AMERICAN HORROR STORY: FREAK SHOW: EDWARD MORDRAKE {PART 1 OF 2} (TV)
Summary
One in this dramatic suspense series with revolving storylines.
During a tour at the American Morbidity Museum, Stanley and Maggie, disguised as a Harvard-educated doctor and his student, attempts to sell a fake “baby sasquatch” to the appraisers there, but they see through his disguise and eject him from the building. However, one of the staff confides in him that their business is in trouble and that she would happily purchase something from him if it was “truly priceless.” They hatch a scheme to go to Florida and attempt to harvest organs from the attractions at the freak show there, hoping to turn a profit by selling them to the museum. In West Palm Beach, Florida, it’s Halloween and children from Jupiter walk the streets, as there is a curfew in their town. Twisty the Clown is lurking about, but is unnoticed except for a frightened little girl whose mother will not believe her. Ethel goes to visit Dr. Myron Bonham, who informs her that she tested positive for liver cirrhosis. He tells her that she has between six months and a year left to live, and despite her attempts at stoicism Ethel is quite shaken by the news. He advises her to avoid meat and alcohol in order to keep her condition from worsening. She is touched by the respect that Dr. Bonham shows her and wishes she had met him sooner.
In the wake of Meep’s death, the freaks throw an impromptu party and Dot and Bette yell at them to stop, believing that their behavior is callous and inappropriate. Ethel returns and explains to Dot and Bette that freaks do not perform on Halloween, owing to a superstition involving Edward Mordrake, a mid-19th Century English nobleman with a second face growing out of the back of his head. It is said that the face constantly whispered to Edward and tormented him, and that Edward attempted to “kill” the other face numerous times but was unsuccessful. According to Ethel, Edward was committed to a mental asylum but at the urging of the second face killed an orderly and escaped, going on to find a career as a performer in a freak show. However, he did not find happiness there either, and on Halloween night he murdered all of his fellow performers and then hung himself. This led to a superstition among freaks, claiming that any who performed on Halloween night would summon Edward’s spirit and invoke his wrath. Ethel attests to the veracity of this superstition, claiming that a performer in another freak show she was part of was found dead after performing on Halloween night. Jimmy notices that Ethel is drinking and is concerned about her, but she tells him to leave, which she feels he has been wanting to do for some time.
Dandy wants to go out and “terrorize the neighborhood” for Halloween, but Gloria will not let him due to the curfew. She believes they can have a fun Halloween celebration at home and makes extensive preparations to that end. However, Dandy throws a temper tantrum when he discovers that Gloria made a Howdy Doody costume for him that she expects him to wear. He decides to retailor the costume into something entirely different. The freaks gather around to give Meep a funeral and Jimmy delivers a eulogy for him. While burying the coffin Maggie arrives claiming that she is looking for a job, and that she is “Esmerelda,” a fortune-teller. Dot has a dream involving her being separated from Bette via a surgical procedure, although Bette experiences that same dream, “trapped” within it and experiencing it as a horrifying scenario. Bette remarks that despite Dot’s cruelty towards her, she would miss her if they were separated. However, Dot vows to make her dream a reality no matter what it takes.
Jimmy brings Maggie in to see Elsa so that she can be scrutinized. She demonstrates her “gift” for Elsa, producing a crystal ball and exhibiting what appears to be clairvoyance but is actually inferences made from observing her environment closely and playing on Elsa’s own fears and insecurities. She predicts that Elsa will have her music heard and be applauded, and that she will benefit from the guidance of a mysterious “impresario;” Elsa seems to believe her act and hires her on the spot. Desiree attempts to initiate a sexual encounter with Dell, but he finds himself unable to properly respond due to his constant exercise regimen. Desiree is frustrated and disappointed, and Dell responds by shoving her against a wall and yelling that she should give him respect, but she gets him to back off. He storms off and ends up joining Ethel for a drink by the riverside. They get to talking about their relationship, and at first Dell claims that he never really loved Ethel, but then remarks that he “could’ve been a better dad” to Jimmy. Ethel asks him never to tell Jimmy that he is his father, and says she is concerned about Jimmy’s well-being. She reveals to Dell that she is dying and asks him to look after Jimmy after she is gone, hoping to help him find a life outside of the freak show. Dell is shaken by this news and seems to consider it.
On Halloween night, Dandy dresses up as a clown and grabs a knife, intending to kill Dora. Dora is unafraid and tells him that she has informed his mother about a number of animals he has mutilated. She asks whether he is responsible for the murders in town but quickly concludes that he would’ve been too afraid to go through with it. Dandy removes his clown mask and she dares him to kill her. He cannot bring himself to do so, just as she suspected; he yells that he hates her and storms off. Maggie calls Stanley and tells him that she does not believe she can go through with their plan, claiming that she is disgusted at being constantly in the presence of the freaks. She recalls her meeting with Dot and Bette; Bette greeted her warmly but Dot was cold towards her. Stanley is excited to hear about Dot and Bette and believes that they would make prime targets for organ harvesting. Maggie is uncomfortable with the prospect of murder, but Stanley believes that “no one cares what happens to a freak” and orders her to go along with his plan. A policeman pulls up to the payphone she is using and tells her and Jimmy to go back inside before the curfew. He refers to Jimmy as a “troublemaker,” and Jimmy is bitter towards the policeman over Meep’s death. Meanwhile, Stanley has sex with a male prostitute wearing a horned helmet.
Twisty the Clown infiltrates a suburban home and abducts a teenage boy in front of his young sister. Dot and Bette plan to rehearse in defiance of the story about Edward. Elsa stops them and tells them she will be performing, hoping to make Maggie’s prediction come true. Dot argues with Elsa about their salary, claiming that she and Bette are now the “star attraction” of the freak show. Elsa becomes angry and demands that they leave the stage, or else she will abandon them in the swamp. She gets some of the freaks to accompany her on instruments as she rehearses a song. As she sings, Edward arrives, appearing out of a glowing green mist. He listens to Elsa’s song and seems quite fascinated with her. She takes a bow, but upon straightening up Edward is nowhere to be seen. Ethel sees what appears to be a murdered corpse in her trailer as the glowing green mist seeps in. Edward appears before her and apologizes to her for startling her. He claims that he has come for her, and that he cannot leave until he gains another member of his “coterie of freakish companions.” Ethel believes he intends to kill her, but he claims that he is only doing so at the behest of “the visage,” which continuously whispers to him. Ethel pleads with Edward, claiming that she has much yet to do and that her time on earth is short.
Edward says he must question her, and that his other face can discern if she is lying. He notes that she has “fallen,” and she recounts her old successful stage act and her relationship with Dell. She recounts how Dell became her manager and encouraged her to add more “culture” and highbrow entertainment into her act. However, his plans are unsuccessful and Ethel finds herself booed and ridiculed. Edward determines that Ethel conceals a “darker pain,” and she tells him that out of desperation Dell arranged for tickets to be sold to Ethel giving birth to Jimmy, advertised as a “live freak birth;” even charging to allow audience members to hold the “monster baby.” Ethel feels intense guilt and shame for exploiting Jimmy in this fashion. Edward thanks Ethel and feels sorry that she had to recount such painful memories. She looks around and sees other figures accompanying Edward, presumably the murdered members of his troupe. She believes he intends to kill her and take her spirit, and tells him that she is ready to go with him. However, Edward whispers that she is “not the one” and suddenly vanishes. Dandy visits several children being held captive in makeshift cages within a broken-down bus. He ties a knife to the end of a long stick in preparation to kill them, but stops when Twisty the Clown returns with his latest victim. Dandy seems rather pleased at meeting Twisty. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: FX
- DATE: 10:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:56:42
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 121645
- GENRE: Drama
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama; African-American Collection - Drama; Women's Collection - Drama; Asian American Pacific Islanders Collection
- SERIES RUN: FX - TV series, 2011-
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Bradley Buecker … Executive Producer
- Jennifer Salt … Executive Producer
- Tim Minear … Executive Producer
- Dante Di Loreto … Executive Producer
- Ryan Murphy … Executive Producer, Created by
- Brad Falchuk … Executive Producer, Created by
- James Wong … Executive Producer, Writer
- Jessica Sharzer … Co-Executive Producer
- Robert M. Williams Jr. … Producer
- Alexis Martin Woodall … Producer
- James Williams … Co-Producer
- Todd Nenninger … Associate Producer
- Michael Uppendahl … Director
- Crystal Liu … Writer
- James S. Levine … Music by
- Mac Quayle … Music by
- César Dávila-Irizarry … Theme Music by
- Charlie Clouser … Theme Music by
- Sarah Paulson … Cast, Dot Tattler, Bette Tattler
- Evan Peters … Cast, Jimmy Darling
- Michael Chiklis … Cast, Dell Toledo
- Frances Conroy … Cast, Gloria Mott
- Denis O'Hare … Cast, Stanley
- Emma Roberts … Cast, Maggie Esmerelda
- Finn Wittrock … Cast, Dandy Mott
- Angela Bassett … Cast, Desiree Dupree
- Kathy Bates … Cast, Ethel Darling
- Jessica Lange … Cast, Elsa Mars
- Wes Bentley … Cast, Edward Mordrake
- Celia Weston … Cast, Ms. Hennings
- John Carroll Lynch … Cast, Twisty the Clown
- Skyler Samuels … Cast, Bonnie Lipton
- Naomi Grossman … Cast, Pepper
- Patti LaBelle … Cast, Dora
- Jyoti Amge … Cast, Ma Petite
- George Bell … Cast, Tall Man Ghost
- Candi Brooks … Cast, Southern Belle
- Dodie Brown … Cast, Mary
- Molly Conarro … Cast, Nurse
- Kathy Deitch … Cast, Young Ethel
- Major Dodson … Cast, Corey Bachman
- Erika Ervin … Cast, Amazon Eve
- Laura Flannery … Cast, Jane
- Mat Fraser … Cast, Paul the Illustrated Seal
- Todd Gable … Cast, Surgeon
- Edward Gelhaus … Cast, Younger Dell
- Lauren Gobuzzi … Cast, Jesse
- Dalton Gray … Cast, Mike
- Michael Krikorian … Cast, Cop
- Robert Larrivierre … Cast, Appraiser
- Jerry Leggio … Cast, Dr. Bonham
- Michael Murray … Cast, Viking Hustler
- Christopher Neiman … Cast, Salty
- Rose Siggins … Cast, Legless Suzy