American Horror Story: Freak Show – "Curtain Call” Retrospective. Life After Mars.

Season 4, Episode 13

Airdate: Wednesday, January 22, 2015, 9/8c on FX

Rating: ★★★★★

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

Penny and Paul - true love wins in the end.

Penny and Paul, true love does win in the end.

After a season of watching nightmarish clowns, psychopathic killers, and a homicidal ventriloquist terrorize the town of Jupiter, my expectations going into the finale of American Horror Story: Freak Show (AHS: Freak Show) were pretty high. So imagine my surprise when what I expected to see—abundant gore and a literal blood bath—evolved into something poignant and heartfelt by the end. I’m still processing my thoughts after seeing Elsa’s (Jessica Lange) last scenes, which underscores again why AHS: Freak Show is one of the highlight seasons for the American Horror Story (AHS) franchise.

In previous years, AHS managed to end each season’s theme with something shocking or witty. AHS: Freak Show has a little bit of both, which is why I have such mixed feelings. The beginning and ending are pitch perfect; it’s everything in between that felt too rushed or vague at times. Don’t get me wrong, I love the premise for AHS: Freak Show, which deconstructs the concept of monstrosity by turning the lens towards our own inner demons. The pacing of the story lines and the atmospheric tone weren’t consistent, however, leaving a seesaw of emotions throughout the episodes as we watched favorite characters die, and in some cases, resurrected back to life by interesting means.

The Final Act

It was only a matter of time before Dandy Mott (Finn Wittrock) hit his limit, and the consequences of his actions would be met with a vengeance. Whether you’re inexplicably drawn to Dandy or not, Wittrock’s portrayal of the high society lunatic is brilliant, especially when he adds faint traces of humanity amid the darkness that shrouds Dandy. As the source of so much chaos this season, I wasn’t surprised to see Dandy’s purchase of Elsa’s freak show dissolve so quickly. In fact, I think he owns the freak show for no more than 48 hours when all hell breaks loose. Unfortunately, one of the biggest disappointments is the way Dandy’s story line resolves itself in “Curtain Call.”

The passage of time in the season finale, with the exception of when it’s noted, is a problem that makes some of the sequence of events feel disjointed. When Paul (Mat Fraser) and Amazon Eve (Erika Ervin) band together with the others in the troupe to quit, there’s a falling out with Dandy, during which Eve assaults him and Paul spits in his face. Unfortunately, it doesn’t bode well for anyone in the troupe. This is the part where events escalate quickly, and where I feel “Curtain Call” loses some of its depth. Dandy’s retaliation isn’t a surprise nor is the manner he chooses to exact his revenge. What is a surprise is how fast it all happens. I understand within the context of the scene Dandy isn’t going to play around, yet it raises a question about the weaponry. I also understand the people within the campgrounds are probably caught off guard. Yet, these are the same folks who sliced and diced Stanley (Denis O’Hare). Dandy is a man with a pistol, not an assault rifle, so what gives? I thought more people would come out of the woodwork following the first gunshot but they don’t. Where are the general workmen who rig up the tents? If that point isn’t glaring enough, how many bullets does Dandy’s gun hold? I thought maybe six, but he goes on his way to confront a whole bunch of people. Don’t dismay, though; this last act of cruelty has its own twist that, interestingly enough, does not end up in a pool of blood.

There are a handful of violent acts in “Curtain Call,” but Dandy’s shooting massacre is one you won’t easily forget. If there’s a supporting character you loved this season, there’s a very good chance he or she may not have made it.

There is also a strange moment where Dandy gets his wish to run away with Bette and Dot (Sarah Paulson); of course, this is in exchange for sparing their lives. All of this happens between the time Jimmy (Evan Peters) gets his new wooden claw hands and returns to the campground where he suffers another devastating loss. It’s at this point I imagined some hair raising rage that would culminate with him serving Dandy’s head on a silver platter. Once again, that’s not the case. Jimmy’s story line doesn’t peak, and it’s something that’s hard to ignore when he spent a good portion of the season drunk and horny.

A lot of the transition scenes and editing for the freak show plotlines feel choppy at best. I don’t know whether time is an issue, but “Curtain Call” doesn’t have as big an impact as “Show Stoppers.” Then, there’s the matter of Dandy marrying Bette and Dot. We know Dandy asks the girls to come with him but that’s about it. Next thing you know, they’re getting hitched! I wasn’t sure at first whether Dandy is hallucinating or having a dream. Oh, it’s real alright. Vague fractured points of time kind of make the moments less harrowing and intriguing, which is a shame because Dandy deserved something more “theatrical.”

No Good Deed

Poor Elsa, even when her dreams come true, she still feels cursed.

The better half of “Curtain Call” follows Elsa’s rise to fame in Hollywood. This portion of the season finale feels like a whole separate episode. I can’t help but wonder if this finale is a product of two episode concepts fused together. Elsa’s story is the strongest element, which turns the table of my opinions regarding the finale altogether. “Curtain Call” jumps to the year 1960, and Elsa can’t catch a break until a young Hollywood studio executive helps her out. The pacing and Elsa’s evolution from a fledgling actress to stardom move fluidly while interlacing some continuity of plot points, like the brief return of Massimo Dolcefino (Danny Huston). Funny, even when Elsa achieves her dreams, they still feel like a “curse.”

The big turning point begins when Elsa has a scheduled performance on Halloween. Remember, people who work within the freak show circuit—past or present—do not perform on that day because of the legend surrounding Edward Mordrake (Wes Bentley). Reluctant at first, Elsa changes her mind when the past catches up with her and she feels she has no one left to love her.

I absolutely love the way Elsa’s final moments are portrayed. It’s a celebration and a reflection of all the things viewers have come to love about AHS: Freak Show. The last five minutes serve as beautiful reunion that makes up for a lot of the flaws in “Curtain Call.”

Overall

I can’t say I dislike “Curtain Call” but it doesn’t make a great first impression. When I re-watched it, I felt more of an impact due to the phenomenal acting by the entire cast. During my second viewing, I noticed tiny nuances, like the way Wittrock perfects Dandy’s almost whimsical facial expressions when scoffing at his fight with Eve. Then, there are Lange and Huston’s scenes, which always are my favorites; their onscreen chemistry is spot on and effortless. Plus, the sad and fragile look on Elsa’s face when she tells Massimo she wished for love on her birthday just gutted me. It’s uncertain whether Lange will return to AHS ever again after AHS: Freak Show. If this is her final episode, then “Curtain Call” is one hell of a way to say farewell while keeping things a high note.

Finally, I have to address the writing of the episode by Bradley Buecker, whose previous work includes my favorite episode, “Orphans.” Buecker is at his best when hitting the key emotional plot points. Unfortunately, in “Curtain Call,” the continuity and structure are weak. I don’t understand it, because after such a well-developed and scripted episode like “Orphans,” I expected the same kind of seamless transition between big events. For example, we never find out if the town of Jupiter ever truly vindicates Jimmy of his alleged crimes or whether Dandy’s death sheds light on his involvement with the killings. And let’s not forget Chester (Neil Patrick Harris), who last we saw turned himself in to the police. What happened to him? Maybe jumping eight years into the future after Dandy’s death takes care of those loose ends, but in my mind, they’re still there.

But don’t dismay; the last scene — when Elsa reunites with all her “monsters” — makes up for the imperfections, leading to some powerful moments. I didn’t realize how much I missed the unity and love the characters share, regardless of their flaws and dysfunctional nature, until Mordrake takes Elsa under the tent to her beloved freak show. Seeing Ma Petite (Jyoti Amge) almost made me cry but even more emotional is when Elsa gets on stage and on the sideline you see Meep (Ben Woolf) in his costume. I almost burst into tears. In that moment, I knew Elsa wasn’t damned or “cursed.” Again, AHS: Freak Show continues to blur the lines of good and evil. Some may think Elsa deserves to burn in hell for her past actions, which is understandable—Elsa herself questions why she is among the loved ones too. What I love most about this season finale is how it approaches the subject of an afterlife, treating it as a mysterious entity where the notions of evil are subjective.

AHS: Freak Show took a very fascinating time in history and combined it with a topic that opens so much discussion about the ways we judge one another. It seems apropos, considering we currently live in the selfie era and indulge in conventional beauty and fast money. Even though the subject for season five of AHS has yet to be announced, I’m really curious it will connect with AHS: Freak Show. Recently, series creator Ryan Murphy revealed a clue: top hat. The top hat logo has been seen in AHS: Freak Show on paper coffee cups, on the cover of a diner, and Mordrake wears one. So what does it mean? Could it be a reference to Operation Top Hat, an experimental government program in the 1950s? Possibly, but I think AHS could do better than a conspiracy theory theme. What I do like is the idea of a top hat symbolizing Mordrake. I would love to see AHS to take place in a surreal kind of heaven or hell that takes a page out of Dante’s Inferno. Overall, I’m curious to see how it’ll measure up next to AHS: Freak Show, which easily is the strongest season thus far.

What did you think of the season finale, “Curtain Call?” Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter @conallen.

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