Zeitgeisting TV: 'American Horror Story: Freak Show'; Episode 5

Jason St. Amand (national news editor):

I was apprehensive this episode wouldn't deliver, coming off last week's snuff film highs, but boy was it good!

Now that red herring Twisty is gone, the true threats are rising to the surface. The aptly titled "Pink Cupcakes" dealt with the freaks' dreams and aspirations. Stanley (Dennis O'Hare) has fantasies of making it big by selling off the dead freaks' bodies to that horrible museum (though I found it funny he sees himself as the Moe Szyslak and isn't even the guest of honor in his own fantasy), Elsa, the twins and Dandy all seem to have similar dreams - aspirations to be rich and famous, becoming big stars. Except, Dandy also has full-blown bloodlust and needs to satisfy his cravings by carrying out perfect murders.

Desiree's dream is to finally have a family after she's told she's 100% woman. And Dell wants to run away with Andy, the trick played by Matt Bomer, who has his own dream of becoming an artist on the West Coast.

I also want to pat myself on the back. In our second installment for "Zeitgeisting," when Dell is first introduced, I wrote: "Does Toledo have a thing for women who are genetically unique? He did have a love child (Jimmy) with Ethel, the bearded woman, after all."

In this episode, we find out he's been living a double life, meaning that every single male character on the show, save Jimmy and Seal Boy, is gay. And this makes sense because there have been hints dropped throughout this season that gays are lower than freaks. They are the worst of the worst. I'm sure this is a theme that Ryan Murphy and co. are going to go with in the coming episodes.

Let's also talk about Dandy - that "American Psycho" scene, when he was working out and laying around like he was being photographed for homo erotic spread for J. Crew, was pure poetry. I can't remember his exact voice over (something about being an American machine ready; perfect and ready to kill), but it was perfect.

It was also gut-wrenching to see Elsa's dream turn into her worst nightmare when the crowd turns on her during her reprise of "Life on Mars."

Robert Nesti (A&E editor):

You are on to something about gays being on the lowest rung on the social order. Early in the episode Emma Roberts tells Denis O'Hare (and I am paraphrasing): "The only thing they hate more in Jupiter than freaks is pouffs." I wasn't expecting the story to move in this direction, but it makes for an interesting twist, especially with Toledo, who wants to have his cake and eat it too by bullying everyone around him. He didn't expect a psychopath to come into the mix, though. The murder of Andy was especially gruesome, especially with his cry to have Dandy end his life. Is Dandy going to be the great "other" this season? The most evil force that needs to be destroyed? Or is that Stanley? I wonder if their paths will cross.

The criticism of television by Fraulien Elsa was hilariously self-reverential: "I would never participate in what I consider to be the death of art and civilization." And her humiliation by the yahoos in Jupiter was poignant; though it only seemed to feed her drive. It's funny how all this television talk recalls an exchange in "All About Eve" between the nasty critic Addison DeWitt and Miss Caswell, the aspiring actress (a graduate of the Copacabana School of Dramatic Arts) played by Marilyn Monroe, after she has a disastrous audition and he suggests her next move to be to television.

"Tell me this. Do they have auditions for television?," she asks. "That's all television is, my dear," Addison replies. That film was released in 1950 and Fraulein Elsa, who likely knew the movie, appears to be echoing those sentiments.

It also is an ironic comment on how television is so sophisticated today, which shows like "AHS" have help usher in.

I agree the scene with Dandy was brilliant. His monologue ("If I had been in 'A Place in the Sun' George Stevens would have had me walk to the electric chair shirtless... This body is America: strong, violent and full of limitless potential... I will be the US Steel of murder... I am the future and the future starts tonight.") had a terrifyingly real ring to it - it was like poetry and Fran Wittock really captures his mania perfectly. I also loved that Matt Bomer character.. If anyone haunts this season, it is Tennessee Williams.

Jason St. Amand (national news editor):

Yeah, Dandy's blunder of killing Andy was classic "AHS." As was Dell's decision to snap that kind old doctor's fingers back. Both scenes made me hide behind my fingers (they were not broken), which means "AHS" is doing its job.

I almost wonder if somehow Elsa and Dandy will team up - they seem to be after the same thing: stardom. Who knows, "AHS" can go pretty much anywhere, which is its strength and also its weakness. I love me some twists and turns, don't get me wrong, but sometimes I feel like this show is just making stuff up as they go along...the last few episodes aren't even finished yet after all.

Yes, Elsa's critique on TV was quite meta, wasn't it: "AHS" is on a basic cable network...It was pretty crushing to see her cave into TV after her dream was literally shattered. I guess she switched over to "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em."

I'm glad you caught the monologue...I needed that.

Also, the scene when he appeared in the garden behind his mother, covered in blood in his tighty whities was equally fantastic in a psycho-homo-erotic-kind-of-way. I'm glad we also got a little back story on him: He's apparently crazy because of inbreeding, "Cousins marrying cousins to keep the inheritance in the bloodline" and his father had the same "tendencies" by killing vagrants before killing himself. I wonder if that means his dad was also a pouff.

Also, this episode marked the return of Gabourey Sidibe, who plays Patti LaBelle's daughter and is hands down the worst actor on this show. The exchange she had with Gloria Mott (Dandy's mother played by Francis Conroy) was super embarrassing, even though the writing was pretty great: "You're making me uncomfortable. I'm going to hang up now."

Robert Nesti (A&E editor):

I wasn't a fan of Gabourey Sidibe last season, though some of her exchanges with the Antebellum racist (Kathy Bates) were priceless. I especially love when she was the severed head forced to watch "Roots!" I didn't think she was all that bad here and love that she's attending the Barbizon Secretary School in New York and she plans on joining a law firm upon graduating. That's also priceless!

And I loved that Frances Conroy's character - Dandy's deranged mom - is being given more screen time. Conroy's a great actress and she had the best speech in the episode when she described how the family has been done in by inbreeding as she dropped bulbs into the ground. That it was over the grave of her now dead (by her son's hand) maid only added to the psychological extremes that the show relishes in. And the business of the bloodlines was another Tennessee Williams reference - Blanche DuBois goes on about how her family deteriorated due to inbreeding.

There was also that nice trick involving those pink cupcakes when Stanley feeds them to Bette and Dot and Dot (or is it Bette?) took a bite, while Bette (or is it Dot?) didn't, leading one half of her to go into toxic arrest. That it was a dream sequence was a bit of a cheat, but I fell for it!

Did learning that Desiree wasn't quite the freak she thought herself humanize her? And what of Toledo's violent reaction. I loved their exchange when she was leaving him: "Who's gonna go for a big-dicked, three-titted woman like you," he asks. "The doctor says they're just extra large lady parts. All cosmetic," she responds. Only on AHS do you get dialogue like this. All-in-all, it is shaping up to be a strong season; though I've heard grumbles that many are finding it slow and not scary enough. Not so for me.

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