S04.E03: Edward Mordrake, Part 1

[Guest Accused Dingo]

The girl's mom made a comment that she finds clowns comical or something, I forget her exact words. That's BS. No one likes clowns! There are two kinds of people; those who have Coulrophobia and those who aren't that scared of clowns. But no one actually likes them.

 

 

Actually that is not true.  You can't have a phobia without the reverse being true.  There are people who have a sexual attraction to clowns or a fetish for clowns it is called coulrophilia.   And people say you can't learn anything from TV.  I learned that from CSI.  

 

Personally my opinion of clowns is that I have no opinion of clowns.  They don't scare me.  Never have but the last time I saw one at an amusement park he made me laugh...and gave me a really nice balloon animal....so I liked him.  I really hope he wasn't a serial killer.  

[Gemma Violet]

OK, I just realized that the entire third episode was an hour and 15/20 minutes long and my DVR only picked up an hour of it.  I watched it on playback and it stopped as Elsa was beginning to sing.  I figured I had missed a couple of minutes.  I later found the episode On Demand and watched it to see Elsa's song, thinking that would be the end, and was surprised to see an additional 15 minutes.  My DVR picked up the entire first episode of an hour and 15/20 minutes, so I'm going to have to look On Demand for the second episode to make sure I didn't miss anything there.   

[Avaleigh]

OK, I just realized that the entire third episode was an hour and 15/20 minutes long and my DVR only picked up an hour of it.

 

 

 

So far the first three episodes have all been well over an hour and I don't remember the episodes being so long last season. I'm not complaining, I like having more time since most of the shows I watch are commercial free. AHS and Mad Men are the two exceptions and I like the idea of AHS making sure that it's audience really is getting almost an hour's worth of episode. I wish Mad Men would do that for their final season.

[jnymph]

OK, I just realized that the entire third episode was an hour and 15/20 minutes long and my DVR only picked up an hour of it. I watched it on playback and it stopped as Elsa was beginning to sing. I figured I had missed a couple of minutes. I later found the episode On Demand and watched it to see Elsa's song, thinking that would be the end, and was surprised to see an additional 15 minutes. My DVR picked up the entire first episode of an hour and 15/20 minutes, so I'm going to have to look On Demand for the second episode to make sure I didn't miss anything there.

Same thing happened to me. I couldn't find On Demand-so I paid $1.99 off iTunes just watch last 15 mins.

Thoughts;

Another stupid song. Freaks playing the instruments is cheesy to me.

Ethel's plight is just sad, & not in a good AHS way. Too sad for my liking. I want thrilling/scary in my AHS, not incurable alcoholic diseases.

Not feeling Edward Mordrake- as attractive as he is.

Fortune Teller/Jimmy = boring

Bette/Dot is still somewhat intriguing.

MORE TWISTY & DANDY PLEASE!! Best plot line in the show for me.

 

edited to remove too many "sads". 

Edited October 24, 2014 by jnymph

[A Boston Gal]

I was slightly surprised that the character of Elsa, so worldy in carny ways and tricks, would be so easily taken in by a fake pyschic who knew how to scope out a room, looking for personality clues.  So, I think we're supposed to believe that Elsa is SO wrapped up in the dream of becoming a star ("Deitrich stole my career!" was among the best lines in the show), that she wants to believe what Emma Roberts is saying.

 

Or, as occured to me later, Elsa was smoking weed through that hookah when Jimmy came in the room, and wasn't in the sharpest state of mind when introduced to her.

 

Edited October 24, 2014 by A Boston Gal

[Brattinella]

I'm pretty sure that Elsa is an opium-head.

[Bruinsfan]

If you look at a lot of the 'strong man' or 'burly hero' types from then, most of them were just more barrel chested and big than actually Arnold Schwartzanegger huge and ripped, so I can overoverlook it.

Yeah, it's "Thor" who has the unlikely physique for the 1950s, not Del.

 

I wonder what Del's deal is, McLovin' wise? It's a little early, culturally speaking, for him to have "roid dick,", but dude, if Angela Basset in a naughty maid outfit giving you a handy can't get things going something is seriously physically/psychologically wrong. 

Well, it's not as if middle-aged overweight guys who drink never encounter performance problems without the use of steroids. And I think we can draw some conclusions about Del's proclivities from the fact that he's married a bearded lady and a hermaphrodite.

[iMonrey]

 

Also, as a woman with a formerly extensive beard, shaving makes the problem worse and is hard on your skin. Before I started electrolysis, I had a permanent 5 o'clock shadow.

 

Ethel does not appear to have an "extensive" beard, though - it's quite thin. I realize this is because it's a fake, glued-on thing, but my point remains the same. She is not in the same boat as the other "freaks" who cannot hide their deformities. It's not as if she was doomed to life in the carnival circuit from birth. It's a life she chose. That's why it's harder for me to muster much sympathy for her. And so far they've done nothing to explain why Jimmy was born with malformed hands.

[Dobian]

These episodes have been well over an hour, but there is a massive number of commercials. I've been watching the episodes in probably around 55 minutes in real time on the dvr.

I liked this episode. Dot's clearly out of her mind wanting to chop off her sister's head. I liked the spoof of Michael Myers with Dandy. You know how things are going to end up for that guy before the season is over.

[Watermelon]

Ethel does not appear to have an "extensive" beard, though - it's quite thin. I realize this is because it's a fake, glued-on thing, but my point remains the same. She is not in the same boat as the other "freaks" who cannot hide their deformities. It's not as if she was doomed to life in the carnival circuit from birth. It's a life she chose. That's why it's harder for me to muster much sympathy for her. And so far they've done nothing to explain why Jimmy was born with malformed hands.

True enough. Dell is a strong man, and Ethel has a beard. Neither of these are deformities that would have been visible upon birth, so why would Dell even assume they would give birth to a "freak"?  For all he knew, his child could have come out looking like any other baby. 

[Dirtybubble]

Another stupid song. Freaks playing the instruments is cheesy to me.

Gods & Monsters wasn't as good as Life on Mars but it was alot better than Dot & Bette's thing last week.  If R.M. insists on having a musical number each week, give it to Elsa.  She knows how to perform....not sing necessarily but perform.  As far as the freaks playing the instruments.....I read that Paul the Seal Boy actually does play the drums and Amazon Eve can play the piano so anything to show off their talents is great by me; but yeah not buying Ma Petit (as cute as it is) playing that tiny violin.

 

And so far they've done nothing to explain why Jimmy was born with malformed hands.

WORD!  Normally the condition that Jimmy has is hereditary so one of his parents, I would think, would have this condition.  But I believe it was written this way to simply add more depth to Evan Peters' storyline. 

 

 

Edited October 24, 2014 by Dirtybubble

[Mattipoo]

Kathy Bates nailed all her scenes this episode. So poignant and sad! Other than that, enjoyed the appearances by Denis O'Hare and Emma Roberts. Yes the Twisty and Dandy storyline is the most interesting by far. Hope the woman and boy in Twisty's trailer survive!

[shelley1234]

 

Ethel's plight is just sad, & not in a good AHS way. Too sad for my liking. I want thrilling/scary in my AHS, not incurable alcoholic diseases.

 

For me, that is the part I have responded to the most so far.  It's real and yes, horribly depressing.  The idea that having to live her life the way she did brought her to a life of pain and alcoholism and in turn an untimely death.  I also thought Kathy Bates played that pain and desperation with such an authenticity, but then again that didn't surprise me at all given Bates acting chops.  

[CJ70]

Someone mentioned the DePalma film Sisters last week, that is one that I saw as a young teen and stuck with me -- and I believe Dot's dream was another homage to that film... the scene was almost identical, at least to my memory, except I think in Sisters, it was an axe and not a saw... 

[rho]

True enough. Dell is a strong man, and Ethel has a beard. Neither of these are deformities that would have been visible upon birth, so why would Dell even assume they would give birth to a "freak"?  For all he knew, his child could have come out looking like any other baby. 

 

There was really no way he could have known that Jimmy would have that specific deformity, or any at all. I think he was just capitalizing on the fact that Ethel had a reputation as a freak, she was having a baby and they needed money. He drummed up anticipation by calling him the child of freaks. I think it was coincidental that Jimmy was born with the lobster hands.

[pieinmyeye]

So I am watching Edward Modrake part 1 and after the bearded lady is done telling the story about the 'two faced devil' she is storming out and Jimmy is following. Jimmy is suppose to have lobster hands right? His hands are clearly normal during this entire scene. Did anyone else catch this?

I guess I missed something because until this episode, I didn't know that Jimmy is the "Lobster Boy." I only figured it out by a very quick glimpse that showed his index and middle finger joined. Up until seeing that and him sitting in front of his trailer, I thought he was "normal.

 

[Avaleigh]

I guess I missed something because until this episode, I didn't know that Jimmy is the "Lobster Boy." I only figured it out by a very quick glimpse that showed his index and middle finger joined. Up until seeing that and him sitting in front of his trailer, I thought he was "normal.

 

 

I'm guessing you missed the first episode or a huge chunk of it because there was an entire section of the episode dedicated to how Jimmy makes money on the side because of his special hands. His hands are also visible in episode two when all of the performers decide to go eat at the diner. There's also last episode (IIRC) where he tells Dandy that he'd give just about anything to have normal hands like his.

[Whimsy]

Wow you're right that was the kid from American Beauty, he has grown up quite nicely.

Wes Bentley had a major drug problem after American Beauty that hurt his Career. He also made movies that were not that good.

Wow, I had never heard that. If that's the case, then he's had some Robert Downy, Jr.-level good luck, because time has been very kind to Bentley despite his past substance abuse troubles.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned his recent(ish) role in The Hunger Games.

[Gemma Violet]

There was really no way he could have known that Jimmy would have that specific deformity, or any at all. I think he was just capitalizing on the fact that Ethel had a reputation as a freak, she was having a baby and they needed money. He drummed up anticipation by calling him the child of freaks. I think it was coincidental that Jimmy was born with the lobster hands.

Maybe Ethel had an affair on the side with a Lobster Man.  Since the condition is hereditary, it would make sense.  I know that she refers to Jimmy as Dell's child, but maybe he really isn't and Dell has always suspected it and that's why he has such hostility towards Jimmy.

Edited October 25, 2014 by Gemma Violet

[HollyG]

Jimmy is suppose to have lobster hands right? His hands are clearly normal during this entire scene. Did anyone else catch this?

I noticed this last week too. The first scene they are listening to a radio and Jimmy reaches over it to turn it down or off (can't remember). I was going to post about this last week but I convinced myself that I was mistaken. I wonder if this is on purpose or sloppy filming?

[Blakeston]

If you look at a lot of the 'strong man' or 'burly hero' types from then, most of them were just more barrel chested and big than actually Arnold Schwartzanegger huge and ripped, so I can overoverlook it.

 

Looking at images of old-time strongmen, though, I haven't seen many that look anything like Chiklis. Those men may not have had chiseled definition, but their bodies looked to be rock-hard, with huge muscles. Whereas Chiklis looks much flabbier - his arms especially.

 

(Admittedly, though, I doubt there are many modern day actors with bodies that could realistically fit the bill.)

 

There have been several studies done about the fear of clowns. Coulrophobia did not really start to rise until John Wayne Gacy was arrested and people became aware of the details of his crime.

 

I'm sure Gacy did a lot to enforce the idea of scary clowns, but I feel like clown-fear must have been somewhat common well before he came along.

 

I remember practically ruining a friend's birthday party when I was a toddler, because I was so terrified of the clown that showed up. I was way too young to be familiar with Gacy, or any scary clown images in the media (like Pennywise from It, for example.) I've seen the same reaction in other very, very small children.

[CletusMusashi]

Maybe Ethel had an affair on the side with a Lobster Man.  Since the condition is hereditary, it would make sense.  I know that she refers to Jimmy as Dell's child, but maybe he really isn't and Dell has always suspected it and that's why he has such hostility towards Jimmy.

'Tis an interesting hypothesis. Why not Zoidberg?

[C0mputerGeek]

I remember practically ruining a friend's birthday party when I was a toddler, because I was so terrified of the clown that showed up. I was way too young to be familiar with Gacy, or any scary clown images in the media (like Pennywise from It, for example.) I've seen the same reaction in other very, very small children.

I don't think toddlers make the best example. They can be afraid of anything. For a time, my nephew had and horrid fear of dogs. My good friend's daughter was afraid of cakes (no, that is not a typo).

 

Ethel does not appear to have an "extensive" beard, though - it's quite thin. I realize this is because it's a fake, glued-on thing, but my point remains the same. She is not in the same boat as the other "freaks" who cannot hide their deformities. It's not as if she was doomed to life in the carnival circuit from birth. It's a life she chose.

In her case, it's how coarse the hair is.

Edited October 25, 2014 by C0mputerGeek

[panthergirl13]

I'm 55 and my friends and I wore store bought costumes all the time.  I think you have to go back further for homemade stuff.

Not really. My family was really into Halloween in the 50s and 60s. We exchanged PRESENTS (???) and had a giant party every year. Store bought costumes were rare (I think I had one Donald Duck costume but everything else was homemade). My mother hilariously dressed me up as the Virgin Mary one year, and trust me... she didn't get that in a store. My father and my uncle were usually in drag. 

[evilandproud]

This episode has me feeling really good about this season. At this point in each season the whole tone sort of gets defined and you can tell how the rest of it is going to be. I remember the third episode was when I realized I was hooked in the first season. In the second season by the third episode I realized the aliens were stupid and that Asylum was overall so much darker, but enjoyable nonetheless. In Coven I realized I was going to hate everything at that point. 

It seems like Ryan Murphy may actually have a cohesive story line plotted for this time, with a minimal amount of extraneous characters and dangling threads. If that is the case I am really, really excited about it. With that said, if Patti Lupone moves into a tent in the freakshow for no reason and Meep comes back to life next episode only to die and come back three more times I won't be terribly surprised.

Edited October 25, 2014 by evilandproud

[rubinia]

 

Looking at images of old-time strongmen, though, I haven't seen many that look anything like Chiklis. Those men may not have had chiseled definition, but their bodies looked to be rock-hard, with huge muscles. Whereas Chiklis looks much flabbier - his arms especially.

When we see Del in the flashback, he's younger (obviously) and more in shape. While still not what we'd think of as a body builder today, young Del has more of a "strong man" look. Chiklis' Del is probably meant to look older, flabbier, and out of shape...his "strong man" physique is going the way of the freak show itself--into obscurity.

[peacheslatour]

When we see Del in the flashback, he's younger (obviously) and more in shape. While still not what we'd think of as a body builder today, young Del has more of a "strong man" look. Chiklis' Del is probably meant to look older, flabbier, and out of shape...his "strong man" physique is going the way of the freak show itself--into obscurity.

Yes I agree, this seems to be the last gasps of the old time-y side show.  They were really an anachronism even in the early fifties.

[Christi]

In Kathy Bate's younger flashbacks, she has a much fuller beard. I think its thinning because of age and her health issues...a symbol of everything in the Freak Show's Glory Days fading. Like going to a once beautiful playground which now is rusting, paint chipping etc. Adding a full beard is makeup 101, so I think its thinning is intentional, just like her hair is thinning.

Also, the musical scenes, crowd surfing, freaks playing instruments beautifully, is a figment of Jessica Lang's drug enduced/fantasy/boarding on mental illness state. As well as the twins song...I believe we are seeing how they FEEL, not the reality. Just like when I get dressed up...In my mind I am a Pretty Pretty Princess, tho probably not so much to the outside world...lol

[luvgoldens]

I was born in the 50s and I don't recall clowns being especially scary back then.  I'm surprised that no one has mentioned that Howdy Doody had a famous clown friend named Clarabelle.  My parents even took me to meet Clarabelle in person at a local Montgomery Wards store.  Interesting that Dandy's Halloween costume has a connection with a clown.

[JayKay]

The only part about the episode that left me wondering was when Edward Mordrake walked into the tent and say Elsa performing. I couldnt tell if he was entranced or shocked by what he saw, (in my case its the former)

I think he was baffled. Her inviting reception of him was the freakiest thing on stage, if you're Edward Mordrake.

[Lemons]

 

 

I remember practically ruining a friend's birthday party when I was a toddler, because I was so terrified of the clown that showed up. I was way too young to be familiar with Gacy, or any scary clown images in the media (like Pennywise from It, for example.) I've seen the same reaction in other very, very small children.

I can see children being scared of clowns, but I don't understand how that can carry into adulthood.  Adults are able to determine that it is just a person with makeup and a costume on.

[evilandproud]

 

I can see children being scared of clowns, but I don't understand how that can carry into adulthood.  Adults are able to determine that it is just a person with makeup and a costume on. 

Fear is a very interesting thing and certain triggers in childhood can ingrain themselves in the brain and manifest in any number of ways. Just google "strange phobias" and you will see that a fear of clowns in an adult is far from the most ridiculous of fears. 

C0mputerGeek mentioned that the actual phobia of clowns didn't really exist until after the John Wayne Gacy trial, but I would argue that fear wasn't even really studied in depth scientifically until the late sixties. My grandma had a terrible fear of clowns her whole entire life, well before the Gacy murders. I do agree that it certainly contributed towards making clowns a symbol of fear as opposed to something you "find delightful" though.

[Thog]

I didn't catch the part about the next town over having a curfew, but I did think I heard one of the moms say that she thought they'd caught the serial killer, and he was part of the circus or something. I assumed they all thought the killer was Meep, he'd been dealt with, and life could go on.

That museum of morbidity, or whatever they called it, is real, and it actually is in Philadelphia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%BCtter_Museum

It's really cool and very disturbing, particularly if you're 6 months pregnant when you visit (lots of abnormal fetuses in jars, if I recall correctly).

Best parts for me: Ma Petite jumping out of the pumpkin, and Twisty's "shhh" to the little girl. I've hated clowns since Dumbo and Poltergeist, but this one is growing on me. I couldn't handle him until I looked up the actor and realized he was Drew's cross-dressing brother on The Drew Carey Show.

I'm also bothered by the inconsistency of Jimmy's hands.

[Chief Queef]

I don't think Del looks wrong for his role at all. If you look at competitive strongmen even today they're usually just large and bulky (and often appear "fat" off season), not ripped and defined like bodybuilders. There's a huge difference between functional muscle and vanity muscle. Plus he's meant to be aging and at the end of his career, so I can totally see him looking flabby yet still able to perform feats of strength in a low-rent freak show.

And I don't think anyone believes the twins could be medically separated with either of them surviving. Don't they share most of their lower spine and organs? I feel like the animosity building between them is just setting us up for a gory attempted self-surgery scene, especially since this season of AHS has been relatively low on the "horror" stuff so far (with the exception of Twisty who makes me pee my pants every time he sneaks up behind someone!)

And coulrophobia is a very prevalent condition, and hardly limited to children. Although clowning as a modern practice started in the 18th century, most of the familiar trappings of clowns (white face paint, pranks etc.) are much older and rooted in medieval carnival practices, and the clowns back then were based on "liminal figures" or minor demons who occupied the passage between life and death. So lots of historians think their original intent WAS to be terrifying and even though they've been watered down over the centuries as amusements for kids, such ancient fears don't die easily.

And it's nice to see Walter Bentley in a prominent role. I'd heard he had serious drug problems that derailed his career when he was younger, but I always thought (ever since American Beauty) that he was a very talented and charismatic actor with an interesting face, and I think he deserves a comeback.

[peacheslatour]

I don't think Del looks wrong for his role at all. If you look at competitive strongmen even today they're usually just large and bulky (and often appear "fat" off season), not ripped and defined like bodybuilders. There's a huge difference between functional muscle and vanity muscle. Plus he's meant to be aging and at the end of his career, so I can totally see him looking flabby yet still able to perform feats of strength in a low-rent freak show.

And I don't think anyone believes the twins could be medically separated with either of them surviving. Don't they share most of their lower spine and organs? I feel like the animosity building between them is just setting us up for a gory attempted self-surgery scene, especially since this season of AHS has been relatively low on the "horror" stuff so far (with the exception of Twisty who makes me pee my pants every time he sneaks up behind someone!)

And coulrophobia is a very prevalent condition, and hardly limited to children. Although clowning as a modern practice started in the 18th century, most of the familiar trappings of clowns (white face paint, pranks etc.) are much older and rooted in medieval carnival practices, and the clowns back then were based on "liminal figures" or minor demons who occupied the passage between life and death. So lots of historians think their original intent WAS to be terrifying and even though they've been watered down over the centuries as amusements for kids, such ancient fears don't die easily.

And it's nice to see Walter Bentley in a prominent role. I'd heard he had serious drug problems that derailed his career when he was younger, but I always thought (ever since American Beauty) that he was a very talented and charismatic actor with an interesting face, and I think he deserves a comeback.

Good post!  BTW I love your user name!

[RazzleberryPie]

Apparently I've been afraid of people in costumes/masks since babyhood. There are pic of the family at Disneyworld with Micke Mouse, and I'm always the one that's crying - at MICKEY MOUSE. How innocent and friendly is Mickey Mouse?

 

I think the fear of clowns, masks, or costumes, is that people tend to take on different personas when their faces are hidden, and you don't know how to process that, or what they'll do. That's especially true with mimes and clowns, who sometimes are just silly and funny, but more often than less, also want to make fun of people, invade personal space, etc., and that's not cool. Maybe it's more an aversion than fear, but I don't think the clown fear 100% originated with John Wayne Gacy.

 

No matter how you look a it though, it's amazing how these people just don't see Twisty as really, really, NOT NORMAL. He's filthy. He has to smell. He's huge and forboding. He's wearing a bloody-edged scalp. He's the poster child for That Clown Ain't Right.

[Dirtybubble]

Apparently I've been afraid of people in costumes/masks since babyhood. There are pic of the family at Disneyworld with Micke Mouse, and I'm always the one that's crying - at MICKEY MOUSE. How innocent and friendly is Mickey Mouse?

Well it is a 6ft rat. =)

 

 

I rewatched last week's episode and as much as I loved Edward's entrance I was kind of let down by the character.  IDK, I was expecting something a little scarier and instead we get ghost Oprah.  And I'm sorry--him talking to his other face was comical.  Schizophrenic oprah ghost, split personality oprah ghost, it just seemed silly.

 

Edited October 27, 2014 by Dirtybubble

[Bruinsfan]

Man, how much would it suck to be born with a conjoined devil-twin that whispers to you until you go murderously crazy, and then be stuck with it still a part of you and determining your actions in the afterlife?

[shelley1234]

I think the fear of clowns, masks, or costumes, is that people tend to take on different personas when their faces are hidden, and you don't know how to process that, or what they'll do. That's especially true with mimes and clowns, who sometimes are just silly and funny, but more often than less, also want to make fun of people, invade personal space, etc., and that's not cool. Maybe it's more an aversion than fear, but I don't think the clown fear 100% originated with John Wayne Gacy.

 

 

 

I am a full grown rational adult and yep....I'm afraid of clowns.  Not afraid as in I am gonna go screaming from the room, but I am immediately on edge and suspect of said clowns.  For me, I know where the fear comes from.  It is two fold.  One, in a not so cool parenting move....my folks allowed me to watch 'It' when I was a wee bit and that might have fucked me up for life.  Secondly, you hit the nail on the head...I don't like that you can't really see the person behind the clown.  I don't like that sense of anonymity.  I am much less suspect of those clowns that don't have a mask or the full face paint...the ones with just a red mouth and a few white circles on their faces.  Those clowns I am cool with....the full face, full costume ones??  Yeah, no...they can get bent.  

[OakGoblinFly]

I can see children being scared of clowns, but I don't understand how that can carry into adulthood.  Adults are able to determine that it is just a person with makeup and a costume on.

 

 

Those early impressions are hardwired into our brains and difficult to undo.  While rationally I know that a clown is just a person in a costume, it still scares me.  There is something about the garish make-up - particularly the painted on smile - that makes me cringe; been that way since I was a kid (I would hide when ever the clown car made an appearance at the circus).  So of course Twisty has this huge grin mask and I can't help but squirming every time I see him even though I know he's just an actor on a television show.

Edited October 28, 2014 by OakGoblinFly

[Last Time Lord]

Twisty can wander openly because this is horror. There is a hilarious.comercial making the rounds (i think for a car) that makes fun of the horror trope that people in horror movies make bad decisions. "Hey should we get into the running car?" "What are you crazy! Lets hide behind the wall of electric saws".

 

The commercial is for Geico Car Insurance. I like the version they show at the movie theater, better, where they turn it into a thing about not being on your cell phone during a movie.

 

I think Dandy may end up being the big bad serial killer at the end of this. He freaks me out more than Twisty does.

[Andromeda]

I'm 55 and my friends and I wore store bought costumes all the time.  I think you have to go back further for homemade stuff.

Me, too. I remember the lame Halloween costumes, which featured a bodysuit with a picture of the thing you're supposed to be on it, and a cheapo plastic mask with thin elastic that probably wouldn't last the night. I suppose the picture was just in case people couldn't figure out you were Woody Woodpecker. Or something.

 

The commercial is for Geico Car Insurance. I like the version they show at the movie theater, better, where they turn it into a thing about not being on your cell phone during a movie.

I adore that ad. Both versions! It should win awards, I laugh every time I see it.

 

Are we getting a musical interlude every episode now? Because it pulls me out of the story every damned time, the songs are so anachronistic.

 

I also hate clowns. They terrified me as a kid at the circus, and I never stopped hating them. When my son was little, he hated the mascots that we'd run across in restaurants and whatnot. I think there's a lot of truth to this:

I think the fear of clowns, masks, or costumes, is that people tend to take on different personas when their faces are hidden, and you don't know how to process that, or what they'll do.

That museum of morbidity, or whatever they called it, is real, and it actually is in Philadelphia.

http://en.wikipedia....i/Mütter_Museum

It's really cool and very disturbing, particularly if you're 6 months pregnant when you visit (lots of abnormal fetuses in jars, if I recall correctly).

I recognized it right away, too. I visited there once on a work trip (by myself, pretty sure my coworkers wouldn't have wanted to go there).

Edited October 28, 2014 by Andromeda

[bunnywithanaxe]

Man, how much would it suck to be born with a conjoined devil-twin that whispers to you until you go murderously crazy, and then be stuck with it still a part of you and determining your actions in the afterlife?

It would suck a lot, I imagine.

Jimmy's hands-- I'm sure the actor is always wearing the prosthetic, but there has been a couple times I have gone," wait, where did the love claw go?" I think when he holds his arms a certain way, the fingers look normal-ish.