Zeitgeisting :: 'American Horror Story: Freak Show'

Jason St. Amand (National News Editor):

Well, it's finally here: "American Horror Story: Freak Show" premiered Wednesday night. Maybe we should talk about our personal relationship with the show before we unpack the first episode, "Monsters Among Us," which, by the way, all I could think about was how much this season is in your wheel house.

For me, the three seasons before "Freak Show" have been a roller coaster ride of emotions, themes, tropes and a meta narrative: "Murder House" was tense and though it didn't reflect the social issues of today the other seasons hammered out, it introduced us to how fabulous Jessica Lange is while pulling from the most iconic horror movies, mixing them into a bubbly concoction -- As Seen on TV: The Best of Horror.

I still think season two, "Asylum," is the best season and, after seeing "Monsters Among Us," will remain the best. It had everything -- psycho serial killers, religion, the Holocaust, aliens (!!!) -- while showcasing the terrible ways gays and interracial relationships were viewed 60 years ago. Not to mention it points a finger at the American healthcare system, which still has its sweeping-it-under-the-rug-problems today -- see U.S. ebola victim Eric Duncan.

Then there's "Coven." I won't go too deep into it, because it's a sensitive subject for us and this isn't the forum for that, but I'll just say it was problematic in a number of ways, from its portrayal of women, to its lack of actual horror, to its writing and development. Thankfully, "Freak Show" went above and beyond my expectations and I'm really excited for this season.

Your turn!

Robert Nesti (National Arts and Entertainment Editor):

Yes, I agree. It was a great start, not only because it had moments of genuine shock -- just the shots of Twisty the Clown (John Carroll Lynch) (a great name, by the way) were curdling; but because it introduces two very interesting memes.

The first is the idea of being the outsider and finding support in a community of others like them, in this case a troupe from a freak show owned by German-accented Elsa Mars (Jessica Lange). That this is derived from Tod Browning's "Freaks" shouldn't surprise anyone: It is the "Citizen Kane" of this kind of horror film and, even though 82 years old, still has an engrossing thrall of a nightmare.

But what Ryan Murphy (the series co-creator that directed this episode) does really well in this episode is interpolate it in a modern context -- that of a mini-series set in an American town 60 years ago. Expanding on the themes of discrimination and inclusion that Browning's film so hauntingly evoked can only work in showing how relevant they remain today.

And then there's camp. The series has long had its campy moments -- who can forget how "The Name Game" snuck into the grimmest moment of Season Two or the over-the-top fashionista witch, played by Frances Conroy, in "Coven?" But this season looks to top the previous seasons. The brilliant set piece, Jessica Lange singing David Bowie's "Life on Mars?" as if she walked out of a demented production of "Cabaret," pushed that camp quotient through the roof.

But is also underscored another theme: That of the lure of show biz fame, which has eluded Elsa her entire life. That the song uses her name in the title is also example of this show's campy subtext -- it is really life in an alternate universe, done up in Weimar Republic drag with her "freaks" playing side musicians. It also alludes to how this freak show is something akin to the old Hollywood studios hierarchy, only as seen through a fun-house mirror.

Seeing the revival of her freak show as an opportunity to put herself back in the mix, and the sad realization that it was only the freaks the "sold out" audience wanted to see, had a poignancy. That and the episode's quite unexpected and shocking final image made Elsa more sympathetic than any of the ambivalent characters that Lange has played in previous years. That this "sold out" audience consisted of the spoiled rich boy Dandy Mott (Finn Wittrock) and his overbearing mom Gloria (Frances Conroy) is another campy touch right of out of Tennessee Williams.

There are also the characters played by Sarah Paulson, who portrays Siamese twin with two heads sitting on the shoulders of a single body, an effect that is seamlessly rendered with CGI effects. The sisters couldn't be more different: Dot is star-struck and thrilled at the thought of celebrity; Bette is dour and suspicious of their new-found fame.

Of course, this being "AHS," circumstances force Bette to capitulate and join the freak show. Apart, these characters would seem one-note, but taken together they have a great synergy. And what's better than one Sarah Paulson? Two Sarah Paulsons.

Jason: Yeah, there is no way "Freak Show" can't borrow from Tod Browning's "Freaks," but I was pleasantly surprised that, at least in episode one, there wasn't too much from the seminal film. Murphy is using it as a launching point rather than expanding that universe.

Let me ask you this: Do you think Jessica Lange secretly wants to be a singer? I feel like this has come through each season (save for "Murder House"). In season two she was a jazz singer and had those smoky numbers via flashbacks. Then there was the "Name Game," which you mentioned. There was all that Stevie Nicks stuff in "Coven."

The "Life on Mars?" number was absolutely one of my favorite things in "AHS" history. It was visually stunning, Lange dressed in the gender-bending pastel outfit was brilliant, and the performance reminded me why I love this show so much. I love that it doesn't really make sense (this is 1952, and Bowie's song came out it 1973), but you just accept what's going on because the cast convincingly sells it to you.

But you bring up the main point: This season Lange's character, Elsa, is obsessed with fame. Last year, she wanted eternal youth, and in "Asylum" she craved power.

I hope Murphy and company don't do the same thing with Lange they did in season two and three. In those she starts off as the head bitch in charge, chasing after the dangling carrot of desire, only to see her horrible ways and come full circle back onto herself. It worked well in "Asylum," but it was played out in "Coven." I don't see it going that way on "Freak Show" but you never know...

"Freak Show" is obviously more camp, how can it not be? But it's already scarier than "Coven." It's like Murphy heard fans' complaints and ran with the solutions. Overall, this show looks fabulous, as if Instagram filters were invented in the '50s.

The ending was touching, putting everything in perspective, and I didn't see it coming at all.

Twisty the Clown Killer is one of the scariest things they've done. When he murdered that couple in broad daylight was chilling. And, like you pointed out, what they're doing with Sarah Paulson's Bette and Dot is perfect. The split screens / their POV was great.

So here are a few other things I wanted to touch on:

- The music: That whacky Theremin playing was awesome, keeping things light even when some serious convo was going down (the twins killing their mommy).

- Even Peters as lobster boy / penis hands was an interesting twist. Peters also is at his most charming, and I think he's really going for it after he was given that thankless Frankenstein boy toy role in "Coven."

- Let's not forget Kathy Bates as the bearded woman, a.k.a. Ethel Darling, a.k.a. Elsa's right hand lady. Did you sense some sexual tension between her and Elsa toward the end of the episode? At least on Darling's part. It would explain why she doesn't want to leave the troupe.

Robert: The show's look is amazing, especially one scene in particular: The shot of Sarah Paulson walking into the freak show was brilliantly done. And the narration brought to mind "Geek Love," Katherine Dunn's disturbing novel on the subject of this kind of entertainment that did flourish decades ago. I remember attending one and it was very much like the way Murphy styles it here -- grotty, dark, a bit sleazy.

And, yes, the music recalled those creepy 1950s horror movies that use the Theremin so well. The sound of its eerie scales still echoes in my mind. What I think the show does so well is pull you into its weird universe, be it a mental institution or a coven of witches, but at the same time comment on it. In this case, that these are people too, even if one is only two feet tall!

Also, it's great that only a few of its characters were introduced. We still have to look forward to Angela Bassett's hermaphrodite and some weird character named Edward Mordrake (played by Wes Bentley) who is the subject of episodes 3 and 4. From the clips at the end, it looks as if it can only get better!

I especially liked Lange's Marlene Dietrich obsession, right down to her clipping a review of Alfred Hitchcock's "Stage Fright" out of a newspaper. That's a little-seen, but most enjoyable Hitchcock thriller from the period that starred Dietrich as a haughty London stage star. You can see Lange emulating her at every turn.

As for that sexual tension between Kathy Bates and Jessica Lange: Yes, it's definitely there, but the big reveal at the end of the episode also suggests that may just be empathy -- does Bates know of Lange's big secret? And how did this happen to her? Are there Nazis involved? The time is 1952 and Lange is heavily accented, so you do the math.

As a director, Murphy shows much imagination in this episode. Yes the use of split-screen was especially inventive, no doubt harking back to the way Brian DePalma used the device in "Blow Out," "Carrie" and his other 1970s thrillers. One thing Murphy obviously knows is the horror genre and his references are aplenty.

This story is part of our special report: "Zeitgeisting TV". Want to read more? Here's the full list.