Season 4 Episode 3 Recap/review 

A Horrific Halloween is Upon Us! – American Horror Story: Freak Show – Season 4 Episode 3 – “Edward Mordrake Pt. 1”

Last week we saw trouble come to the Freak Show in the form of police officers investigating a murder, a strong man making big changes and causing waves, and a freaky clown who has found a new psychotic partner in crime. What could possibly happen next?  My guess is…a lot!

It is Halloween which can only mean an ideal environment for American Horror Story to work its freak show magic. Everyone seems to be preparing for the spooky holiday.

Our first treat is the return of two more characters.  Emma Roberts and Denis O’Hare return to AHS as Madison Montgomery and Spalding. They attempt to deceive the owner of the American Morbidity Museum by selling them fake “freak” items, and by freak items, I mean a baby goat fetus with a cat jaw attached to it.  When their attempt fails, the owner hints at them that there could be big money if they bring her something original, something truly freakish.

Well, where better to get something truly freakish, than a freak show. Just as you suspect, a trip to South Florida is in Madison and Spalding’s future.

The town of Jupiter is preparing to conduct their trick-or-treating festivities early due to the curfew that is in effect, which must really suck considering it is Halloween. Just as I am thinking that our resident creepy clown will probably be having a field day with this holiday, we meet a young trick-or-treater who happens to be afraid of clowns.  I couldn’t have predicted this any better, because the next thing you know, she gets an eyeful of Mr. Creepy Clown himself, Twisty.

Someone who is not having a great Halloween? That would be Ethel, the Bearded Lady. She is at the doctor’s office being given a diagnosis that leads her to believe she may have only a short time left in this freak show.

Her son, Jimmy, doesn’t seem to be having a great holiday either.  After digging a grave for Meep, he is drowning in guilt and self-loathing, as Jimmy suffers from a hero complex.  He believes it is his responsibility to protect the freaks, and he feels like he failed Meep.  The freaks hold their own unique service for Meep, saying their goodbye’s with cut off chicken heads of all things. I guess you wouldn’t expect anything different from a family of freaks.

So, what is Halloween if not without a superstition or two, and it seems it is no different for the freaks. They never perform on Halloween because of a superstition they believe that says if a freak performs on Halloween, they will summon the spirit of Lord Edward Mordrake. Mordrake was a freak himself, the most amazing kind too! He had a second face on the back of his head! The superstition says that when Edward’s spirit is summoned, freaks die.

I am sure by now you are all wondering what was going on over at the Mott residence. Halloween has to be Dandy’s favorite holiday, considering he is not all there, not in the least. Sure enough, Gloria is preparing a divine Halloween party for her psychotic little boy.  When Dandy shows up, his mother is excited to show him the cutest Howdy Doody costume she purchased him. Dandy is less than thrilled to see this costume and he proceeds to put on one of his amazing temper tantrums. Gag me now, please!  Every time he starts his whining, I just want to punch him in the throat.

I do have to give Dandy props on his creativity as we watch him take a page out of his new BFF’s playbook, and create himself a silk pajama clown suit. Dandy has mad gluing skills, for real!

Halloween has another treat for the freaks, well Jimmy in particular, when Esmerelda, aka Madison, shows up claiming to be a fortune teller looking for a job.

The Siamese twins are asleep and Dot is in a lovely dream, while Bette is trapped in a nightmare.  In this dream we see Dot’s true vision of happiness, being separated from her second head. Bette doesn’t seem turned on by this idea.

Esmerelda scores an interview of sorts with Elsa and wows her with her

fake amazing fortune telling skills. She revitalizes a dream that Elsa thought was lost forever.

Strong man seems to be having a crappy Halloween as well when he is unable to, uh…well…perform for his lovely three-breasted bride, Desiree. She is none too impressed with his, uh…lack of ability.

Strong man heads out to walk it off and runs into his ex, Ethel. Her and the strong man have a nice come-to-Jesus talk with each other as she confesses that she is dying and he confesses that he has been a crappy dad.

No folks, Halloween is not quite over yet. The trick keep coming when Twisty decides to pay the young girl he saw trick-or-treating earlier, a visit.  He spies the girl’s brother bullying his little sister and Twisty has just the remedy for bullies…a nice outing to his caravan of horrors, but we will get back to that in a second.

Madison has contacted Spalding to let him know that she is absolutely uncomfortable around the freaks, but Spalding’s Halloween is made when she mentions Dot and Bette. I guess his night is about to get even better when his Viking outfit clad boyfriend shows up. Is anyone else curious about what Thor saw when he removed Spalding’s pants?  I am so intrigued!

Back at the freak show, Dot and Bette, well I should say Dot, is ready to rehearse even though the freaks are warning her that even a rehearsal could be enough to summon Mr. Mordrake. Elsa shows up, dressed to the nines, and gets into an ego match with Dot.  It seems Dot has grown a pair along with her newfound confidence. Elsa is quick to put her in her place and Dot is shooed off.

Elsa, who now believes a dark and handsome man is going to show up and revive her lost career – thanks Madison, er…I mean Esmerelda – needs to rehearse for his arrival. We are then treated to the musical styling of Elsa and her freak band.

Just as the freaks predicted, Mordrake appears and Elsa thinks it is the man Esmerelda predicted would come to her. Little does she know that she may have condemned one of the freaks to death, nice one Elsa!

Just as Ethel is settling down for the night she is visited by Mr. Mordrake and his crew of freak ghosts.  Ethel knows who she is dealing with and as much as she may have thought she was ready to die, she begins to have second thoughts real quick.

However, it seems that you have to take a bit of a morality test before Mordrake decides whether or not to add you to his ghostly crew.  Do you think Ethel passed the test or did she fail and earn a one way ticket to the other side?

Oh and let’s not forget Twisty and his caravan of horrors.  Dandy has made his way to the caravan in his clown costume and begins to terrorize Twisty’s captives. Twisty returns home with his newest ‘toy’ and Dandy is oh so pleased.

Be sure to tune in next week when we see the conclusion of the most horrific of Halloween’s.

Catch up on American Horror Story: Freak Show here!

A Horrific Halloween is Upon Us! – American Horror Story: Freak Show – Season 4 Episode 3 – “Edward Mordrake Pt. 1” was last modified: October 23rd, 2014 by

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