‘American Horror Story: Freak Show’ Episode 1 Review

Written by: Paula Limbaugh

Eek!! It’s baaaack, American Horror Story: Freak Show!  Did you WATCH??  What did YOU think??  It’s everything I expected, dark, creepy and totally entertaining.

The show opens in Jupiter, Florida 1952. Elsa Mars (Jessica Lange) has one of the last freak shows in America. Settling in Jupiter Elsa hopes to find a few more acts to revive the struggling show.Here she gives a home to “the wretched and unloved.”

At the same time there’s a killer clown on the loose and townspeople are being found brutally murdered. The clown has taken a boy and a young woman prisoner after first killing the boy’s parents and the woman’s boyfriend. When the clown goes into a rage we are left wondering what has become of the two prisoners.

As with the past seasons there are returning actors. Sarah Paulson is Bette and Dot Tattler, a two headed woman. Evan Peters is Jimmy Darling the lobster boy who pleasures women with his claw hand as a side job.  Then there’s Kathy Bates and Angela Bassett as the bearded lady and Desiree Dupree respectively. New this season is John Carroll Lynch as a horrifying clown named Twisty, Michael Chiklis as Dell Toledo, Erika Ervin as Amazon Eve, and Patti LaBelle in a role not yet announced.

The returning cast also includes Emma Roberts, Gabourey Sidibe, and Naomi Grossman who reprises her role as Pepper from season 2 Asylum, this marks the first time a character has a recurring role. Mat Fraser, a disabled actor from England has the role of the Illustrated Seal. Mat was born with phocomelia of both arms, due to his mother being prescribed thalidomide during her pregnancy. Jyoti Amge an actress from India holds the Guinness World Book title of the World’s Smallest Woman, she stands at 2′ 6″. Jyoti’s condition is due to achondroplasia. Guess what role she plays!

So far, so good. Just like a three ring circus, there are a lot of intertwining side stories going on in the background Episode one was all that I anticipated and I’m anxiously awaiting next Wednesday. Based on the upcoming previews, the show looks like it will only get darker! The real shocker is seeing Elsa at the end with her guard down and her own deformity revealed!