S04.E10: Orphans

[maraleia]

 

The death of a Freak sparks troubling behavior in Pepper. Elsa reveals the history of the Freak Show. Desiree grows suspicious of Maggie.

 

[Mattipoo]

Is this the episode where Lily Rabe makes her cameo and Pepper gets sent to Briarcliff? I think her brother or boyfriend in the Freak Show dies.

[editorgrrl]

Is this the episode where Lily Rabe makes her cameo and Pepper gets sent to Briarcliff? I think her brother or boyfriend in the Freak Show dies.

I agree that Salty's the next to die.

http://youtu.be/rVx9nwIBqzs

[Valny]

I agree that Salty's the next to die.

 

Me too, especially after seeing that clip.

Can't wait for the Sister Mary Eunice appearance! I hope it's not a super quickie cameo though, like Theo Huxtable last week.

I love that she's not in the promo too,I don't want to see her scenes until the ep airs)

[WearyTraveler]

I'm not sure I'm remembering correctly,  if anyone knows, feel free to correct me, but, wasn't Pepper in the Asylum in the very first episode?  If so, that would mean Sister Mary Eunice got Pepper before she was possessed by a demon.  So, if we see the sister, it would be the sweet, innocent one from the first few episodes of Asylum, not the more interesting possessed sister.

[rubinia]

Right, Pepper is in the asylum when season 2 starts. So we'll be seeing Sister Mary Eunice, not Sister Mary Satan :)

[editorgrrl]

So, are the orphans in the title Dandy, Bette, and Dot? Or does Penny's father (Vince) die? Does Wendell "Dell" Toledo?

[Avaleigh]

Ethel made it seem like a lot of the performers kind of viewed Elsa as a mother figure and goes on to say that some of them were rejected by their mothers/parents so maybe it's a reference to all of the performers.

[RazzleberryPie]

So, are the orphans in the title Dandy, Bette, and Dot? Or does Penny's father (Vince) die? Does Wendell "Dell" Toledo?

I'm actually hoping 

something happens to Elsa, who maybe Ethel? (i don't exactly remember bc except for the Ghost of Ethel scenes last week was awful) referred to Elsa as all of the freaks mother.

Edited December 15, 2014 by RazzleberryPie

[Dirtybubble]

If I'm reading wikipedia correctly this is also the last episode before the winter break and when the show comes back Jan. 10th or 11th (I think) then that will be the season finale.  If that's the case then this episode should wrap up a lot of story lines.

 

 

[editorgrrl]

There are 13 episodes this season—so 3 more after this.

[Dirtybubble]

There are 13 episodes this season—so 3 more after this.

Oh ok.  I thought it was ending a little quickly.  So 3 more in January.....cool.  I'm liking this season--even with all it's faults.

[MarysWetBar]

This episode was just so incredibly packed with info. I'm Still reeling. Pepper's story has me in tears. Ma Petite!! Seeing her dazzling smile again was wonderful. I like kinder Elsa.. lol

[RazzleberryPie]

Well that was the saddest show I've ever seen. Nothing scary, but tragically sad. Poor Pepper and hello Mare Whatsherface. Didn't know she was guesting again.

 

Not sure if this is a spoiler, bc it was in the preview for the next episode 

Neil Patrick Harris and a VENTRILOQUIST looks terrifying. Those things are so creepy and I'm wondering if this one's possessed or he's just nuts and thinks it talks to him.

[ShadowHunter]

I am glad I had watched S2 or I may have felt lost on the last 15 minutes.  I still do not  know how I feel with things being connected.

 

This was a sad episode though. I do think they could have trimmed a few minutes from some of the stories though.

 

I still do not understand what Emma is doing. Every emotion she has all looks the same.

 

Nice to see Lily again.

[Valny]

It was about 10:45 and I wasn't happy. For two reasons:

1.  Way too much Maggie

2. No sign of Sister Mary Eunice. I didn't know the ep was running long tonight so I was pissed that at that late in the episode and she still wasn't showing up.

 

But the last half made up for the first half. That definitely redeemed it overall for me.

 

Best scene:  Elsa and Pepper at the sister's house.  Oh hi Mare Winningham!  You and your disgusting husband get worst parents of the year.  But before that, I loved (well not really) when Elsa was saying goodbye to Pepper. OMG, so sad. My eyes were all leaky!

The last time I cried watching this show was the finale of Asylum, when

Kit saved Sister Jude and later brought her to his house,etc.

Naomi Grossman said a lot without saying much. I felt so bad for her when Elsa was leaving and also when Elsa and her sister are talking and she's sitting there so forlorn.  Crushed my little heart. Jessica Lange and Naomi were killing it.

I'm glad Sister Mary Eunice had compassion for her.  WTH? Elsa is on the cover of Life?

You know what I want to see, when Pepper sees Sister Jude! :)
 

Edited December 18, 2014 by Valny

[mustbekarma]

The true horror of this episode is that Elsa Mars actually made the cover of Life Magazine, implying that she got her happy ending when Pepper ended up in the asylum after being blamed for murdering her child. It was her child, not that damn bitch of a sister's. (I know Pepper wasn't the biological mother, but she was still the "real" mother. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.)

 

Elsa gets a happy ending after abandoning Pepper. Selfish wench needs to have her arms sawn off without anesthesia in another snuff film. I want to go all HULK SMASH! right about now.

 

Pepper damn near broke my heart. Horror stories aren't supposed to make you sad.

Edited December 18, 2014 by mustbekarma

[ShadowHunter]

Mare Winningham Pepper's sister was also Kyle's molesting mother in S3.

[jhnlpz]

Did Maggie use the twins' money to take Desiree to Philadelphia? Aren't they all supposed to be broke?

 

Mark my words: Desiree is totally going to cut Stanley's dick off and sell it to the museum. I mean, she nearly did it for free like two episodes before. And she looked way too happy chopping those carrots for the pot roast.

 

I hope she didn't forget to finish that pot roast.

Edited December 18, 2014 by jhnlpz

[Valny]

The true horror of this episode is that Elsa Mars actually made the cover of Life Magazine, implying that she got her happy ending when Pepper ended up in the asylum after being blamed for murdering her child. It was her child, not that damn bitch of a sister's.

 

 

Pepper damn near broke my heart. Horror stories aren't supposed to make you sad.

 Oh shit, I have to rewatch that again! I knew it was weird when the sister  was telling Mary Eunicesaid she had a baby  when she told Elsa she couldn't and I was all, huh? She's lying... but I didn't occur to me that it was Pepper's! Wait, did I miss something that they showed/said that I should have known it was hers? Damn, that's even sadder now.

 

Mark my words: Desiree is totally going to cut Stanley's dick off and sell it to the museum.

I'm down for that!

Edited December 18, 2014 by Valny

[mustbekarma]

 Oh shit, I have to rewatch that again! I knew it was weird when the sister  was telling Mary Eunicesaid she had a baby  when she told Elsa she couldn't and I was all, huh? She's lying... but I didn't occur to me that it was Pepper's! Wait, did I miss something that they showed/said that I should have known it was hers? Damn, that's even sadder now.

The bitchy, murderous sister gave birth to the baby. Pepper loved and cared for Baby Lucas. Sister had martinis and laid in bed all day. That makes Pepper the real mother in my book.

[honeywest]

So that was Pepper's baby, not her sister's? Was her brother-in-law the father? Now I have to watch "Asylum" on Netflix to catch up.

 

Naomi Grossman was wonderful.

[Blakeston]

Mare Winningham Pepper's sister was also Kyle's molesting mother in S3.

Between AHS and The Affair, Mare Winningham has really been getting some lovable roles lately.

[RazzleberryPie]

So that was Pepper's baby, not her sister's? Was her brother-in-law the father? Now I have to watch "Asylum" on Netflix to catch up.

 

Naomi Grossman was wonderful.

No i think the poster meant Pepper was the 'real' mother bc she loved it and took care of it. Mare gave birth to the baby.

[Valny]

OMG- But that would have been more heartbreaking if it was Pepper's baby.  So I guess the sister's pipes got unclogged somehow!

 

I hope Jimmy's flipper hands in the Morbidity Museum were not a fakeout.  I don't think so.

 

I hope she didn't forget to finish that pot roast.

 

  Mmmm...pot roast!  That was a nice cut of meat too!

 

Aw no, next week

Neil Patrick Harris is bringing along a ventriloquist's dummy.

I hate those things more than creepy clowns. They give me the wiggins.

 

 

Now I have to watch "Asylum" on Netflix to catch up.

 

  Yes honeywest, do it!  It's perfect to catch up since they're taking the break now.   It's a dark and disturbing season, so I hope you don't mind stuff like that. It's still my favorite season.

 

ETA-  Damn, there sure were a lot of backstories tonight. Maggie's was zzzzz....

Edited December 18, 2014 by Valny

[Avaleigh]

Of all of the sad things I've seen on AHS this episode might have been the saddest as far as this season goes. Just horrible and tragic. Nothing funny or cute about it, it was just awful IMO. I saw no real reason for Elsa to dump her on the sister like that when Elsa could have had Pepper be "useful" in some other way. This was also the first time I was truly offended at the way she referred to Pepper as her first "monster ".

Mare Winningham is good. She managed to be even more hateful this season and I think that's quite a feat.

Was Elsa listening to Marlene? Has she ever mentioned her by name on the show?

Was Elsa was a chorus girl after the snuff film or am I completely off? I think I could believe Elsa surviving the legs being cut off over her being a capable chorus girl.

I thought it was incredibly unrealistic that Ma Petite didn't have a negative reaction and was basically all smiles after she was left behind by the Maharaja. That should have been upsetting/emotional to her IMO since she seemed to have been with the Maharaja a long time by the looks of it.

Actually, Ma Petite being apart of his entourage made me think about old school royals who would go out of their way to have a little person be part of their court/an attendant because it was supposedly thought to be good luck.

Also why wouldn't the museum want Salty's body in order to show the contrast?

Theo dating Angela Bassett seems wrong somehow. *shrug*

Edited December 18, 2014 by Avaleigh

[HunterHunted]

Theo dating Angela Bassett seems wrong somehow. *shrug*

They are only 12 years apart in age, but it probably seems wrong because we saw Malcolm Jamal Warner grow up on camera. While we only became familiar with Angela Bassett as an adult.

Edited December 18, 2014 by HunterHunted

[tom87]

I know AHS is a Ryan Murphy production but do you think they will explain why Pepper could talk in the Asylum but not in freak show?

Edited December 18, 2014 by tom87

[Rhetorica]

I know AHS is a Ryan Murphy production but do you think they will explain why Pepper could talk in the Asylum but not in freak show?

Aliens

[CofCinci]

Aliens

[darkestboy]

That was incredible. Pepper's whole backstory and led up into her time in Briarcliff, I had something in my eye during those scenes. Top marks for Naomi Grossman there, she was truly brilliant to watch.

It was nice that Elsa actually tried to do the right thing by Pepper in both flashbacks and during the present day. Actually this was the most likeable that Elsa has been on the show.

Not sure about her getting her fame and fortune though.

Mary Eunice reappearing has made me realise how sorely missed Lily Rabe is on this show. I hope the show gets her back next season then.

Pepper's sister and brother in law should be added to the list of deplorable people on this show.

Maggie and Desiree teaming up to take down Stanley is a nice touch. Really want him gone now.

Nice moments with Bette and Dot and Dell as well too. 10/10

[Dirtybubble]

Mare Winningham Pepper's sister was also Kyle's molesting mother in S3.

Thank U!  I knew she was familiar but I couldn't place from where.

 

Three cheers for Naomi Grossman!  Even though I knew what was going to happen to her and Salty I still had tears in my eyes.  Excellent job for a character we really haven't gotten a lot of story about this season. 

 

I miss Lily Rabe desperately!  Please come back for next season.

[ItsHelloPattiagain]

This episode was sad but unexpectedly sweet which is totally unlike AHS. Usually it's depressing evil with a little snark tossed in. I liked the connection to AHS Asylum but I'm not going back there - that season was just too dark for me. 

[Dirtybubble]

I almost forgot about Ma Petit in this episode.  Kinda bugged me that 3 cases of Dr. Pepper is enough to trade in for her.  And how did Elsa manage to get all that stuff to India or how did she even know that it would do the trick?  I mean I get it was meant to be humorous but really?

 

And don't even get me started on Jimmy and those stupid hands.  How did that even happen while he was in jail??? 

[Avaleigh]

Stanley went to visit Jimmy . Perhaps he was able to bail him out? Another thought is that he bribed the guards with money and by claiming that he was related to one of the Tupperware party victims. ETA: With Meep we saw that the cops wouldn't do anything about a guy being murdered by other inmates. Given that we're supposed to believe that the cops aren't interested in catching the right guy I guess if they're playing it this way then they wouldn't care if Jimmy was hurt or not and probably feel he had it coming.

Desiree is definitely going to go to work on Stanley. Dell will too once he finds out about Jimmy. After that I want Elsa to take out Dell to avenge Ma Petite.

Also, was Salty killed or did he just happen to die and Stanley took advantage? The reason I ask is because they didn't show what method Stanley used. I wondered if it was a cupcake. If Stanley had been responsible though they'd show it, right?

I'm surprised that Ethel wasn't in the flasbacks. I thought for sure they'd been among the first to team up.

Seeing the scenes of Salty and Pepper and finding out that they were a couple when I'd previously assumed they were siblings made those scenes all the more heartbreaking.

It also made me wish that Ma Petite could have met a little man.

Three cases of Dr Pepper to replace a human being. Wow. Remember in the movie Almost Famous where three of the groupies end up getting sold for $40 and a case of Heineken? In the movie one girl finds out about the trade and is understandably hurt and upset but in this show with Ma Petite she was all smiles. Maybe we're to think she wanted to leave the Maharaja's household?

Edited December 18, 2014 by Avaleigh

[luckyroll3]

Remember, the Maharaja mentioned Ma Petite was an "untouchable", which to them was the lowest of the low in terms of the caste system in India.  Hey, taking 3 cases of Dr. Pepper is the least of the evils when you consider he was keeping her a pet and on a leash.  Reminds me of the show I just saw on the Smithsonian network about the real, historical Beauty and Beast, where any of their offspring that exhibited the hairy face gene were given away as pets to other royals/nobles.  Quite disgusting and disturbing.  

[Sakura12]

I think Salty just died. Elsa in her monologue said most of them don't live past 40. I'm assuming Pepper is younger then him. 

 

I loved seeing Sister Mary Eunice. This season is missing Lily Rabe. 

 

This is one of my favorite episodes of this season because it actually told a story and wasn't just a big mess of disturbia and gore. 

[Avaleigh]

I missed the Untouchable line. That makes more sense then, I guess I just wish she'd had a more complex reaction to the idea of leaving what appeared to be the only family she'd ever known. Cut off from her native language, cuisine, not knowing anything about Elsa or about what duties would now be expected of her, etc.

Also, word to the poster for pointing out that the way these characters are constantly travelling around so quickly and easily doesn't make much sense. I'd forgotten the museum was in Massachusetts. Even if they're taking a train it's still quite a hike.

[bunnywithanaxe]

Between AHS and The Affair, Mare Winningham has really been getting some lovable roles lately.

And chewing the damn scenery in both. Does the heart good to watch. She deserves a comeback!

And that was some amazing acting coming from Pepper. Completely shattering.

Edited December 18, 2014 by bunnywithanaxe

[Dirtybubble]

This is one of my favorite episodes of this season because it actually told a story and wasn't just a big mess of disturbia and gore.

This was one of my fav episodes as well but I gotta admit I kinda missed Dandy.  I was looking for him to pop up but I guess they just can't get every character every time. 

 

I do hope Dell pays for his crimes and this just isn't brushed under the rug.  He not only assaulted Amazon Eve, he MURDERED our sweet doll!   I'm kinda surprised that Eve and even Desiree are ok with him being here.  Desiree hinted that she knew he was gay but honey that doesn't make up for all the awful stuff he did.  And I get the feeling this is just all gonna be forgotten about.

 

 

[Sakura12]

They all think Stanley killed Ma Petit. So he's still just an asshole to all of them. If they find out about Ma Petit I imagine Dell would not be walking around anymore. 

[Primetimer]

An episode chock-full of flashbacks and flashforwards reveals the origin and ultimate fate of everyone's favorite pinhead (of the two we know).

Read the story

[Avaleigh]

Mare had a couple of good lines in this episode.

I thought it was hilarious when Elsa was telling her that Pepper knows how to make drinks and asks if she likes cocktails and Mare's character says "Yes. Yes, I enjoy many cocktails."

The other mean but funny line was when she told her husband that Pepper was so dumb it makes her hurt.

[editorgrrl]

Mark my words: Desiree is totally going to cut Stanley's dick off and sell it to the museum. I mean, she nearly did it for free like two episodes before. And she looked way too happy chopping those carrots for the pot roast.

 

When you put it that way, it makes sense. When I was watching, it just came off like an excuse for Miss Desiree to say this:

[morgankobi]

I think it was interesting that Maggie said to Desiree that Stanley had Ma Petite killed. I think Dell will get what's coming to him.

 

Are we really supposed to believe that Elsa somehow gets a TV show? That's the biggest shock of this season.

[gesundheit]

Holy crap, Naomi Grossman was fantastic in this episode.

 

Great, now Maggie's a "good guy" even though she's totally culpable in Ma Petite's death. Which I'd probably not really mind if Emma Roberts were decent at the acting thing. Now it just means more Maggie. Maggie the "hero." No thanks.

[Helena Dax]

God, poor Pepper...  

 

I loved this episode, sad as it was; the actress who plays Pepper is amazing. And Mare Winningham -I remember her from The Thorn Bird, omg- did a great job too. Pepper's sister was completely awful and so was her husband. 

 

Elsa's the worst too, such a hypocrite. I can't with her and she doesn't deserve the happy ending it seems she's going to get. 

 

I liked to get Ma Petite's backstory, even if it didn't make any sense. Or maybe because it didn't make any sense XD Anyway, Ma Petite's reaction when she was sold to Elsa doesn't bother me, since it used to be her usual reaction to everything. 

 

Desiree needs to start using that knife asap. 

[jnymph]

Naomi Grossman hit it out of the park! Amazing acting; she sold Peppers heartbreaking story.

However, I found the episode TOO emotionally draining. When I tune into a HORROR show I'd much rather see a creepy serial killing clown. Or even a fucked up man child psychopath.

Although I loved seeing Lily Rabe & hearing the screams echoing thru the halls of Briarcliff once again.

Edited December 19, 2014 by jnymph

[Straycat80]

I thought this episode was great and very emotional. The story of Pepper was a nice change from the blood and gore of the past couple episodes. Great acting by Naomi Grossman and Mare Winningham. And it was nice to see Lily Rabe again too.

[Mattipoo]

Pepper's backstory was poignant and heartbreaking. Now that we know how she got to Briarcliff in "Asylum", maybe a future season will deal with what happens to her after "Asylum" (perhaps a season about alien abduction)? Nice seeing Lily Rabe as Sister Mary Eunice, that's my favorite character of hers on AHS. Did Dr. Pepper pay for the product placement during Ma Petit's flashback?

Edited December 19, 2014 by Mattipoo