how he would kill to have normal hands, yet in this episode, given the chance, he still chose his old lobster-shaped hands, there's a growing sense of responsibility in him that's going to make him a great leader; same with desiree, elsa, and pretty much everyone's journey.


    I feel like individually, each character has a great arc, but what's lacking from the episodes is a cohesive force that ties all the threads together, the show shined when these stories intertwined; e.g in Orphans, where we learned about maggie's orphan past AND pepper's. These common links between storylines make the show shine!


    Another thing I see is people complaining about how boring some of the freak show characters are; but I think that's a deliberate choice made by the writers. Seeing that one of the thematic notion is to showcase that the freaks are normal, and it's the normal looking ppl that are the real freaks; it's only fair to have more vivid 'normal-looking' characters like dandy, and also have quite normal bearded-lady like ethel. The contrast is deliberate and helps accentuates the point.


    That said, I fully respect your opinion, esp after reading your analysis! I love when I see another viewer also being critical of a show, it shows that the show is worthy of being analysed, and also that the viewer has enough interest in the show.


    I also want to say, that I feel like freak show is a binge season, meaning that when viewed as a whole it's a stronger show, unlike coven whose weekly dose was enough. Freak show and asylum are imo better when viewed as a whole. I vividly remember the fans complaining about asylum when it was airing, and now that 2 years have passed, with most viewers binging asylum; the consensus has shifted to praise

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  12. I have those same feelings toward last season.

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  13. There was nothing they could have done.

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  14. They could have tackled him. She wasn't bisected yet when Paul said "Bloody hell".

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  15. She almost completely bisected when he said that, but they certainly could have done something before that.

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