Alice Rush reviews the third episode of American Horror Story: Freak Show…
Halloween episodes of American Horror Story have always proven to be some of the more memorable instalments of the series, and quite rightly so. As a show that thrives on storytelling, terror and typically a lot of fake blood, Halloween would seem to be the ideal time to show off. The week’s episode “Edward Mordrake part 1” takes a less in-yer-face horror approach, instead favouring a supernatural spin. It may not be as exhilarating as the Halloween episode in ‘Murder House’ but it moves the series forward in the right direction and treats us to some true typical ‘AHS’ gems.
The arrival of two new characters this week sees even more danger being brought to the freak show. Con artist Esmerelda arrives at Elsa’s camp claiming to be a fortune teller, however she is a fraud working with Stanley, her partner in crime, in an attempt to catch a real life freak and make a mint. Jimmy, who seems smitten with Esmerelda, is having personal problems of his own as he clashes with his mother who, unbeknownst to him is dying. Interpersonal spats are happening across the camp as the troupe is being slowly and painfully ripped apart. Bette and Dot are at each other’s throats and Del and Desiree are having problems in the bedroom department leading to Del having violent outbursts. Dandy and Twisty are still continuing their strange pairing this week as well. After a clash with his maid Dora, played by the excellent Patti LaBelle, Dandy storms off and tries to kill the prisoners in Twisty’s caravan, once again showing who the real monster is. The writers are obviously taking their time with Twisty before introducing him to the carnies at the freak show, but I just hope that by that time we haven’t become desensitized to his bloody ways.
However the real shining aspect of this Halloween episode comes in the form of freak show ghoul and real life legend Edward Mordrake, a man with a second face on the back of his head. This second face tormented Edward until he killed himself and now he spends his time visiting freak shows on Halloween and killing any act who performs on this day. One thing American Horror Story loves to do is play around with real life characters, incorporating them into the show such as with Marie Laveau and Madame LaLaurie last season. The choice to include Mordrake in such a way is interesting because it is the first experience of the supernatural that we have had so far in a very earth bound series. AHS has always blurred the lines of reality, playing around loosely with ghosts, ghouls and real life history, and the Edward Mordrake story seems to fit perfectly into these parameters.
His eerie introduction is thematically apt to this series as Ethel narrates his story with an almost silent movie style grainy film playing and his summoning is truly weird and wonderful as Elsa defies the rest of the troupe and performs on Halloween night. I personally love the inclusion of musical numbers within this series as I feel it allows the character another dimension, however even I must admit Jessica Lange singing Lana Del Ray did detract from what was basically the absolute nightmare for Carnie folk.
Mordrake is played brilliantly by Wes Bentley who brings a sense of humanity and compassion to this folklore legend as he corners Ethel in her trailer, explaining rather painfully that the demon on the back of his head demands he take a soul that night. Something the show has always done well is find the sympathy and compassion within the evil, and Mordrake is shown to be a tormented soul unable to escape his own fate. Kathy Bates also shines in this episode as we learn of her own tormented past with Del, culminating in him pimping out her ‘freak birth’ to the public in an attempt to make money. As she laments about how her son Jimmy has only ever known exploitation it’s not just the audience who is moved, Mordrake himself offers a gesture of sympathy before moving on from her, obviously not having found the true ‘freak’ that his own demon thirsts for. It looks like we will have to wait till next week to find who he picks.
Freak Show is definitely going in the right direction and learning from past mistakes, favouring solid character development and consistent motives. It may not have been the most terrifying Halloween episode we have seen from the anthology series but it executed the supernatural element brilliantly and has continued on the path of this series possibly becoming the best yet.
Alice Rush
Originally published October 24, 2014. Updated April 13, 2018.
