S04.E04: Edward Mordrake, Part 2

[Brattinella]

Folks who agree with my opinion on Emma Roberts!  For joy!

[Dewey Decimate]

Can't believe I actually cried a bit at Twisty's backstory.

Elsa's backstory was horrific, but damn, that woman looks freaking amazing. How they made JL look so drastically younger is awesome.

Candy is dandy, but Dandy is eye candy! Finn Wittrock is shirtless in next week's ep? Nom nom. I'll just conveniently ignore the whole completely lunatic serial killer thing.

Not to pile on (completely unintentional coincidence), but Emma Roberts just sucks the momentum out of any scene she's in. She's an awful actress; her delivery feels perpetually inauthentic and she always comes off as a petulant teen. Why couldn't Lily Rabe have played her role, damnit? Oh, to see LR and EP motoring down the road... ("I put her on the back of my bike/and we went ridin'/down by Old Man Twisty's farm! ")

Who wants to bet that in a dénouement of ham-fisted irony, Long Dong Silver's prized sword will end up pickled in a formaldehyde-filled jar?

[encyclopedia brown]

Why couldn't Lily Rabe have played her role, damnit? Oh, to see LR and EP motoring down the road... 

 

Hadn't even considered this possibility, and now that the idea's been suggested, am thoroughly irritated at RM & crew for not making it happen. Lily Rabe as the conspiring faux fortune teller would've been nothing short of delicious.

[shelley1234]

I finally got around to watching this week's episode.  

 

Elsa's back story is just horrific.  It made me really feel for her and what she has lost due to her intense desire to be famous.  What I didn't get was why her story made her an acceptable person for Edward to take.  

 

Twisty's story was also heartbreaking.  God damn it.  It also made me even scarier since it showed how out of touch he was with what he had become.   It did show though that he never planned on hurting the people he took...and just wanted to entertain them.  It also showed the dramatic impact an untrue accusation can have on someone's life.  I think in the end....Twisty will find peace and happiness in Edward's world.  

 

I agree with the masses....I have never enjoyed Emma Roberts.  She is a prime example of nepotism.  Bleck.  

Edited October 31, 2014 by shelley1005

[BigMamaThorton]

 

I also enjoyed the little spotlight on Legless Suzi and Paul the Illustrated Seal. If you look up regular pictures of Mat Fraser, he is very handsome in a Steve McQueen/Daniel Craig, sort of way, and I was glad they pointed that out in his monologue. <bolding mine>

I got rather a Brad Pitt-esque vibe…..

 

I'm disappointed that there will be no Patti LaBelle, Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson Lady Marmalade quartet a la Moulin Rouge.

 

Dandy, baby, you want to Efferdent that new smile of yours.

[Dirtybubble]

Emma Roberts just sucks the momentum out of any scene she's in. She's an awful actress; her delivery feels perpetually inauthentic and she always comes off as a petulant teen. Why couldn't Lily Rabe have played her role, damnit? Oh, to see LR and EP motoring down the road... ("I put her on the back of my bike/and we went ridin'/down by Old Man Twisty's farm! ")

Well thank you Prince for that lovely vision =) LoL!

 

Enh, yeah she would have done well as a fortune teller but part of this role is to be a bit submissive to Dennis O'Hare's character & I'm sorry I just don't see her being that way to anyone.  Yeah she was a bit of a weakling in Asylum but her true talent really seems to shine when she's a dominate force like in Coven.  Plus I just don't see her as a love interest for Evan Peters. 

[CatMomma]

I am so bummed that Twisty died.

 

The Freak story line just bores me to tears. I don't find it scary at all, just a lot of torture porn and sexual violence.   I am much more interested in Twisty, Dandy, and mama Dandy. I love the campy feel and the shear insanity of it. Come on! Dandy was drinking his liquor from a crystal baby bottle.  That's the story I want to know more about.  Heck, I even wanted to learn more about Twisty's caged victims.

[Knittzu]

I'm sorry, but there's no way Elsa's injuries were survivable. She would have been dead within minutes from blood loss and shock. Also, I really don't understand the point of a snuff film that doesn't end with... well, snuffing. They turned off the camera while she was still alive? Why? I feel like I must have missed something in that scene.

 

I'm with the others who are already sick of Emma Roberts this season. I'm disappointed that they brought her back. She has zero on-screen chemistry with EP and her perpetual sulky teen act annoys me.

 

I feel like this season is missing something. Suspense, maybe? There's so many characters, but Elsa and her horrible accent seems to be front-and-center in every episode. IMO she's just not interesting enough to be the central focus of the season. I often feel like I'm watching a cartoon character, especially when she fell right into the trap of "I'm here from HOLLYWOOD!" Hasn't she developed any street smarts over the years?

[jnymph]

I've mulled it over and come to terms (a bit) with Twisty's passing. I like the posters assessments of Twisty enjoying life on the other side with the Mordrake crowd.  Which, by the way..... I still don't have any understanding of Mordrake's logic on why he chose Twisty.  I'm going to blame RM's convoluted storytelling. Wish he would have taken Dell.   

 

Dandy better BRING IT if he's carrying on Twisty's legacy.  That's a lot of creepy awesomeness to live up to.

 

I'm with the others bored of Emma Roberts   She's just "blah" onscreen.   Also, I agree with others that Lily Rabe's acting chops would have sufficed better in that role. Even whatshername Tamissa Faminga (??) would have been more interesting.

[Bruinsfan]

Although I suppose we could have a nice debate about Rodeo Clowns too--they get all the chicks, but probably have even worse injury and mortality rates than even Evil Murder Clowns.

When they look like this one can see why rodeo clowns might have game...

[Dobian]

I love that weird little melody they play whenever Edward appears, it's like his personal theme song whenever he makes an entrance, lol.  He reminds me of Johnny Depp playing Barnabis Collins.

[JenE4]

That was such a good episode! I have so many feels, as my teenager would say! Hard to reconcile feeling sorry for Twisty and also being saddened that he doesn't understand what he's doing. I think that was a really powerful way to wrap up his storyline, leaving viewers with mixed feelings about him. I wonder whether we'll feel the same way about Dandy if/when we see how he was raised to be who he is today. But, wow, that kid is a powerful actor! The emotions he imparted just with his looks at the end--shocked and scared that he killed Dora, and then suddenly turning into jubilation. Reminds me of how impressed I was with Evan Peters. I'll say one thing about this show, they really do know how to cast people, with minor exceptions--complaints about Emma and Gabby aside. Speaking of casting and those missing Lily Rabe:

She's going to be back this season, reprising her role as Sister Mary Eunice!

Edited October 31, 2014 by JenE4

[Snookums]

So Twisty is in hell now?  But he's happy about it?  It did seem to be like a family welcoming in another member when Mordrake brought Twisty into the fold so to speak.

 

 

He already was, on earth. I think that's the point of Mordrake: a man who couldn't escape his own personal hell while he was alive now creates a safe space for "true freaks" in the afterlife. Whatever hell has in store for this gang can't be worse then what they've already been through. 

 

Moving over to Elsa: yes, there is no way she would have lived through having her legs sawed off, I don't care how many lovesick soldier boys rushed to her aid. Unless he ran in there with gallons of O Negative and a MASH unit she would have died in minutes. 

[Dobian]

I guess I'm in the minority because I don't mind Emma Roberts.  I would have liked to see Taissa Farmiga again though.  I guess she only does the odd numbered seasons, haha.

[Blakeston]

He already was, on earth. I think that's the point of Mordrake: a man who couldn't escape his own personal hell while he was alive now creates a safe space for "true freaks" in the afterlife. Whatever hell has in store for this gang can't be worse then what they've already been through. 

 

If he's creating a safe space, why would he exclude people like Ethel, who feel genuinely sorry for their misdeeds - and be on the verge of bringing someone like Elsa?

 

I would like to think that Twisty was brought back to a nice place - but everything in the dialogue suggested that Mordrake was looking for someone deserving of punishment in hell.

[Dirtybubble]

Moving over to Elsa: yes, there is no way she would have lived through having her legs sawed off, I don't care how many lovesick soldier boys rushed to her aid. Unless he ran in there with gallons of O Negative and a MASH unit she would have died in minutes.

Yeah it does seem unlikely but I've seen documentaries of shark attack victims having both their legs taken off and a lot (not all) but a lot of them survived.  I guess if the guy was a soldier he would have experience on severe wounds and how to help them, like taking his belt or something to tie around her legs to slow down the blood flow from her wounds.  And if they immediately went to the hospital then yeah I guess it's possible.  Enh it's a R.M. world....anything is possible.

[RazzleberryPie]

If he's creating a safe space, why would he exclude people like Ethel, who feel genuinely sorry for their misdeeds - and be on the verge of bringing someone like Elsa?

 

I would like to think that Twisty was brought back to a nice place - but everything in the dialogue suggested that Mordrake was looking for someone deserving of punishment in hell.

 

Yeah, they were all terrified of being taken by Mordrake, so I don't think he was going somewhere peaceful.

 

I guess I'm in the minority because I don't mind Emma Roberts.  I would have liked to see Taissa Farmiga again though.  I guess she only does the odd numbered seasons, haha.

Emma just always comes off as an insincere brat who is trying to take advantage of people. The fakeness almost worked in Coven, because she was supposed to be a spoiled bitch, but it doesn't as a fortune teller. She was the fakiest of all fakes in that scene where she 'read' Elsa. I can see where a young guy who wants love could blindly fall for a girl who actually pays him attention, except Jimmy has been raised around carneys who are also scam artists and salesmen, so you'd think he'd spot her a mile away, too. Elsa was on opium, and has blind ambition, but still, I can't believe the rest of them aren't screaming and pointing FAKE - SHE HAS SOME OTHER MOTIVE!

 

Best part of this episode was the backstories - except for Elsa's, it was just too dark and depraved - so I hope they do a few more in future episodes.

[Betweenyouandme]

I was left with a feeling that Twisty was lying in some way about his past, but maybe it really was just that his part in it went over his head or was rationalized.

Also, I guess what happened to Elsa was torture porn rather than snuff.

Oh, and I like Emma, but that's because I have a crush on her. That happens to me a lot :( she's just so cute.

Edited October 31, 2014 by Betweenyouandme

[Rhetorica]

I don't know where to post this so...

Wasn't Pepper an Alien in Asylum? Anyone remember this? Help me out here, I forget how I know that.

[rubinia]

 

Wasn't Pepper an Alien in Asylum? Anyone remember this? Help me out here, I forget how I know that.

She starts out as *just* Pepper in Asylum (a "pinhead" as she's depicted in this season), but later gets abducted and returned by aliens and has become incredibly intelligent and well spoken. But yeah, it's the same character.

[Rhetorica]

She starts out as *just* Pepper in Asylum (a "pinhead" as she's depicted in this season), but later gets abducted and returned by aliens and has become incredibly intelligent and well spoken. But yeah, it's the same character.

Thanks rubinia, now I remember. Wonder if this is a clue for next year...

[Happytobehere]

So they hired Patti LaBelle's to have her play a maid and kill her of after less than fifteen total minutes of screen time. The hope that something interesting was going to happen there was one of the things that kept me with this tedious season. It certainly doesn't help that at this point, Angela Bassett is being completely wasted. Strike one.

We get to see more of spoiled brat in need of a spanking. Strike two.

One more god awful rendition of a time inappropriate song by Jessica Lange will equal strike three.

[JasonCC]

Yes, I think when Elsa was doing the dominatrix work and porn films she was already well into her 30s.. She may be blaming the loss of her legs for her failure to become a legitimate (non-porn) German film star like Dietrich, but I suspect her ingénue phase had already passed. They definitely are paralleling her to Marlene Dietrich who did minor roles in silent films until von Sternberg put her in "The Blue Angel" around age 30. She then lost weight, had her back molars removed to emphasize her sharp cheekbones, and came to Hollywood. I reckon Elsa is meant to be the same age in 1952 as Dietrich: early-to-mid 50s but just like stars never pay they also never give their true age.

[Zima]

Lord help me, but Dandy gives me the most awkward lady-boner. 

[misslisa]

Idk i think im the only one not dwelling over twistys death. I think Dandy is much more dangerous and evil. And I can't lie he's sexy. He's a sexy brat. I'd like to punish him, but not like.. Sit on a toilet with nails punish him..

Its nice to see others feel the same lol but Edward Mordrake is my #1 and #2 ;)

[Captanne]

I have to chime in and say, ManBaby (as we call him here in Chez Captanne) is revolting and has no appeal to me or anyone here whatsoever.  Twisty was fabulous -- and I do like the way he went out.  

 

Chez Captanne, en masse, is really enjoying this season.  Personally, I found Asylum cool and Coven mind-numbingly boring.  As for the whole cast, Sarah Paulson and her lisp are tiring, Jessica Lange is sublime and -- being Mid-Atlantic -- Misery (what is her name?)'s accent is hilariously tortured.  

 

If we're looking for guilty appeal, though, I find Lobster Boy very handsome even without what he can do with his hands.  He's a good looking lad.

[CharmCollector]

I'm enjoying the season too. I'm really enjoying Amazon Eve and Ma Petite. I hope we get to see more of them.

 

 

I'm finding it wryly funny that "everyone" is so perturbed at Kathy Bate's accent. As a southerner, I have lived all my life watching TV/movies with actors doing horrible southern accents. Do they even have dialogue coaches or just let the actors do what ever they *think* is a southern accents? They seem to have two speeds: Tara and Deliverance. Fiddle-dee-dee! Besides, I went to junior high school with a girl from Baltimore and she talked *exactly* like Kathy Bates so the accent sounds spot on to me.

 

Count me in as a person that finds Sarah Paulson tiring. In Coven, I was tired of watching her cry and her wet blubbery lips EVERY EPISODE.

 

I am loving all the other characters and especially La Lange. She is, as always, magnifique!

[peacheslatour]

From an interview with Ryan Murphy:

 

"Twisty is not over, and neither is Edward Mordrake. They both make triumphant returns," Murphy said. "I was shocked to read so many of these 'RIP Twisty' websites and blogs have sprung up. People love Twisty...He will return.

[Neurochick]

Twisty's story was also heartbreaking.  God damn it.  It also made me even scarier since it showed how out of touch he was with what he had become.   It did show though that he never planned on hurting the people he took...and just wanted to entertain them.  It also showed the dramatic impact an untrue accusation can have on someone's life.

 

 

I think Edward took Twisty because he really couldn't even admit that he was wrong to kill all those people.   But I do agree that it showed how an untrue accusation can destroy someone and that part was sad.  I wonder though, how he could put a shotgun in his mouth and not destroy the back of his head.  

[SHOgirl]

I wonder though, how he could put a shotgun in his mouth and not destroy the back of his head.

I've also wondered how his tongue survived.

[peacheslatour]

I've also wondered how his tongue survived.

And what a tongue, oh lordy!  *shudder*

[Bruinsfan]

This is a Ryan Murphy production. Maybe the physics were as cartoonish as some of the plots and the gun barrel exploded in his mouth, leaving him blinking and covered in soot?

 

I'm finding it wryly funny that "everyone" is so perturbed at Kathy Bate's accent. As a southerner, I have lived all my life watching TV/movies with actors doing horrible southern accents. Do they even have dialogue coaches or just let the actors do what ever they *think* is a southern accents? They seem to have two speeds: Tara and Deliverance. Fiddle-dee-dee! Besides, I went to junior high school with a girl from Baltimore and she talked *exactly* like Kathy Bates so the accent sounds spot on to me.

 

Ha, so true. Most southern accents on TV sounds so fake, it's a shock when someone who doesn't naturally possess one gets it right. (That's why Jean Smart is my gold standard, as on Designing Women she absolutely nailed the speech pattern of Poplar Bluff, MO where I have family.)

[Insomnia]

I'll just conveniently ignore the whole completely lunatic serial killer thing.

 

This is pretty much what I do to watch Sons of Anarchy, so it's something I can get behind.

 

Dandy better BRING IT if he's carrying on Twisty's legacy.  That's a lot of creepy awesomeness to live up to.

 

He'll be fine so long as he keeps the clown outfit. Because fuck clowns.

 

Yeah, they were all terrified of being taken by Mordrake, so I don't think he was going somewhere peaceful.

 

Well, to be fair, all they know is someone performs, and then someone is dead the next day. Unless they are a spiritualist, they don't really know what happens to them, just someone always being dead has to be pretty scary. I'd be scared too.

 

[Last Time Lord]

Hey, so Dandy really is going to be the villain of the season? Never thought I would be right about that. I've found him the creepier if the two, so I don't mind.

Speaking of casting and those missing Lily Rabe:

She's going to be back this season, reprising her role as Sister Mary Eunice!

Wait, really? So this really is a prequel to Asylum? I… don't know how I feel about that.

[Portia]

[OT]

 

Ha, so true. Most southern accents on TV sounds so fake, it's a shock when someone who doesn't naturally possess one gets it right. (That's why Jean Smart is my gold standard, as on Designing Women she absolutely nailed the speech pattern of Poplar Bluff, MO where I have family.)

 

Bruinsfan, we may know some of the same people! I was born and raised in Poplar Bluff. When I was a youngster I thought Jean Smart's accent was too "country," but then I moved away . . . and now when I visit PB, the people's accents sound a lot more extreme to me.   

[/OT]

[editorgrrl]

I think Edward took Twisty because he really couldn't even admit that he was wrong to kill all those people. But I do agree that it showed how an untrue accusation can destroy someone and that part was sad. I wonder though, how he could put a shotgun in his mouth and not destroy the back of his head.

Plenty of failed suicides only blow off their lower jaws, including Richard Lee Norris (who later had a face transplant), and James Vance (who claimed a Judas Priest song told him to kill himself).

I find Elsa surviving a double amputation way more unlikely. She'd've bled out from both femoral arteries in no time.

[jenny2682]

This was a marvelous episode for me.  I loved the back-stories provided, but I will miss Twisty.  When we first got a glimpse of his destroyed mouth in an earlier episode, a botched suicide was my first thought.  And SHAME on them for not having Miss LaBelle do one musical number; jerks!

 

On a separate issue, I truly believe snuff films have been made, and still ARE being made, on a very routine basis, sad to say.  With all the missing/murdered people each year, mostly women and children; some HAD TO have been snuff movies.  Adam Walsh may have been; the only proof of such depravity will be the actual film, and those folks who have the money and inclination for shit like that will have a VERY solid safe and will never share their stuff.  The reason that this is still being considered an "urban legend" is so there won't be panic and/or more sadists producing them.

I remember the Made for TV movie where the father had to listen to tapes of boys screaming to see if he could recognize Adam's voice.  I believe they exist as well. Never underestimate the depravity of "humans".

 

I actually had been getting into this season and had 4 AHS on my DVR and decided to go ahead and watch. I am happy that it is picking up.

[Stringey]

I have not read any of the season four forum because in am only into the fourth episode. But wow it was pretty sad what happened to twisty and his backstory. Could someone explain though how all this time he has been going around with part of his face torn off and is still alive.  Would have had massive massive infections with that thing even if he kept it covered with the mouth piece.