Zeitgeisting TV: 'American Horror Story: Freak Show'; Episode 6

Jason St. Amand (national news editor):

Can someone say, "I want that damn Emmy?!" Because I think that's what Jessica Lange was saying after finished watching episode six of "American Horror Story: Freak Show," "Bullseye."

And she deserves it. She was fantastic in this episode, and it was the turning point for her character, Elsa, who is in full force in her transformation into a villain. She's unhinged (you know someone is crazy when they flip out on their birthday the way she did), she's determined and she's willing to destroy and kill her entire freak show troupe / family that she built to get her final shot at (TV) stardom. Hey, kinda like Dandy! (I can also see Dandy flipping out on his birthday just as Elsa did.)

Speaking of Dandy, this was one of Finn Wittrock's finest performances -- that little speech he gave about having a desert inside of him was great. All the acting was good in "Bullseye," from Emma Roberts to the world's smallest woman, Jyoti Amge, who plays Ma Petite, and especially Paul aka Seal Boy. But while everyone was good, my biggest gripe came into play: this wasn't really scary.

The scariest parts came in dreams / fantasies (like drowning Ma Petite in a bottle) which don't have any real consequence. It's just like in "Coven" when somebody died they would come back to life, making the stakes so low. It's a cheap way of getting a reaction from viewers.

I would assume that the scariest part of the twins' current situation is when they were dropped off at the Mott's estate and the first few hours of uncertainty. But we didn't even see any of that. By the time we check in on Bette and Dot and the Mott family, they're already settled into their new roles as weird-non-sex-slaves, which Bette has no problem with. We had an extra 13 minutes in this episode (any idea why?) and they could have been used showing us how the Twinnies were scared shitless at the Mott's home.

Like I said, Paul the Seal Boy was great in this episode, but his relationship with that nurse from the first episode, whom we have literally never seen or heard from since then, just pops up and I guess has been having a relationship with Paul. Um...OK? And the whole thing with her dad not letting her leave the house and live her life WHO CARES I don't even KNOW you bratty nurse girl. I actually was hoping daddy pulled the trigger.

Robert Nesti (arts and entertainment editor):

Yes, Fraulein Elsa had her "Christina, bring me the ax!" moment in this week's episode when she gathered the troupe into the tent in the middle of the night to grill them about just who is talking about her behind her back. Of course, that what they are saying - that Elsa is responsible for the disappearance of Bette and Dot - is true is irrelevant. You don't cross Fraulein Elsa, especially during her birthday week!

Lange was quite over-the-top in that Joan Crawford-way; but I disagree that this episode wasn't scary - she was scary and the knife-throwing sequence had creepy intensity that was riveting. Don't tell me you weren't on the edge of your seat as to whether Fraulein Elsa was going to hit or miss with the last knife?

What made the sequence more interesting - as well as the episode - is the emergence of Paul (the remarkable Mat Fraser) as a character. With his beautiful face, lanky build and misshapen body covered with tattoos, he epitomizes the ambivalence we feel towards the members of the troupe and their infirmities both on the show in the larger culture. And that he was sexualized in this episode with a surprising nuance only added to the tension with Fraulein Elsa's cruel test. I agree that candy-striper Bonnie Lipton (Skyler Samuels) has been clumsily dropped back in the story, but I welcome her, especially since she's such a good actress.

As for Dandy (Finn Wittrock), he's taking over where Zachary Quinto took off in "Asylum." It's interesting, or maybe even dispiriting, how the plot to "Freak Show" is beginning to resemble that of "Asylum" with the Sarah Paulson character (here times-two) escaping her confinement to deal with another madman. Wittrock is quite amazing in his extremes - snarky rich boy and ranting lunatic; so much so that he could be the one to get the Emmy this year. The writing and direction around this character is the high point of the series so far. Just this speech he gave to his mother was such an illuminating glimpse into his tortured soul that it was chilling:

I wish you could be inside my body for one minute to know what it feels like to be me. It's like when I had tuberculous and you took me out to the Utah desert and there was nothing but dry open space for hundreds of miles around us. That is what is inside of me. Those girls were a cool stream of glacier water. My heart bloomed as they nourished it. And now it's all gone. There's nothing left but the dust and the scorpions inside of me. I was never destined to feel love... I know why I was put here, Mother. My purpose is to bring death.

Eeek. Who needs the supernatural with this freak on the loose?

Jason St. Amand (national news editor):

Elsa was scary but not in a horror kind of way, which is what I look for in this show, because "horror" is part of the show's title. The tension was there and was going back-and-forth in my head if she'd hit him or not, but it's on the low end of the horror spectrum.

Not only was the candy-striper nurse dropped back in, but also there was not even a tiny hint that Paul and Elsa had a thing going either. Like, this is the other problem I have with "AHS." It feels like they're just making up things as they go along and there are no rules and consequences to anything. It's like a dream and not in a good way.

Even if Paul made a pass at Elsa (there were five episodes to squeeze that in) it would have made sense, but the liberties Ryan Murphy and co. take with "AHS" kind of devalue the show, which is so frustrating and disappointing because it is the tiny things that really fuck with the overall scope of "Freak Show." To that point, Del and Desiree weren't seen at all in "Bullseye." Wouldn't Elsa have been rip shit about that? At least someone could have made an excuse for them not being around. It makes me think Murphy thinks his audience is as smart as the pin heads.

I love the beats of "AHS," but it has a real problem with filler / transitional episodes. I recognize "Bullseye" is a building block to apex of Act 2 of "Freak Show," but that doesn't mean we should lose consistency and continuity. The ideas in "Bullseye" were good but the execution was kind of a miss for me, and something I can't ignore.

You make a good point about the Twinnies being Lana from "Asylum." I'm sure it is on purpose and maybe it will be more clear when Lily Rabe returns as Sister Mary Eunice. I agree about Dandy as well. This episode gave him a depth and understanding I think he was missing. I was much more engaged when the story went to the Mott estate than the freak show troupe.

But I don't want to end this on a sour note because I do enjoy this season. I'm holding it to a higher standard because I KNOW "Freak Show" can be better than it is right now; it's proven that. The writing was fantastic and funny and campy in this episode, making for some great one-liners, like when Dandy said he misses Patti LaBelle and when Paul said he was going to the other drug store because, "THEY HAVE ICE CREAM."

I also dig the allegory going on with freaks = gays. The drug store scene I just mentioned was great. Loved it when the clerk said he could refuse service if he wants. Also, also, also, I just to stress that I do not hate this show by any means and I will give "Freak Show" another A++ for being the most beautiful show I've seen since "Twin Peaks."

Robert Nesti (arts and entertainment editor):

That's good to hear - at first I thought you were giving the show one big hurrumph!

I see your point about the inconsistencies, but also think that Fraulein Elsa would never reveal what's going on in her tent to anyone (save Ma Petite), who acts as the stuffed animal that she snuggles with when she sleeps. I think if Paul made a pass at her, she'd threaten to castrate him. She makes the passes and does them all in private.

But I agree that Paul becoming a leading player seems less organic to the story thus far. Still, I welcome it, if only to further blur the line between the "normal" people and the "freaks." But I wonder, does he know Fraulein Elsa is wearing prosthetic legs? He is being intimate with her, after all.

The bold colors and crisp images suggest digital photography that captures the superb production design in bold relief. I especially like the way it contrasts the seedy carnival with the luxe environs of the Mott mansion. The show appears to be following the disintegrating psyches of Fraulein Elsa and Dandy, both of whom are seeking celebrity in different ways. It can only get uglier.

Yes, it was a mistake that Desiree (Angela Bassett) and Dell (Michael Chiklis) weren't present at all for Fraulein Elsa's late night show. Did they go away or something? And I like being teased. It would have been too extreme (for me at least) to have seen Maggie (Emma Roberts) go through and soak Ma Petite in chemicals. Her not going through with the murder brought a glimmer of warmth to a pretty cold-blooded character and made her more interesting than Stanley (Denis O'Hare), who is a bit one-note. But it looks like Jimmy Darling (Evan Peters) is headed to a bad end, either by Dandy's hand or Stanley's. Didn't you read that a good many of the leading characters were to be killed by mid-season? We are quickly approaching that point.

And let's not forget how good Sarah Paulson is in what must have be a bitch of shooting schedule. Playing two women that share the same body can't be easy, and she's remarkable at delineating their personalities. I thought there was some great writing in their conversation, especially when Dot said: "We are what we are. No amount of wishful thinking is going to change that. My arm. Your leg. Where do you end and I begin? Don't you realize by now that we are going to share everything." Another memorable line related to the sisters was spoken by Dandy: "My heart was lost and it took a woman with the vision four eyes to find it and the love of two hearts to give it back to me." Brilliant!

It will be interesting when "Side Show" opens on Broadway in a few weeks if reviewers will mention these twins that can't stand each other. In that show the sisters can't live without each other. Speaking of Broadway, love that Fraulein Elsa entertained Paul with her version of "September Song," the Kurt Weill/Maxwell Anderson song that is perfect for her sung/speech style. It was inevitable that she'd sing that particular song!

And about the violence. A friend called it "snuff porn," especially after Matt Bomer was murdered so brutally, and has stopped watching it. Let's talk about the violence next week. Is it too much?

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