First two episodes review – AHS: Freakshow

The first series, Murder House, follows the Harmon family as they move into their new home, which they soon discover was the location of over 20 murders and suicides. The Harmon family struggles with both internal and external demons that haunt them, escalating to a violently climactic finale. The second series, Asylum, takes place at a mental institution in the 1960s, where patients are subject to cruel and inhumane treatment. A deep sense of dread and terror harbors over the asylum as it delves into plots involving demon possession and extraterrestrial abduction. The third series, and arguably the fan favorite, is Coven. As suggested by the title, the season follows a coven of witches as they defend their territory against voodoo practitioners and witch hunters attempting to harm them. Coven is, by far, the best-rated and most watched AHS season to date.

This brings us to season four of American Horror Story, entitled Freak Show. With only two episodes under its belt, AHS has taken on a very different and arguably more discomforting tale of terror than its usual supernatural route. Freak Show takes place in the town of Jupiter, Florida in 1952. It focuses on a group of—you guessed it—freaks. The disfigured, the deranged, and human oddities from all around the world that have been ridiculed and banished from the “normal world” take refuge in Freak Show, a struggling carnival and circus performance that is run by Elsa Mars.
The “freaks” in AHS: Freak Show come in all shapes and sizes: The Bearded Lady; Legless Suzi; Bette and Dot, the Siamese sisters; Paul the Illustrated Seal, who has a seal-like body; Lobster Boy, who has hand deformities; Meep, a small man from the jungle whose specialty is biting off the heads of chickens; Ma Petite, a tiny Indian woman who is small enough to fit in bird cages. And the list goes on. Best of all, Freak Show also follows the agitating and gratuitously gory serial murders of Twisty, a terrifying clown whose horrific glare can frighten even the bravest of horror fanatics. Although he is only side-plot at this point, one can already assume he will join the Freak Show soon.

With its infamous Halloween episodes (comprised of two parts) coming up in the following two weeks, fans can expect AHS: Freak Show to swing into full gear. It has had a highly promising start, and the series can only escalate in suspense and carnage from here—as expected from any season of AHS. However, Freak Show feels more humanistic and empathic than its previous seasons. It’s a tale of discrimination against those that are different and misunderstood. Furthermore, it delves into the struggles of identity and survival for these individuals. They want to be seen as people, not merely sideshow attractions, yet they understand this is the best they can do as a result of their deformities and feelings of disconnect from the societal norm. This season has definitely brought a new ambiance to the American Horror Story anthology, and as a devout fan, I cannot wait to see where they take the series from here.