S04.E12: Show Stoppers

[BrokenRemote]

So closed captioning showed the Nazi doctor's name as "Gruper", for what it's worth. Did Stanley get it in the monster dick? I thought the knife was obviously in his thigh. Yeah I guess it could have been, um, positioned that way, but it was the front of his thigh. And that's where he was holding as he ran.

I'm starting to fear this is devolving into everyone killing everyone else, with Dandy being set up to be the last one standing. I also don't get how he bought the show, but my guess was Elsa either scammed Chester somehow or knew he was unraveling and wouldn't contest the resale.

There were a couple things that seemed off to me: the cops aren't watching the show grounds for Jimmy anymore? He didn't seem very well hidden. Nobody went after Chester after he killed Maggie? I know they didn't care she was dead, but the fact that he was crazy enough to kill her out in the open didn't make them worry he'd do some other murderous things? When Dandy showed up as the new owner, they all just accepted it, with nobody asking where Chester went?

[Shibori]

Sorry, Emma Roberts, but getting sawed in half made your ass look fat. Because that cross section was of someone much bigger, even if it sliced the fullest part of her hips.

That said, I realize that of all the implausible things in this episode, that should be the least of my concerns!

[rubinia]

Gruper was Dr Arden's real name.

[RazzleberryPie]

 I still think Jamie Brewer is just awful in this role. Her inflections are bizarre and her diction is poor. Yes, I know this is a product of her disability, but I just don't understand why she's been cast in this role. Why would Chester's imaginary killer doll have that voice? Am I missing something?

 

I was delighted when I looked up the actor playing young Arden and discovered that he's James Cromwell's son. Perfect

I'm with you. Jamie's inflections were strange, and why did they make the doll look like an ugly old woman, when Jamie Brewer is clearly decades younger and cuter than that doll. I think she's only in her 20s. BTW I barely watched a few minutes of Murder House, but she was excellent in Coven. I agree that she just wasn't a great fit for Marjorie.

 

For a moment, I thought it was the finale, too.  The sad part is it will probably be better than the actual finale.

 

I like Angela Bassett, but she was out of control by the end of that episode.  She couldn't have chewed the scenery harder if she tried.  Sucking down a whole bottle of whiskey, breaking the bottle, then preparing to go murder Elsa - while somehow becoming the leader of the other freaks.  Just too OTT for me.  And it was strange how quickly they turned on Elsa.  Oh look how beautiful our Elsa looks in these pictures - yes she's evil - let's all kill her now!

Dandy taking over would've made an excellent finale. 

 

Angela Bassett - love her, HATE this character. She's really, really mean (stone cold killer) and is just an over the top caricature of a Wounded Angry Black Woman with Sass. She's taken over as ring leader way to easy, too. This role is just unlikable to me. I did enjoy the 'steal her jewelry, then bury her' line.

[Mattipoo]

This was a fantastic episode. Echoing everyone's comments about the nice shout-out to "Freaks" and Stanley's and Maggie's gruesome fates.

So was Massimo supposed to be the Axe man from Coven? I know it's the same actor but wasn't sure if he was meant to be playing the exact same character. Loved that they also brought back the crazy German doctor from Asylum.

The finale will be interesting. I hope Edward Mordrake and Twisty come back and take Dandy with them to hell. Also hoping Elsa doesn't become a Hollywood star like the episode with Pepper in the asylum implied.

[RazzleberryPie]

Maggie has a traumatic experience in the box with a killer clown (Dandy) manning the saw and she cheerfully volunteers for another go with a stranger who's been acting crazy all over the place? No way. That's completely ignoring the character to fit an end.

Yeah, I thought that was weird of her to go near the box, too.

[LittleIggy]

Stanley's fate was awesome. So glad to see my Danny Huston again if only for a brief time. I love that guy!

[joelene]

I like Angela Bassett, but she was out of control by the end of that episode. She couldn't have chewed the scenery harder if she tried.

The scenery chewing is one of the things I love about AHS. Is there a scene when someone isn't chewing the scenery? It saved Coven from being unwatchable in the end and this season would just be dull without it. IMO.

[TheColonel]

The revenge on the con-man was done well, almost EXACTLY the way it was done in FREAKS!  I was hoping they'd  'Gobble gooble one of us'  though. Neil Patrick Harris I'm still not sure about in this role. Was sad to see Emma's character killed off but then that's the new trend in TV, un-announced slaughter of main characters. I was aslo hoping Elsa would get hers but there's still one episode left-who knows right?

Peace.

[LoneHaranguer]

 

I also don't get how he bought the show, but my guess was Elsa either scammed Chester somehow or knew he was unraveling and wouldn't contest the resale.

Wouldn't it be Dandy that was scammed?  If she had already sold the show to Chester, that would mean she was selling something she didn't own any more.

 

 

the cops aren't watching the show grounds for Jimmy anymore? He didn't seem very well hidden.

The cops ought to be around soon. Even though what Chester carried in turned out to be a doll, they can't dismiss that he's covered in Maggie's blood.

[DrSparkles]

Thank god this non-stop slaughterfest is over next week, because I cannot.

[iMonrey]

 

Thank god this non-stop slaughterfest is over next week, because I cannot.

 

If you have an aversion to Slaughter then American Horror Story is probably not the show for you.

 

I am interested to see how they're going to wrap this all up though, and I'd like to get a better look at Stanley because it wasn't real clear to me what they did to him. He's smaller somehow, I'm guessing they cut off his arms and legs, or at least shortened them. He seemed to be missing his hands.

 

I don't feel any special need to see Dandy pay for his crimes at the end of the day. This is a horror show after all and frankly Dandy is one of the few characters that kept me interested this season. Finn Wittrock is hilarious and amazing. 

[peacheslatour]

 

why did they make the doll look like an ugly old woman, when Jamie Brewer is clearly decades younger and cuter than that doll.

Right?  I  think they have some 'splainin' to do.

[DollEyes]

 

I don't feel any special need to see Dandy pay for his crimes at the end of the day. This is a horror show after all and Dandy is one of the few characters that kept me interested this season. Finn Wittrock is hilarious and amazing.

 

  ITA  about Finn Wittrock, but I believe that Dandy still needs to pay for all the shit he's done, just like Stanley and Maggie this week, Dell the week before and Twisty before them.

[Straycat80]

I finally got around to watching this episode. If this had been the finale I would have been disappointed. I am one of these people who likes closures with these kind of shows. I know I might not get it but I can hope.

I'd like to know what happens to Elsa. And what happened to the man who had come to visit Angela Bassett? And I think something has to happen to Dandy. He did some horrible things.

I have enjoyed this season and am looking forward to the season finale.

[Rahul]

This show needs to hire a medical consultant. Maggie's death scene just pulled me out of the show and I could not suspend my disbelief at the way Maggie's organs just slopped onto the floor. The skeletal system would have kept most of the organs in place, but severing of the vasculature would have resulted in blood spurting radially, not just dribbling onto the floor.

 

This season has been very hit or miss, with the last two episodes since Chester's introduction being very big misses.

[RedheadZombie]

  ITA  about Finn Wittrock, but I believe that Dandy still needs to pay for all the shit he's done, just like Stanley and Maggie this week, Dell the week before and Twisty before them.

 

Most of Dandy's murders didn't bother me much, but he should pay for (at least) the poor little boy, and I was really bothered by the guy who was still alive while his arm was being sawed off.   In prior seasons, the villains usually received justice, or had a true change of heart (Sister Jude).   I don't see Dandy becoming a good person.

 

I just had a horrible realization - Jessica Lange's characters have never been truly punished.  Constance was rewarded by a grandchild that she clearly planned on protecting and enabling (first murder while he was a toddler), Sister Jude had a change of heart and was forgiven by Kit and surrounded by love as she died, Fiona had a "punishment" that only she would find uncomfortable, and Elsa looks like she's headed down the same road.  I'm not liking this.

The scenery chewing is one of the things I love about AHS. Is there a scene when someone isn't chewing the scenery? It saved Coven from being unwatchable in the end and this season would just be dull without it. IMO.

 

The scene where Desiree prepared to extract justice from Elsa was just too OTT for me.  The shrieking of "Ethel!" like they were soul mates or actually knew each other more than a week or two.  If someone avenged Ethel it should have been her son or those who loved her for years.  I don't think Desiree should have been featured so heavily in that SL.

[Dobian]

Jimmy ordering fake hands to look like his lobster hands, nice touch.  I didn't mind some of the inconsistencies of the episode, it was greatly entertaining.

[joelene]

The scene where Desiree prepared to extract justice from Elsa was just too OTT for me. The shrieking of "Ethel!" like they were soul mates or actually knew each other more than a week or two. If someone avenged Ethel it should have been her son or those who loved her for years. I don't think Desiree should have been featured so heavily in that SL.

I get what you mean. My view on that though is that Desiree, what with her being so vocal and opinionated and sassy and in-charge, at that point is just SO pissed that Elsa has done this to one of their own that it didn't matter if it was Ethel, it could have been anyone. Even so, Desi and Ethel didn't just hate each other, they bonded enough (Ethel did take her to that doctor, so there was that) for her to seek vengeance over it. I'm sure it didn't hurt matters that it was her stepsons mother.

[BrokenRemote]

Wouldn't it be Dandy that was scammed? If she had already sold the show to Chester, that would mean she was selling something she didn't own any more.

I meant maybe she scammed Chester, as in the paperwork she gave him when she took his money wasn't legit, so he was never really the owner. Which would leave her still in a position to legally sell to Dandy. Edited January 17, 2015 by BrokenRemote

[Beezel]

I just had a horrible realization - Jessica Lange's characters have never been truly punished.  Constance was rewarded by a grandchild that she clearly planned on protecting and enabling (first murder while he was a toddler), Sister Jude had a change of heart and was forgiven by Kit and surrounded by love as she died, Fiona had a "punishment" that only she would find uncomfortable, and Elsa looks like she's headed down the same road.  I'm not liking this.

 

 

I get what you mean, since knotty pine isn't in general a terrible punishment, but I think Fiona's hell was fitting precisely because it was horrifyingly mundane. ( I'm gonna be safe and spoiler tag the rest. ) 

After all, she lived a selfish life of excitement and leisure as the supreme, convinced she was special and above everyone, so to be stuck in that cabin with nothing to do and only the stupid Axeman to talk to would be maddening for her.  It was just, for much the same reason Delphine and Marie's feuding forever was their perfect ending, petty people deserve petty ends.

 

Also, I agree Constance got what she wanted,  but there was every likelihood that would come back to bite her later since she's attempting to raise the anti-Christ and she was kind of a terrible mother.  I liked the ambiguity of that ending.

 

 I agree though.  I will be dissapointed if Elsa doesn't get what she deserves, since she's such a horrid person. I hate to think of her famous, even for a brief time, and  I'm hoping her demise is something worse than being taken by Mordrake, honestly. 

 

Admittedly, Maggie wasn't the worst character around, but I find it hard to feel sorry for her. I think it was because she was such a self-righteous pain in the ass after she decided not to kill Ma Petite. I'm still not over her going around telling everyone how to behave.  Plus, I too expected her involvement would get white washed over, so, I love that no one really gave a shit that she was killed. 

Edited January 17, 2015 by Beezel

[David T. Cole]

[snips] Ok, I removed a few posts for unsportsmanlike behaviour. We now continue the episode discussion.

[JellyFishQueen]

So has AMH story reveal next season plot? During the end of conven we knew it was Freak Show. Also I wonder if Gabourey Sidibe going to be in it from now. Because I am watching FOX empire and she has a pretty big role on that show.

[shelley1234]

I was not jumping up and down when Maggie got chopped in half.  I don't like Emma Roberts and wish someone else had been cast in the role, but all in all...I did like the sense of growth and redemption in her character.  She came in thinking that the freaks were just something that gets her to an end and she didn't even think of them as real people.  As the season progressed that changed and not just because of Jimmy.  Her bringing Ma Petit back and not being able to kill her was a big ol' change for me.  She was able to see the people and not just see them as freaks.

 

I also feel for Jimmy since how much can the guy lose.  He's lost both of his parents and the person he loves.  Guy has to believe he is cursed.  

 

 

 

Yes! I do remember the younger Cromwell playing Arden in a flashback during S2. The resemblance is amazing. 

 

 

I always love it when Kiddo Cromwell plays a younger version of his dad.  They did it in the show Betrayal last year (that only me and 2 other people actually watched).  I just think it makes a flashback just magical since John is just an absolute mirror image of his dad.  

[Helena Dax]

I liked some parts, but I have that feeling that this could have been better... I'm a bit curious about some of the characters (Jimmy, Dandy, Elsa, the twins) but I'm not emotionally  invested in any of them. I mean, right now I can't even remember how Dell die, that's how much I don't care.

 

The first scene was great and Stanley had it totally coming. But well, Freaks is an awesome movie.

[CharmCollector]

Dell was shot by Elsa for killing Ma Petite. ;-)

 

I love the homage to classic movies- Magic and Freaks.

 

I think the actress that plays Eve deserves what we think will happen to Elsa-She needs her own series full of fabulosity. Perhaps a mystery show set in the thirties.

[Captanne]

If we're projecting spinoffs from Freakshow (a perfectly reasonable pastime) -- I would like one to include Eve and Paul.  By themselves, they could carry a spinoff.  Of course, I think Paul should be cast as the next leading man in just about anything he wants. The guy is handsome, has amazing charisma, is English for Gawd's sake (American women swoon at an English accent) and can act.  And, bluntly put, he has a quirk that would work in his favor as far as advertising.  He has something that would either endear him to the audience or repel them -- either way, it's eyeballs on the television.  (Ew.  But you know what I mean.)

 

As CharmCollector put it -- Eve is just full of fabulosity and so would her contribution to a series be.  

 

With so much Sherlock Holmes going on right now, that might be a good "buddy" vehicle for them.  (House, Sherlock, Elementary....on and on.)

 

I thought this episode really shone for both of them but the whole series has, really.

 

I'm so damned sick of NPH that even gussying him up in whiteface and red lipstick kept taking me out of the scenes with him.  I keep seeing NPH rather than Chester.  Which is terrible.  An actor of his calibre should be able to overcome that -- he's saturated the media with himself (especially emceeing award shows) so I no longer see the character.  I see the actor himself.  Blah.

 

ETA:  Ordinarily I would chafe at stunt casting like NPH but this show stunt casts all over the place so I can't complain there.  I'm used to it being part of the gestalt of the series.

Edited January 18, 2015 by Captanne

[RedheadZombie]

If we're projecting spinoffs from Freakshow (a perfectly reasonable pastime) -- I would like one to include Eve and Paul.  By themselves, they could carry a spinoff.  Of course, I think Paul should be cast as the next leading man in just about anything he wants. The guy is handsome, has amazing charisma, is English for Gawd's sake (American women swoon at an English accent) and can act.  And, bluntly put, he has a quirk that would work in his favor as far as advertising.  He has something that would either endear him to the audience or repel them -- either way, it's eyeballs on the television.  (Ew.  But you know what I mean.)

 

I would like to see RM use the actor portraying Paul in another season - and not base the storyline around his arms.  He did this one other time, and it was with Jamie.  In Jamie's first season, her character was based on her disability.  In her last two roles, Down Syndrome wasn't mentioned or even implied.  I don't think my wish will be granted.  While RM has re-used great actors - Jessica, Kathy, Sarah, Angela, Lily, Frances, he's re-used mediocre to horrible actors - Taissa, Emma, Jamie, Gabourey.  It seems RM has a difficult time finding young talented actors.  Evan Peters in the only good and consistent young actor, IMO.  I would add Denis to the very talented group, but he's played such vile characters, I simply don't enjoy him and would prefer not to see him again.

[CharmCollector]

I'm rooting for Paul to have his own series too. I watched Paul's and Eve's interviews and both were very interesting and touching.  I'd love to see them acting a series together!

[English Teacher]

Jin the opening scene the referenced the movie , The Sign of the Cross...wasn't that Sr. Jude's favorite film?

[DangerousMinds]

I could do without Evan Peters for one season of the show. He was not needed at all in Coven, IMO.

[TudorQueen]

Stanley being turned into a geek by the freaks he'd set out to exploit was one of the two Best Comeuppances Ever on this show (the other one is Nazi Dr. Arden throwing himself into the crematorium after his true love). And, as others have noted, it was a great callback to Tod Browning's classic film.

 

I think I'm one of a handful of watchers who like Elsa and want to see her dream of stardom come true. Yes, she can be an ice cold bitch, but a case can be made that she killed Ethel in self-defense, and she did, in her own way, love her 'monsters', especially Ma Petite. Plus what she went through back in Germany would put a touch of ice in nearly anyone's heart. However, I do agree that it's unlikely that the Life cover means she found stardom the way she imagined it.

 

Didn't like Maggie, didn't care about her, didn't love or hate her being sawed in half. I thought NPH brought real pathos to the role of Chester, but to have such an important character - and storyline - come in at the end kind of unbalanced the show.

 

So next week is the finale. At least there are a handful of characters left to participate in it.

[Surrealist]

I don't feel any special need to see Dandy pay for his crimes at the end of the day. This is a horror show after all and frankly Dandy is one of the few characters that kept me interested this season. Finn Wittrock is hilarious and amazing. 

 

I feel the same way. Finn Wittrock has been the best thing about this entire season. You can tell how much he's enjoying his character.

 

I'm not sure whether I think he'll be one of the survivors. We shall see.

[TVFan17]

This was a fantastic episode. Echoing everyone's comments about the nice shout-out to "Freaks" and Stanley's and Maggie's gruesome fates.

So was Massimo supposed to be the Axe man from Coven? I know it's the same actor but wasn't sure if he was meant to be playing the exact same character. Loved that they also brought back the crazy German doctor from Asylum.

The finale will be interesting. I hope Edward Mordrake and Twisty come back and take Dandy with them to hell. Also hoping Elsa doesn't become a Hollywood star like the episode with Pepper in the asylum implied.

 

I wondered the same thing about the Axeman and Massimo.  I... guess so??  I wasn't entirely sure.  I got the Dr. Arden/Asylum reference right away.  And, of course, we know that Pepper ends up in Asylum.  Other than that, I was confused about which season was being connected to which season. 

 

To me the episode felt rushed -- like, all of a sudden, they were trying to cram in as much shock and murder as possible, all in one episode.  It was like a speed round of murder.  It did seem more like it should have been the season finale, and yet, at the same time, this season seems shorter overall to me than Coven seemed.  I don't know if this season is shorter or if I am just imagining it, but it feels like an episode or two went missing somewhere along the line.

 

I don't think Maggie quite deserved that kind of departure, but oh well.  

 

The Stanley thing was just too freaky, but, to be honest, the actual freaks on the show (what's left of them) almost seem too nice/decent to do something like that!  They don't seem evil enough.  I would think they'd just dispose of him and be done with it, rather than keeping any parts of Stanley around.

 

I wonder if Elsa will end up on the cover of the magazine because she somehow inherits Stanley's giant penis or something.  I really don't mind Elsa too much.  It's not that I think she is a pleasant person -- none of the characters that Jessica Lange has played on AHS have been pleasant people -- but she is a good villain, and is fun to watch.  And her "Hostel" days in Germany were horrible.   I'll be sad to see JL go from the AHS series, but I hope that she comes back in a future season -- even in a cameo.

 

All in all, this has been another jumbled mess of a season, with too many ingredients thrown into the stew -- as most AHS seasons are -- but I liked it much better than I thought I would, given that I hated the concept of the season when I first read about it.  This show is always watchable and fascinating, even when very little actually makes sense, because the visuals and imagery are engrossing.  Although there was some gore this season, I found it to be less gory than Coven was -- which I appreciated.

 

I still can't even figure out what next season is supposed to be about!

Edited January 19, 2015 by Sherry67

[Gemma Violet]

I thought NPH brought real pathos to the role of Chester, but to have such an important character - and storyline - come in at the end kind of unbalanced the show.

 

Yeah, he played an interesting character for a couple of episodes and then he's gone.  I'm assuming he won't be in the finale due to showing up at the police office covered in blood.  Will the police investigate, I wonder?  Probably not.

 

So that Malcolm Jamal-Warner appearance a few weeks back was what?--a favor he owned RM or RM owned him?  What was the point of a 20-second appearance by a well-known actor? Why not just use an unknown?

Edited January 19, 2015 by Gemma Violet

[Blakeston]

I expect Malcolm Jamal Warner will be in the final episode. If not, that was quite possibly the most random sideplot I've ever seen on AHS - and that's saying a lot.

[DrSparkles]

If you have an aversion to Slaughter then American Horror Story is probably not the show for you.

I've watched this show since the first episode. The killings this year, IMO, are almost predictable & boring. Just seems like a lost opportunity. That clown? HE was horrifying. Once the Lange leaves, I'm probably out.

[English Teacher]

Regarding next season, the top hat made me immediately think of magic....and then a magic show gets thrown into two episodes of the freak show. Hmmmm.... Too close to this season's theme probably.

[Snookums]

And it was strange how quickly they turned on Elsa.  Oh look how beautiful our Elsa looks in these pictures - yes she's evil - let's all kill her now!

 

 

Actually they were looking at pictures of Ethel back in her heyday, reminiscing, and the conversation took a dark turn. They've just Meeped out Stanley, but not before he accused Elsa (rightly) of being Ethel's murderer, and that's been brewing in them for a bit, and now with the show sold and they aren't dependent on her anymore, it just bubbled up. 

 

It was hard to see because of the erratic, disjointed pacing of the episode in particular and the season in general. It's hard enough to rationalize the bizarreness when things don't make sense (such as LoneHaranger pointing out, there's no way that Maggie, who escaped from the exact same box trick and Twisty only a few weeks ago, would be so perkily ready to jump back into that trick) but even when things make sense, the thru line, both emotionally and time wise, is really hard to track.

[Snookums]

Sorry, Emma Roberts, but getting sawed in half made your ass look fat. Because that cross section was of someone much bigger, even if it sliced the fullest part of her hips.

 

 

I thought the same thing! "Does the magic box put forty pounds on you in fifteen seconds??"