Warning: full spoilers ahead.
The only thing that really would have made this episode perfect is if it had been the season finale. This episode was on fire. There was such a raw intensity to the episode and all of the characters’ motives. Everything that we were taught about our freaks, everything that the first few episodes made us care about, came out in full force this week. But more importantly, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. This is one of very few episodes that hasn’t blatantly or stupidly given away everything shocking that may happen.
Finally, Stanley and Maggie are offed. And they are offed in two of the coolest scenes this show has offered up. In a perfect homage to Tod Browning’s “Freaks” (1932), Stanley is attacked by all the freaks in a dark, messy storm and turned into a Meep-like freak. Which if you’ve seen “Freaks,” a similar fate strikes one of the characters after the freaks attack, she is turned unto a human duck. I love a good reference that turns it a bit on its head. As for Maggie, she offers herself to be the woman in Chester’s box after the twins refuse. Since Dandy showed up at the freak show earlier handing over a dossier to the twins of Chester’s history (including double homicide) the information starts to eat at them.
So Chester’s plans to saw the twins in half (which was Marjorie’s command to begin with) get derailed making Maggie’s death more of an “accident.” But it’s clear the freaks weren’t going to let her live long so maybe this was an easier way out. As evidenced by Desiree’s perfect conversation with Paul: Desiree: “She had it coming.” Paul: “What do we do now?” Desiree: “Steal her jewelry. Bury the bitch.”
I think the show nailed it with Stanley and Maggie’s deaths. My loathing for Maggie runs so deep that I can’t imagine anything other than a saw crudely ripping her in half hitting the spot for me. I needed carnage with Maggie. Not only is Emma Roberts a bore to watch each week, but also the character is a lying, manipulative, sociopathic fence sitter.
Aside from sawing Maggie in half, Chester didn’t play too much importance in the episode, thank god. He did have this brilliantly acted scene at the end with a murdered Marjorie and the police. Neil Patrick Harris really is wonderful. But for me, I think it was Jimmy who stole the show. He wasn’t in the episode very much but his scenes were spot on. Here’s this boy who grew up as a freak, in the freak show circuit. He’s never had anything normal and he’s always had it rough. Somehow he keeps getting beat down and it’s hard not to feel sorry for him. But he really nailed it this week when each bit of compassion showed toward him made him feel hatred, guilt or shame. And then when he finally has the chance to have “normal” hands and be “normal” he surprises us all and asks Massimo Dolcefino (Elsa’s leg savior) to make him lobster claws instead of normal hands. It was a strong moment for Jimmy after a slew of weak, pathetic moments in the last 4 or so episodes.
“Show Stoppers” was solid because the majority of it was the freaks together, celebrating, plotting, working together and doing what they do best…taking revenge. I’m not saying every episode should have focused on all the freaks together at one time, but we could have used more of it. The chemistry between this troop of actors works for me in a big way.
There were two other small connections to “AHS: Asylum” in this episode. I think we all saw the Dr. Arden thing coming from a mile away. If you remember from “Asylum,” Dr. Arden had a lust for amputation and he was also a German in WWII going by his real name Hans Gruper. It was confirmed this week (although we’d been given ample evidence in past episodes) that this is indeed the same person. And the second reference was made before the opening credits when one of the freaks makes a joke about not having to watch the “‘Sign of the Cross’ again,” which if you remember was the film Sister Jude made the asylum patients watch. Since “Asylum” and “Freak Show” are set in the same time period, and since Elsa is German, these tie-ins are not all that surprising and seem pretty easy. I have faith that the creators of the show are inventive enough to tie-in other seasons as well. But there is only one episode left for that so I’m not holding my breath.
And finally, Dandy gets his freak show. He doesn’t just get the twins, but all of it. Elsa flees, knowing the freaks are after her, and leaves the show in Dandy’s hand for a small sum of money. Normally I’d gripe some more about how I wish this would have been the final episode, but I think Dandy can do something fun with next week. And for once, I’m actually hoping he has a musical number. I know I’m on my roller coaster again, but I genuinely liked this episode. I thought all of the pieces slid into place perfectly.
What did you think about “Show Stoppers?”