So far in the AHS series we lived in the Murder House, we escaped the Asylum, and then we protected the Coven. Now we are entering the Freak Show. The opening scene starts off with Dot Tattler’s face askew & off center to the far right of the screen as if hiding something from the viewer. Even though I saw spoiler photos of what was to come, I still tilted my head to the left to keep my equilibrium balanced. Dot has a serious look of apprehension on her face, and she is full of despair & angst about entering the gates of Hell also known as The Freak Show.
It’s 1952 in Jupiter Florida and the milkman makes a delivery to the Tattler farmhouse to find Eudora Tattler murdered in her kitchen. He hears bumps upstairs and instead of running for the exit he arms himself with a rolling pin to investigate & finds the most horrific discovery. Still shielding the find from the viewer, we get reactions of nurses retching in the hallway at the sight of their newest female patient. The doctor studies the patient’s X-ray to determine she has 3 kidneys, 4 lungs, 2 hearts, a shared circulatory system, a compact mirror, 2 lipsticks, some head bands, and a joint Netflix account.
Well here comes Jessica Lange as Elsa Mars struttin’ her gams down the hospital corridor in sexy seamed stockings carrying an oversized bag with an evil jester embroidered on it while wearing a Cruella De Vil style long haired fur capelet & matching hat. Is that thing made out of Afghan Hound hair? She is looking fabulously noir-ish but her style looks more 1940’s than 1950’s; and she’s busting her signature moves with cigarettes again this season. I can watch Lange fondle cigarettes all day. #SurgeonGeneralWarning.
She approaches Penny, a candy striper with a rebellious streak, played by Grace Gummer and daughter of Meryl Streep. Elsa is trying to charm her way into the room to see the new patient who is “extraordinary”. Time for me to enable my close caption because I can’t understand a damn word Elsa is saying. OMG even my close caption spelled out some gibberish for her first few sentences. I know this is sacrilegious, and I’m about to dodge a lightning strike, but Lange can’t do accents like Streep. Why is she so out breath & whispering? Someone give her some oxygen. I’m gonna have a problem with this spotty German accent. #SprichEnglisch .
Elsa scammed her way into a candy stripers uniform and straight to the hospital room. Here the director took liberty with a long drawn out & suspenseful reveal as we see an unrecognizable silhouette behind the curtains surrounding the bed. Elsa is stunned & mumbles in German at the sight of the conjoined twins. Both heads actually look pretty and not grotesque or disfigured, and each has their own obvious distinct personality, and they also can hear each other’s thoughts. Lefty is giggly & friendly, and Dot is guarded & suspicious.
Dot thinks that Elsa is a psycho pervert for asking if anyone has tasted their “cherry pie” since they only have one serving of pie to offer. Since they are virgins Elsa quizzes them about masturbation. Bette aka Lefty shares that she is the horny one, but Dot doesn’t like it when she touches their #PIEGINA. Bette tells Elsa that she suspects that Dot secretly likes it causing Dot to bark “shut your disgusting mouth you slut” and orders Elsa to leave their room. Bette attempts to wave goodbye until her sister shoots her wave down with an angry glare.
A random pair of young lovers are making out & getting ready for sexy times in the field by the lake. When the boyfriend goes to the car to retrieve something, Twisty the creepiest clown ever created causally stomps his way through field towards the girl. He’s got that heavy breathing thing going on under his mask. Doesn’t that remind you of the heavy breathing that we hear under Mike Meyers mask from Friday 13th? Twisty’s look is way beyond weird and way too extra. Is his mask made from a couple of layers of severed skin for his head & mouth? I wish I had some vodka and a Xanax laced joint with some laughing gas to get me through this clown scene. Don’t judge me because my coulrophobia is real. Even his lame flower trick made me jump.
Twisty briefly performs with some props before bludgeoning them both with bowling pins. When the girl awakes, Twisty is maniacally stabbing her boyfriend repeatedly with a pair of scissors. She tries to run away but the scene cuts out as Twisty starts awkwardly chasing after her. #LawdHaMercy . I was rather surprised that the first introduction of Twisty to the audience happened outside in broad daylight.
Fraulein Elsa is in the local diner, and she is cutting out a review of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1950 British crime film “Stage Fright” co-starring Marlene Dietrich for her scrap book. It seems odd that a 1950 movie would have a review in a 1952 paper. Anyway Elsa is very vocal to the waitress about her criticism of Dietrich, and I suspect she is jealous & envious of her fame & career. #SingleGermanFemale.
Elsa notices one of her freaks Jimmy Darling flirting with a waitress. His biker leather jacket & hat makes me nostalgic for Marlon Brando, the original leather daddy back when he was hot. Elsa is pissed at Jimmy for being out in public even though he has his lobster claw hands covered up in what looks like leather oven mitts. She reminds him that she has given him & his mother Ethel “The Bearded Woman” a home, and if he leaves or jeopardizes the Freak Show they will end up indigent in an asylum. We learn in a flashback that the landlord gave Elsa notice to vacate the property because she hasn’t been paying on time, plus the landlord’s wife is upset by the presence of the freaks. Well it seems Elsa convinced him to stay for one more month after she invited him to share some schnapps with a star in her tent. As Elsa leaves the diner she tells the waitress that “stars never pay”, and walks out on her tab. #Delusional
There’s a good old-fashioned Tupperware party going on inside a classic mid-century home. The women are very lady like in their bright hues of pastel dresses. As they pass around the deviled eggs & Jell-O they lament about their unsatisfactory sex lives at home. The hostess has a party treat for the ladies in the bedroom, and it’s Jimmy Darling with his thick juicy deformed digits doing double duty as an underground sex service business, G-Spots-R-Us. I hope he hand sanitizes in between tricks.
The police are on their way to the hospital to question the twins about their mother’s murder. Elsa quizzes them about what happened, but doesn’t believe their story of events which is identical to the plot from the 1944 film “Gaslight”. It’s becoming obvious that Elsa is consumed with movie trivia and uses it as her guiding light. We learn that twins had wounds that were inflicted 2 days after their mother’s murder. Elsa warns them to get their stories straight before the ‘coppers’ show up.
OMFG it’s Twisty again. I just can’t deal with the way he stealthily just appears out of nowhere. He’s lurking in the dark hallways of the Bachman house. After he murdered Mr. Bachman, he hovered over Mrs. Bachman in her bed and stabbed her to death, then kidnapped their 8 year old son Corey.
Twisty’s hideaway is a junked out school bus camouflaged with overgrowth from the woods. The inside is in a state of squalor & decay. Also there’s a makeshift cage with compartments for each prisoner; the young boy Corey Bachman & Bonnie, the girl from the lover’s field. Bonnie tries to sweet talk Twisty with some reverse psychology but all he does is wheeze & chuckle as he taunts them by insanely shaking a toy rattle at them. Just got a close-up and I will say that Ryan Murphy has succeeded in creating the most terrifying clown of all time. He’s alternating from doing clown tricks to terrorizing them with intense fits of rage as they scream with fear. Animal balloons have never before been this scary.
How in the heck did the twins sneak out of the hospital and get home? Who doesn’t notice an extra head? #PlotHoles. They’re packing with plans to run away. Elsa finds them & interrupts their packing and warns them that detectives are looking for them because they are suspects for murder. Elsa grills them to get an admission of killing their mother, and reminds them about Sparky the electric chair. If one is convicted with a death sentence, they both die.
It turns out that Bette stabbed their mother to death after a life time of repression & hiding from the public. Bette begged her mother to allow her/them to go to the movies in ‘glorious Technicolor’, but the mother angrily refused & reminded the twins that after being discovered they had to flee their last home in Alabama. Then a couple of days later Dot stabbed Bette out of guilt for what happened to their mother. Elsa wants to save them because they have nowhere to go for refuge from the police & they would never be able to take care of themselves. Of course Elsa makes them think they need her to survive, but really it is Elsa that needs them more to save her & her business. Now we see the other half of the opening scene, but this time from Bette’s perspective. Unlike her sister Dot, Bette is eager & optimistic about her new found freedom & future as they enter the gates of the Freak Show.
Bette writes in her diary that she is beyond delighted with her new life of glorious freedom away from darkness. She loves living inside a star’s palace surrounded by silk & glamour as we see the inside of Elsa’s private quarters decorated with over the top Baroque style furnishings & a massive chandelier. I guess she is so enchanted with the inside that she blocked out that she is living in a field under a circus tent.
Conversely Dot’s diary entry is more morbid because she is disgusting being surrounded by a ‘cesspool of depravity’ as we see Meep the Geek bite the head off of a live a chicken with bloody gory joy. The twins meet Jimmy, and Bette is charmed by his flirtatious hustling ways. Gurl you better get some Purell for his hands. Dot refers to Ethel Darling as Sasquatch in her diary. She is not a fan of the Bearded Lady because she is Elsa’s right hand & henchwoman. Ethel reminds Dot that she should be grateful to Elsa for a home and a new chance at life. Ethel explains how Elsa saved her from the drunk tank in jail, and reunited her with her son Jimmy. She put her on the stage where she belongs. Ethel tells them now it’s their turn to be big stars, but Dot doesn’t want to be anyone’s trained monkey. Ethel emphasizes “that this place is as good as it gets for folks like us.”
Jimmy shares his concern with Elsa that she is advertising the Siamese Twins for her show while the police are still looking for them. Elsa has already thought up an alibi for them and is not worried. After all she survived the ‘Stasi’ which is formally called Ministerium für Staatssicherheit or the Minsitry of Security. #Clue. My favorite part of this scene is that we got to see PEPPER the pinhead from AHS season 2 Asylum. She makes me smile even though I have no idea what a pinhead is, but that is how I always see her character referred as. I am excited for the season to progress to get more background about her.
Apparently Penny the candy striper from the hospital accepted Elsa’s earlier invitation to the visit the Freak Show. She’s wearing a nightie and looks like she’s been rode hard and put away wet while she yells at Elsa because she was “drugged & ravaged” while threatening to expose Elsa & her troupe of freaks. But it looks like Elsa has a side business in porn peddling & extortion because she shows Penny a homemade XXX movie starring Penny high on opium as the main attraction in a freaky orgy. And I do mean SUPER FREAKY yeah! #RickJames. It’s not clear to me if Penny voluntarily smoked the opium and was out of her mind when engaging in sex with the freaks, or whether Elsa had her drugged to lower her defenses. Either way Elsa has it on film to compel her to not talk to the police, as she tells her “You loved it.”
Later that night a police detectives show’s up and finds the twins thanks to Elsa’s advertising. Jimmy tries to prevent the twins from being arrested for murder, but when the detective refers to them as freaks he angrily slashed the man’s throat. The twins tell Jimmy “you saved us” and then he tells them “now you are going to save us.”
The Freak Show is about to start for the only 2 paying customers, Gloria Mott a very rich well to do snob & her spoiled hard to please son Dandy who probably has ADD. I’m getting a Norman Bates vibe from Dandy. He is wide eyed and fixated on the freaks at the show, especially at the debut of the Siamese Twins.
Elsa’s hits center stage in a tailored Marlene Dietrich inspired powder blue suit & tie and begins to sing David Bowie’s “Life on Mars”. GAWD I can’t believe I’m going to the say this but if I squint my eyes Elsa looks like a geriatric version of Madonna wearing tons of crazy old lady smudged blue shadow. #ExpressYourself. Fraulein Elsa is basking in the warmth of the spot light and giving it her all as her band of freaks play instruments & dance around her in a dazzling rainstorm of glitter & confetti; an ending that is almost worthy of a Baz Luhrmann musical. Did you all see the quick scene of Elsa in a head wrap & clownish ruffled collar watching herself while performing? What does that mean? Someone please explain that to me below in comments. When she finished singing Elsa looked stunned and confused as if she just returned from an outer body experience as she gasped for breath when the spot light turned off.
Weirdo Dandy is so fascinated with the Tattler twins that his mother offers to buy them for $15,000 but Dot is the one who rejects the idea which pleases Elsa. She tells the twins that after just one night in the spotlight they’ve acquired the bug for performing, “You are one of us” she proudly announces. Elsa basically tells Gloria that her troupe is like family and will not be sold. I live for some Gloria shade as she says the only freakish thing about the show was Elsa’s singing.
Forward to later and Elsa is lounging on her chaise and smoking something. She confesses to Ethel that she did not bring the twins to save the Freak Show, she brought the twins for own personal motives. Elsa craves to be seen, to be noticed, to be a star; and she needs the twins’ to bring in an audience to coat tail ride on to satisfy her delusions & ego. Ethel leaves and Elsa cranks up the record player to reveal what is under her nightgown. Both her legs are amputated at the knee….. Oh and Twisty the Clown is zoned out on the merry-go-round on the Freak Show grounds… The End
OK freaktards I am tired but I have plenty more of my own personal commentary but I will be posting my thoughts down below in comments. You also can stalk me on twitter @Urethra_F
They repeated the “one of us” phrase a few times. It’s an homage to the old 1932 film “Freaks.” “One of us, we accept you, one of us, gooble gobble…” If you haven’t seen it, it’s awesome.
Oh cool to know that because I did notice that phrase used a few times in the show.
I noticed other references to more contemporary works like Friday 13th, Silence of Lambs, and also AHS:Asylum, but I am sure there’s an abundance of past film references that just went over my head.
I would love for you freaktards to share those interesting tidbits here.
Awesome recap – enjoyed every minute of it.
Re “pinhead” – there was an American freak show performer – William Henry Johnson (1842 – 1926) who performed under the name “Zip the Pinhead”. He suffered from Microcephaly which is characterized by a small, tapering head similar to a pin. Probably one of the most famous (to me anyway) was Schlitzie (1901 – 1971) who performed in the 1932 horror film “Freaks”. If you’ve never seen it – you must, MUST check it out. The actors were real side show performers with real deformities. Actually if I recall there were several “pinheads” in the movie as well as a “lobster-boy” & conjoined twins. Watching this episode of AHS I immediately knew Ryan Murphy was as fascinated with that movie as I was. I’ll NEVER forget watching it back in the 70’s — it’s stayed with me for nearly 40 years.
ETA: I just did some checking around (don’t think I can include links here but) . . . on Wikipedia it states “The original version was considered too shocking to be released and no longer exists” but according to RottenTomatoes the (1 hour / 4 minute) movie was released on DVD in 2004. Go to Wikipedia & search for “Freaks” (1/2 way through), the cast is listed with links leading you directly to the actual performers. Also if you type in “Freaks” on YouTube you’ll find quite a few movie highlights & many of the actual acts of the performers. Fascinating stuff.
You tube? Wikidpedia? What are the magical thing of which you speak? How do you find information on the Internet? I thought it was just this site and porn. Please teach us more about the ways your highly advanced peoples.
Dear God.
On Sat, Oct 11, 2014 at 5:19 PM, Tamara Tattles wrote:
>
I’m hoping I didn’t violate TT’s rules re mentioning / posting other websites but since AHS is fictional I thought it’d be ok (interesting & informative) to reference sites about the actual people / performers I believe these fictional characters were based on. ☺
Pepper was also in AHS:Asylum and it’s been said that she is based on one the world’s most famous ‘pinheads”, Schlitze , who co-starred in Tod Browning’s original American horror story, the 1932 film Freaks. Schlitze was born microcephalic, and had the cognitive abilities of a four-year old. The head and brain were abnormally small relative to the rest of their body which was the reson for the label pinhead.
Writing fast because I need to end all your comments. I hope I shouldn’t have jumped the gun and find this was already explained.
Thanks, UF. Great to have your humor and hashtags back. And for picking up on that which I overlooked.
Wtf TT. Extraneous bitchiness.
Thank you Deco. I follow Naomi Grossman who plays Pepper, and she tweeted out a photo of herself as an almost nude Pepper. The pic was shot before the filming of the opium fueled orgy scene. Lets’ just say that Pepper is not a woman.
Oh and if anyone ones to see this picture of an almost nude Pepper it is on my twitter page.
Do you think the legs are amputated or she never had legs?
I liked the touch of showing one of the Twins’ feet on the stretcher with bright red nail polish. So, you kind of knew that it was not going to be as hideous as they made it seem with people puking and such.
The guy taking a half hour to get something from the car was weird. But yeah. The clown popping up on the merry go round and here and there was chilling.
Talked about accents in the other thread. Jessica Lange is increadibly talented. Amazing. I have not seen Coven yet, and only half of asylum. But her range is do impressive. I’ve seen Frances, Sweet Dreams and Blue sky more times than you want to know.
Great recap. I’m looking forward to watching in real time this season. Although the binge thing is great. I sure could have watched a second ep of Freakshow.
When Elsa said she survived the ‘Stasi’, I took that as a clue about her past. Maybe she was a spy or involved in espionage; or maybe she was in a concentration camp and was tortured or punished.
There have been promos of a woman with 3 legs on a trapeze, and the silhouette behind her looks like a swastika.
So definitely I suspect a storyline about 3 legged freaks, Nazi Germany, & Elsa’s absence of lower legs… I just don’t know how it all ties together yet. We have to wait and see.
Oh I thought she meant she used to work at Villa Blanca.
The Nazis killed and/or experimented on alot of people with mental retardation and physical abnormalities, or what they deemed ‘undesirable.’ They would even preserve the bodies of the most ‘interesting’ cases to be put on display for Germans to see how important good breeding was. They also experimented on twins alot. I’m thinking this may end up tying in to the story, with the reference to Stasi, how she told the guy in the field, “you won the war, you know”, and then the fact that she doesn’t have legs, although we obviously don’t know if it’s a birth defect, or amputation. I did note the ends of the stumps were made to look completely smooth, which makes me think they are going for birth defect. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.
I was wondering how the Nazis would all fit in. That seems very plausible.
On Sat, Oct 11, 2014 at 10:41 PM, Tamara Tattles wrote:
>
TeeCee, I like to binge watch too. I will sometimes DVR a couple of episodes so I can get more of a ‘fix’. When UF is recapping though I tend to watch weekly and jones ing for more, NOW.
Born without limbs makes sense. She would have been deemed Frankish from birth and felt the rejection and taunting from others. Might have made her more empathetic to the plight of other freaks.
Thrilling review UF. I hope today is a better day for you in real life.
You already clarified several scenes for me and added bits I guess I missed, like Elsa as a clown, I need to rewatch with your insight. During the first viewing I dwelt too much on guessing which freak has real deformities and who is the miracle of Ryan and Brad’s imagination and technology, and is Jessica Lange that wrinkled in real life?
I want to replay the black and white porn of candy striper girl enjoying all kinds of what I imagine to be depraved sex. I found the intended poor quality of film unclear. I was too anxious to see what would happen next to rewind, and maybe too Baptist. I’m certain she was not in a missionary position, the one we approve.
I’m anxious for the 2nd installment of this show and another fascinating Urethra Franklin review. This is the best show on tv this year.
Well I’ve learned my freakiest bedroom tricks from Baptists.
I don’t remember teaching you. We both must have been very drunk.
On Sat, Oct 11, 2014 at 4:04 PM, Tamara Tattles wrote:
>
Baptists taught me how to drink too. I attended & graduated from a private Baptist University. A good time was had by all. Preachers kids are the most fun.
I CAN’T SHUT UP ABOUT OTHER PLACES! I CAN USE YOUTUBE! I CAN READ WIKIPEDIA!
Gather around you insipid morons and I shall teach you all about the wonders of the Internet and how to find information about things that interest you!
BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH
I HOPE I AM NOT PUSHING MY LUCK BY DOING THE SAME DAMN THING FIVE TIMES IN A ROW WHILE TAMARA IS CLEARLY DYING OF EBOLA!
wHOOPEDDEEEE DOOO! LALALALALLALAL I CAN GOOGLE!!!!!
I am kinda shocked that there are women who are not grossed out by the concept of being penetrated by lobster claw hands.
It looked like fun to me!
On Sat, Oct 11, 2014 at 6:18 PM, Tamara Tattles wrote:
>
I was more interested in the bifurcated tongue I saw in previews. Lobster claw boy, no.
The “miracle of Brad’s imagination” is him finding anything appealing about sex with Gwyneth paltrow. Speaking of freak show.
There was a quick scene that I need someone’s opinion or explanation:
When Elsa was performing “Life on Mars”, the camera cut to a scene of Elsa wearing a head wrap and a clownish ruffly collar wearing Raggedy Ann type makeup sitting next to a film projector watching something.
I don’t understand that moment/scene in context at all. Did anyone notice that too & wonder WTF?
UF, I’ve read an explanation of that elsewhere. I’ll be glad to share the location of the article with you privately, so as to not lose any of my TT tokens.
Also, David Bowie made a promotional video for “Life on Mars?” in 1973. He was dressed in a nearly identical blue suit, with heavy blue eye shadow like Elsa. You can find more symbolism in the lyrics of the song, as well as Bowie’s explanation of them.
A few other random thoughts, I believe Elsa was plying both Penny, and Dot/Bette with opium in her Lucky Strike cigarettes at the beginning of the episode. The tiny lady told Elsa (after she showed Penny the orgy flick) that a chauffeur in a big car came and bought out the whole show for the night (for Dandy & his mother). I was totally creeped out watching Twisty standing in the shadows while the freaks chopped on the dead cops body. Perhaps he will think the freak show is a safe haven for a crazy homicidal clown, too…
Peach if you follow me on twitter you can tell me more about that article or you can just explain the scene.
OMFG you are so right about the Bowie video & blue suit. I cant believe I’ve never seen that video before, though I have the album. I thought it was Dietrich inspired but is 100% Bowie inspired. It all makes sense now.
And another BIG thank you for pointing out that chauffeur bought all the tickets. I was confused because there was only Gloria & Dandy in attendance, and later Ethel told Elsa they were in the black.
You get the freaktard of the week award.
I didn’t even write about the freaks chopping up the detective because at that point in the recap I was exhausted & went straight to the end.
Twatted you, darling. I am so honored to receive your award! 🙂
I’m slightly obsessed with AHS, and must watch each episode more than once so as not to miss anything.
I’ve had insane dreams since Thursday…
UF;
Thank you for the great recap. I’ve been waiting.
I noticed Elsa in the old clown makeup, seeming to watch herself sing.
I took it to mean that she was a “freak” too, and that there was some
secret, hidden sadness, later to be revealed.
I was rather impressed with CGI special effects that were used for the Siamese Twins.
I’ve read that for every scene that the twins are in requires 25 people to make it happen from pre-production to the screen.
In other news, the phrase, “lobster claw” has been used several times in my house in the last 24 hours.
Umm i hope it was used in the context of dinner and not foreplay. But hey that’s your business. I don’t judge.
Did you not see what the lobster las can do?
Well yeah I saw, but if I saw those hands coming at me I would cringe. In my real life I’m turned on by nice hands. Weird looking hands, dirty fingernails, untrimmed nails are a huge mood killer.
UF: Great recap! A couple of things…
* In answer to your question about the afghan hound coat, I believe it was monkey fur (my grandma had one like it and we used to use it for dress up).
* Twisty the Clown terrifies me more than Pennywise from IT and that’s saying something, especially since clowns don’t generally creep me out.
* There are some really interesting interviews on youtube titled “American Horror Story: Freak Show – Extraordinary Artists” that are with the actors who play the freaks talking about their disabilities (I hope that doesn’t violate TOS Tamara)
Monkey fur? Really?
My initial thought of it being made from Afghan hound hair is just as peculiar… So monkey fur & dog hair were used back in those days for textiles? I guess PETA wasn’t around then.
Even though it’s 1952 I described Elsa’s style as noir-ish 1940’s. Even though she dresses fabulously, in my mind Elsa is not up to date with her fashion wardrobe. I’m no fashion historian, just a casual observer obsessing over details.
Well it makes sense though. A fading star hanging onto what she looked like when she shined brightest. Like Norma Desmond. Shall I explain how to look up Norma Desmond on imdb and make Tamara’s head ‘splode?
Hehehehe…
Of course, she’d probably appreciate it having her head explode if she’s down with a bad cold….
I went to Chinese place for soup but also to steal hot mustard packets. The don’t make hot mustard like they used to.
On Sat, Oct 11, 2014 at 11:02 PM, Tamara Tattles wrote:
>
Of course, there are *other* ways to make your head explode, but I’m sure TT has thought of those options. 🙂
Might require lobster claws….
Okay, I’m done.
TT,
You must ask for the House mustard. Don’t accept the ones in little packs. Sme with duck sauce. It’s never offered, you must ask.
Ugh. My keyboard is fuckin up, skipping letters.
This place may not have house mustard but I’ll ask. It’s a tiny crap place in the middle of the barrio surrounded by authentic Mexican food shacks. I think they make all their money off their wings. That seems to be what everyone else is getting.
On Sun, Oct 12, 2014 at 2:01 PM, Tamara Tattles wrote:
>
Even the crap places have house mustard. I’ve eaten in those too.. And you must have mustard for the wings. And mix it with duck sauce. I literally freak out if I do not get the little plastic go cup of mustard.
Hey TT I thought it was creepy cool that twins’ last name is Tattler.
Dude! She was the first victim! LOL. I’m sure Ryan named her that after me. 🙂
On Sat, Oct 11, 2014 at 7:12 PM, Tamara Tattles wrote:
>
Awesome as usual
UF, did you notice as bette and dot were being rolled into the hospital on the gurney that one painted her toenails and one didnt? great recap…as always. thanks for doing this for us freaktards
I did not notice BOTH times I watched the show. Thanks for sharing that. That’s the kind of cool stuff I want you freaktards to share. There is so much detail. Everbody misses stuff.
i like painting ladies nails so notice stuff like that. i caught it the 2 nd time through. its going to be a wild ride at the freakshow this year. i think twisty is a freak too and thats his mouth, the clown makeup is camoflage
REALLY??? TOENAIL PAINT??? IF ONLY SOMEONE HAD MENTION THAT EARLIER.
I went to widipedia to read up on the history of toenail paint. I don’t understand why UF didn’t include that in his 3000 essay on the topic. I found that to be very interesting.
On Sat, Oct 11, 2014 at 8:44 PM, Tamara Tattles wrote:
>
But…I already mentioned the stupid toenail paint.
I didn’t notice the toe nail paint when I watched the show….and I didn’t noticed when TC mentioned either..I miss stuff all the time
TT why you shading me girl?
I’m not shading you. I’m shading some of the other idiots.
On Sat, Oct 11, 2014 at 9:30 PM, Tamara Tattles wrote:
>
I see Jessica Lange is 65 years old. She has earned her creases and I appreciate she is not full of botox and fillers. It seems like the less talent they have, the more they go for the fake face.
Second time through the show I still missed Elsa watching Elsa sing. I cannot sit through on demand again. They must have added extra commercials. Next time I will know not to delete episode before reading the UF recap.
I actually looked up some of the actors I was unfamiliar with to see if bio says they have deformities. Yes, really. I did not recognize that Johnny Darling is the same guy as the one they Frankensteined on Coven. No, not deformed, I’ve no reason to try to meet him.
I cannot understand a word the Indian little woman says. Anyone else have trouble? I am guessing she is not CGI.
Angel, I’ll go look at the scene again later & tell you exactly what time it happens. Even though her voice sounded like she had inhaled helium, I understood the Little Lady.
Did you see the little Indian girl being drowned in the vase/bowl in the upcoming preview? I actually screamed. Not sure why it seemed so much worse than any other violence with this show, but it shocked me.
The tiny Indian woman is Jyoti Amge, the world’s smallest woman. She is 2′ tall and weighs 11lbs. Also, I love the fact that the Freak Show is in Jupiter, FL and Elsa’s surname is Mars.
TT – Hoping that bagel heads originated in Jupiter, Florida and will make several scary appearances.
Excellent recap UF!
I didn’t get Madonna so much as Rocky Horror from the performance. A David Bowie song seemed an odd choice for the timeline…maybe Bowie’s older than I thought. If only there were some to tell me how to use the google so I could find out.
I guess the clown isn’t part of the show? The mask looked like it was Frankensteined onto his/her face.
I got a phone call. I swear I did not copy Frankensteined from Angel.
To me it’s just that she resembled Madonna with the styled blonde hair, the men’s suit, and ummmm those enhanced cheeks. Madonna also was heavily influenced by Marlene Dietrich’s style….but I do get that I was kinda Rock Horror Show-ish too.
I didn’t have a problem with David Bowie song being written in 1971. Moulin Rouge did the same thing w/ music. I can’t wait to hear the Fionna Apple song next week… Ooops have I spoiled?
heh, Hai girl Hai!
On Sat, Oct 11, 2014 at 8:03 PM, Tamara Tattles wrote:
>
I think Twisty the clown is wearing the top of someone else’s skull. I think his own cranium is missing. Possibly his odd mask is to cover his real face that looks even worse than this one. I sure hope all is revealed over the next 12 episodes. I hate to be left hanging, and we know AHS is different material each year, no resolution to previous seasons cliffhangers.
Lol. Just realized thaTwisty’s mouth looks like that one photoshopped NeNe picture.
WTF. I’ve been reading here since the beginning & have always respected the rules. I just recently became a fan of AHS & found this to be the best recap I’ve read & guess I took the author Urethra Franklin’s words to heart: “I noticed other references to more contemporary works . . . but I am sure there’s an abundance of past film references that just went over my head. I would love for you freaktards to share those interesting tidbits here.”
I didn’t think I’d be crossing the boundaries but YES I did reference them in TWO of my 3 comments (2 which remain, the other being ~“slightly”~ reworded) & did so ½ in jest, the other on the side of caution.
Since I was in the process of reading / watching the info – I actually thought I was being ‘helpful’ in referencing the sites – also, always one to be cautious of plagiarism I thought it best to reference where the info came from. (I would NEVER & have NEVER referenced other blog sites.)
I was in no way trying to teach anyone the “wonders of the Internet” but YES I was trying to share “information about things that interest you” – again referencing the author Uretha’s comment.
Until I’m called a nasty cunt & told to fuck off I’ll just blame it on the “EBOLA”!
Ummm I’m just an innocent bystander here. I’ll let you two ladies pull over to the side of the road and exchange insurance information.
No idea why you’re being targeted like this Sarah. It sucks. I guess it was “your turn”.
Love AHS, but I think this season opening episode just felt forced. The freaks and their stories (how they got to the side show, etc) could be facinating /sinister, and we could have been eased into the evil. Confused by “Life on Mars” song choice (Bowie 1971) for 50s period piece.
Tampamom- agreed. Season 1 was great. They’ve turned it into a very gross version of Glee, and no amount of “it’s a fantasy show, just go with it” can fix what it’s become.
I can’t figure out why it’s hard to digest a modernish song on a show where a masked murderous clown is stabbing people with scissors and a boy with a lobster claw hand is servicing housefrau one after the other at a luncheon. It’s a fantasy show. Just go with it. It was a really interesting choice.
Also when elsa is getting ready to preform isnt she also wearing the same clown costume as the shot they panned to her in the audience?
I noticed that scene too and I’m still uncertain what it means.
Though she was wearing something clownish, it was not the same outfit she was wearing in her dressing room…
I just expected something older. Her last name being Mars makes the Bowie song a perfect choice, I didn’t catch the last name until later.
Did anyone notice that Ethyl the Bearded Lady has a tidewater Virginia accent?
Well that sure is specific.
But Katy Bates has said it’s a Baltimore accent.
Ha! I thought she was trying for Cajun!! That is the worst Baltimore accent ever.
Okay, I feel like an idiot, but I missed the premiere and am now trying to figure out whether it’s accessible on DirectTV as an on demand listing. So far no luck in finding it? Anyone else have DirectTV and had luck locating it and viewing it? I know it replays next Wednesday, but we’d like to see it sooner if available. Any thoughts?
Direct TV does not offer it On Demand, which sucks! And although Apple TV has the app, if Direct TV is your provider, you can’t watch it on there either. Or the iPhone app, or the iPad app. Really stupid.
I watched the episode, but then deleted it like a dumbass. I assumed I would be able to watch it again on demand.
However, you will be able to catch this first episode (“Monsters among us”) after next weeks show. I think it’s scheduled for 11:30 central time, but double check.
Thanks for the recap, it was excellent. I’m looking forward to all of them!
Welcome back UF, I watched it but I need to read your recaps with your precise observations on the things I missed. I was mesmerized by Elsa’s cape, monkey fur thanks for that. I agree she’s much more 40’s Noir, Peter Lorre came to mind for some reason. I expected more early Jackie Kennedy. Since I was mostly focusing on Elsa I didn’t realize how much I missed. Official Member Freaktard Club
Thanks ZenJen
Piegina
Thanks UF. AHS is another of my tv favorites. And you did it justice in your blog. Like others here….I too look forward to a long and freaky season and your recaps. Hugs…..and kisses. 🙂 🙂
As Elsa is singing “Life On Mars,” I believe she had an out of body experience. During her out of body experience, I believe she is crying because her dream of performing has finally come to fruition, but the clown get up is actually how she sees herself. She chooses to project this fabulous and grand ego, when in reality she is nothing more than a freak and that is how she really sees herself. And that is why I believe they used “Life On Mars,” because that truly is what life is like for Ms. Mars. And then we soon realise why she feels like a freak, and are shown her amputated legs.
That’s a good explanation. But there is also a possibility she was born that way. The ends of her legs look smooth and rounded, not blunt or scarred from surgery.
Thanks for a great recap UF! I knew this season was gonna be trippy but DAMN! Anyone who has a fear of clowns should avoid it. I heard that the entire Coven cast will be on Freak Show. Any truth to that?
No not the entire cast will be appearing this season. Unfortunately Lily Rabe is not back this time, and neither is Taissa Farmiga.
You will see many familiar faces return throughout the season.
UF, i was also going to ask if bette shaves her leg and dot doesnt but since TC has to scream about being the only one allowed to notice things like that i waited, but the painted nail leg appeared clean and the other not says alot about their personalities doesnt it?
Yes it is big clue about their personalities. When I went back to notice #ToeNailGate I too noticed that one foot was clean and pedicured, and the other one was rough & dirty looking. I thought that was hilarious.
In future Tattler twins scenes I’m gonna have to look see if Dot has nicer/cleaner teeth and cleaner/shinier hair.
Tattlers can be full of contradictions. 🙂
On Mon, Oct 13, 2014 at 11:56 AM, Tamara Tattles wrote:
>
It started on September 3rd – as did WWII in Europe 1939 ………
You freaks are good at this shit!
Oh cool thanks for sharing that