After an ominous yet vague voice over beginning we have a
title card telling us we’re in the small town of Jupiter in Florida and it’s
1952. And an unlucky milk man finds the body of a murdered woman. Armed with a
rolling pin he goes upstairs in the house to investigate (this is where you
call the cops, get the hell out and let the professionals deal. Or at least
find something more lethal in a kitchen than the pastry section). Whatever he
finds makes him scream
Cut to a hospital where a patient is rushed into surgery –
whatever’s wrong with them, it causes a nurse to lose her lunch. And it takes a
lot to make a nurse throw up. What seems to be getting everyone in a major
tizzy are conjoined twins.
By the nurses’ gossip afterwards, it seems the twins were
hidden away by their mother (the murdered woman) and the nurses (and
newspapers) dramatically exclaim how hideous and deformed they find the twins.
Into this hospital steps Frauleine Elsa who runs her “cabinet of curiosities”
and is very interested in the twins – and arranges to visit as a candystriper.
There is a huge amount of ominous build up to our first look at the twins which
feels awfully gratuitous and unnecessary when Better and Dot are revealed.
Elsa talks to them, not believing they’re not intelligent
and coaxes one sister to speak (the sisters seem to speak to each other
telepathically – Bette is very open and friendly, naïve while Dot is much more
wary). Elsa talks a lot about their anatomy – and asks some really
inappropriate sexual questions including whether they’re virgins and their
masturbation habits – which leads to Dot chasing her out of the room
From there to a couple having a picnic – well, about to have
sex on a picnic blanket anyway right before being attacked by a really
terrifying clown (for a second I was about to praise the show for having a
woman who is unashamedly sexual especially set in the 50s, but then the sexy
woman was serial killered. She even does the Fleeing Damsel Trip).
Back to Elsa in a diner and engaging in film criticism when she sees a man, Jimmy, across the room wearing large gloves. She knows him and she chews him out for leaving the show- which he thinks isn’t going to do so well anyway.
This seems to be reinforced by their landlord only
refusing to evict them when Elsa seduces an extra month out of him. Elsa tries
to get Jimmy in line by referencing his “deformities” and his mother ending up
in an asylum. He thinks them all being locked up is inevitable. They leave – Elsa
with gall and class doing so without paying.
To a Tupperware party, with dated nibbles (but a shocking
lack of ghastly gelatin creations) and women discussing how sexually frustrated
they are. They’re queuing up to see Jimmy whose large, different hands are
apparently nature’s own super-vibrators. And they’re also selling Tupperware at
the same time which I don’t know if it’s more or less disturbing.
Elsa tries to help Bette and Dot prepare to speak to the
police about their murdered mother – it’s very quickly clear they’re lying and
Elsa advises them to make up better stories. The twins try to run off, to
escape the police and we have a flashback to what happened to their mother:
Bette wanted to see a movie and was extremely frustrated by being constantly
confined in the house. It’s pretty clear that their mother views them as a
monster – and Bette stabs her. Dot tried to stop her (though Elsa accuses her
of not trying and feeling guilty) – and then later tried to stab Bette which is
why they were injured. Elsa brings them to her freak show to save them
Bette is super enthusiastic, Dot much much less so – but both
are pretty charmed by Jimmy. We also meet Ethel, the bearded lady, and
no-nonsense matriarch who thinks Elsa is a wonderful saviour of them all and
recounts her own tale of Elsa saving her from prison, giving her a chance to perform
and reuniting her with her son (I take that to be Jimmy). She lays out the
harsh reality – the freak show is as good as it gets for people like them.
Not all the performers are equally reassured since the
police are looking for the twins – but Elsa (who apparently has escaped the
Stazi) isn’t worried. We also have a drive by attack from the locals (and Jimmy’s
rage over it) making the tension clear.
Jimmy takes the same concern to his mother, Ethel –
complaining about always leaving through the back door. But Ethel doesn’t see
any other choice – especially since television has made freak shows less
popular. She adds “there’s no normal for us”.
More creepiness, the candy striper from the hospital Elsa
met runs into Elsa’s tent looking heavily worn and yells that she was ravaged
and drugged and abused – Elsa plays a movie that appears to show the woman
taking part in an orgy with implication that she’d use it to show she
consented. She sobs then roars that the performers who took part are monsters –
and Elsa snaps and lashes out in defence of them and the entertainment they
provide.
We also have news of yet another couple being murdered in
the town by the terrifying evil clown (though the reporter is also linking the
twins’ mother to the dead) who is also kidnapping people – including an 8 year
old boy and the girl from earlier who pulled off the Fleeing Damsel Trip. She
tries to comfort the boy where they’re both locked up in a trailer and the
creepy clown is creepy with balloon animals balls and tantrums.
The sheriff arrives at the freak show to arrest Bette and
Dot – and while he has some indication his case largely rests on “they’re
monsters”. Jimmy whistles and calls “Amazon” Evie, Paul “the painted seal” and “legless”
Suzi. When the sheriff calls them freaks, Jimmy slits his throat. Bette says
that Jimmy saved them – but he adds that he needs them to save them (to stop
the show failing).
The whole show has been hired by a ridiculous pair of
rich people – the ludicrously spoilt Dandy and his appallingly doting mother
Gloria. After a run through of various members, Elsa comes to the stage with a
truly horrendous musical act – glam rock Marlene Dietrich – which is probably
just perfect for the show. Afterwards, Elsa seems confused and upset
Dandy sneaks back stage and is thrilled by the twins –
and his mother offers to buy the women. Elsa argues back that they’re their
headliners and turns to ask Bette and Dot’s opinion. They choose to stay –
calling the show their home. Gloria leaves with a nasty jab at Elsa’s singing
Brief evil clown interlude!
The gathered performers take the sheriff’s body away from
the show – after a passionate speech about having to protect themselves from
people who judge them by Jimmy, they all fall on the body and slice it to
pieces. Evil clown watches them
Elsa, on opium, shakily talks to Ethel – confessing she
brought Bette and Dot to the show so she could be a star – she asks if it’s too
late for her to do so. Ethel, of course, reassures her that it’s all she
deserves. As Ethel leaves, Elsa reveals she’s missing her legs below the knee.
Some shows we love unreservedly. Some shows we’re wary
about. Some shows we have a love/hate relationship with. And some shows can be
best characterised with a semi-coherent “why?! Why would you do this?! What… oh
dear gods no!”
That would be American
Horror Story. Which means I am… leery this season. Freak shows in the 50s
are a topic that can cover a lot of complexity. Naturally there’s the treatment
of fellow human beings like zoo animals, a concept that should be disturbing to
everyone who isn’t a TLC executive. At the same time, and as has repeatedly
being pointed out already, these shows offered employment and resources to
people at a time when there were few other options (and where state or
charitable aid could be… unpleasant or inadequate) and many people with various
disabilities, conditions or non-typical bodies did (and continue to – in various
places and in various guises) find employment and the closest thing to autonomy
through them (including conjoined twins). Of course, many more were exploited
cruelly by these shows simply because they had no other options – and just
because something provides a refuge when there’s no other choice doesn’t make
it inherently good, so much as comment on the badness of everything else
There’s a lot of complexity there – and will American Horror Story handle that?
They also do have a number of disabled people or people
actually with the non-typical body types playing roles on the show – which is
always preferable to seeing able bodied actors with CGI and prosthetics. I’d
like to see how they are used – as full characters, or as authentic background
for Elsa, Ethel, Jimmy, Bette and Dot.
I'm also concerned by the drugged orgy - rape has been far too often used tool in American Horror Story
I'm also concerned by the drugged orgy - rape has been far too often used tool in American Horror Story
I’m also told that Ethel’s accent is actually a thing.
This scares me more than the clown.
