Wir Sind Alle Freaks

There is a line of dialogue in American Horror Story: Coven that reads as follows: “Do you really think with Twitter and Faceback that a witch does anything at all she won’t be videotaped and turned into some viral FREAK SHOW like a dog who says “I love you”?” . Now was this a clever hint dropped by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, the creators of the American Horror Story anthology, subtly directing us all to the next season, or was this nothing more than a freakish coincidence? We will never truly know, but the _American Horror Story _series, now in its fourth season, aptly named Freak Show, is as twisted and deliriously entertaining packed full of over the top characters and storylines that open themselves up for all sorts of shocks and reveals.

As the title suggests, the fourth season takes place in Elsa Mars’ (Jessica Lange) very own freak show, a rundown circus that attracts locals who basically come to laugh and marvel at the circus cast of individuals with all sorts of deformities. Her latest headlining act is a pair of conjoined twins Bette and Dot (both played by Sarah Paulson), the kind of attraction no one has ever seen before. Of the existing members, we have Ethel (Kathy Bates) the bearded lady, her son Jimmy (Evan Peters) with syndactyly, as well as some new entries to the circus tent, including strong man Dell Toledo (Michael Chiklis), his new wife Desiree (Angela Bassett) who has three breasts instead of the more traditional two, and the newest member to the group, fortune-teller Maggie Esmeralda (Emma Roberts) who is actually a fraud with ulterior motives, as is the case with most people around this place.

What happens during one of their performances is the least of the show’s most troubling aspect. In fact the big singing numbers, masterfully done by Lange and Paulson are really quite something. What takes place outside the freak show is more sickening. There is a serial killer clown on the loose, played chillingly by John Carroll Lynch, who goes around terrorising the town of Jupiter, Florida. Dandy Mott (Finn Wittrock) is a grown man who acts like a spoiled child, with his rich mother Gloria (Frances Conroy) condoning even the worst aspects of his psychotic behaviour. Stanley (Denis O’Hare) possesses a 13-inch penis;what he plans on doing with it has not been answered yet.

It certainly boasts an impressive cast, and the award-winning individuals are once again on top form. Lange sports a tough German accent to play the owner, creating another fascinating, unique character, which shows that this series has been one of the best things to happen to her career. Paulson is particularly strong this season, and she is an early serious contender for the Best Actress Emmy. The creation of the conjoined twins too marks one hell of a technical achievement for the anthology. The different camera angles, and splitting of camera screens at the right time show the audience the different fields of vision for both Bette and Dot.

Get ready for blood: lots of it. The show has never been known for subtlety, nor does it ever hold back on gruesome images or body counts, and this season is no different. In fact, it has the opportunity to become the most shocking yet.

Set in 1952, the bigotry and hate towards the circus people are alive and well, and it would appear the show has a stance on that. ‘Freaks’, or so the townspeople call them, much to the circus performers’ anger and annoyance, are people too, and deserve the same level of respect and rights as anyone else. Sound familiar? That message was embedded into the plots of Asylum and _Coven, _the show’s previous two seasons. It is clearly an issue that is close to Murphy’s heart. This incessant repetition may be an eye-rolling factor for some, but when there are so many other things going on, delivered in such an unpredictable setting, even the slowest scenes become bearable. There is still plenty left for the remaining episodes to explore, with more famous names joining the cast. Let the show commence.