Recap: AHS Freakshow – Finale

@lcfremont gives her views on the AHS Freakshow finale…

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!!!! Seriously, do not read past this point if you haven’t seen the AHS Freakshow finale. Last chance.

No tea, no shade, this finale was giving me life right up to the moment they put Dandy in the Houdini box. This season has been a rough one, but after the last episode things were really looking up. After a truly awesome homicidal magic trick courtesy of the amazing Neil Patrick Harris, a visit from Massimo and some devious planning on Dandy’s part, this finale was going to be epic. And it was. For 40 minutes.

Dandy is the new owner of the Freakshow and he wants to headline while singing Cole Porter songs. “For Anything Goes, I need the magenta light to accentuate my spirited rendition.” Clearly, this was going to be a real treat, but the freaks were having none of it. Enter Paul who has, apparently, inherited Stanley’s big dick attitude and proceeds to tell Dandy that they will not be cooperating with him and then spits in his face. Bad move Paul, real bad move. Just because you think Dandy is a nancy doesn’t mean he actually is. Since this is the last time I get to say it, King Kong ain’t got nothin on Dandy Mott! Dandy is so fierce, he puts on a full face of makeup before taking his pristine white suit and golden, pearl handled revolver on a walk of murder. While humming the “March” from “The Nutcracker Suite”, he calmly walks those brogues around the grounds and shoots the freaks one by one. Even after engaging in a bit of a tussle with Amazon Eve, his suit is still impeccable and he has the good taste to put all of the bodies together under the big tent. May they all rest in peace together. This was all done so well that I forgive the glaring similarity to Tate doing this exact same thing in Murder House.

Everyone knows that the only thing Dandy really wanted was his girls, so we return from commercial break with the nuptials of Dandy, Bette and Dot. These ladies warned Elsa that her head was next on the chopping block, so you just know that something is up. Ah yes, the surviving freaks, Jimmy, Desiree and the twins will be taking care of Dandy and his evil ways. By putting Dandy in the Houdini box and drowning him, he now resembles all of the other freaks who reside in glass cases. It is the belief of the freaks that Dandy brought the freakshow to the attention of Stanley, therefore, it is a suitable justice for him to end up in a display case as well. While I would like to appreciate this annoyingly obvious statement, this was no way for Dandy to go out. Dandy deserved so much more. He was a truly awful human being and he should have suffered a truly awful death; not a symbolic one.

Elsa begging to see the head of the network was a little sad, but she hasn’t exactly led the kind of life that rewards one with good karma, but more on that later. As already pointed out a few episodes back, we all know that Elsa Mars will find fame and glory in Hollywood via a variety show. In fact, The Elsa Mars Hour is considered groundbreaking television that has greatly expanded the notion of what television can be. Hmm…..I wonder who Mr. Murphy is really talking about. Anyway, Elsa got everything she ever wanted except love. Love is what she wished for when she blew out her birthday candles, but it was never going to be. What’s a lady to do when she just can’t seem to have EVERYTHING? Commit suicide by agreeing to perform on Halloween knowing that Mr. Mordrake will show up. There is a catch, though. Edward Mordrake already told Elsa that she does not belong with them. Oh well, at least we got to see Twisty and Edward one last time.

Where does this leave Ms. Mars? Why, in an afterlife where she gets to live with all of her freaks under the big tent and she’s the headliner. Um, what? First of all, I already saw this finale on a show called Lost and secondly, someone please explain to me how this woman who caused so much pain to her monsters gets to be celebrated by them in the afterlife? According to Ethel Darling, it’s because Elsa is a star and stars never pay. Apparently, everyone was just playing the role they were cast in and the sins of the living don’t really count in this other world. Wow. Can we all get a ticket to this world where we don’t have to pay for any of our sins? As usual, it is currently up in the air if Jessica Lange will return for another season of AHS, so I can understand wanting to put her in the literal spotlight just in case this is her last dance with Ryan Murphy, but it just wasn’t the right ending for Elsa Mars. Not by a long shot.

Well, TV Babies, let the rumors begin. What will season 5 of AHS bring us? As I have said a few times now, after revisiting previous seasons, I believe that season 5 will be bridging a lot of things together, specifically, Asylum and Freakshow. I think there will be some military testing done on humans and I think aliens may come out and play again. Or, maybe all of the clues that have been left were really indicating that we will be subjected to an entire season of characters doing completely unnecessary and unwanted musical numbers. Only time will tell.

Random thoughts after viewing the finale:

1. What became of Stanley? Was he left to die in that little Meep cage of his?
2. What happened to Chester? Did he go to jail for killing Marjorie or the two people he actually killed?
3. Was Theo Huxtable in this show for the sheer purpose of supplying a happy ending for Desiree?
4. Will Jimmy and the twins’ baby be a freak or “normal”?
5. Will Evan Peters be doing the patented, “NOOOOOOOOOO” scream every season?
6. Who was Dandy’s therapist and will this character pop up next season?
7. Why did they feel it necessary to pull an eight year time jump? Nobody like a time jump.
8. If Elsa gets to wear a white suit and go to a heaven of sorts, why did Dandy and his white suit go to a hell?
9. Will Finn Wittrock be in next season? I hope so!

Lisa Fremont

Twitter: @lcfremont

Article first appeared at Horrorhoneys.com. Lisa is the TV Honey.

Images: IMDb & cliqueclack.com