American Horror Story : Freak Show Premiere Episode (TV) Review

Finally the new season of AHS is here, and oh boy is this one freaky! This review will include SPOILERS.

The opening scene was intense to say the least. Taking place in the quiet small town Jupiter, Florida, a milkman on his rounds makes a horrific discovery. Of what we aren’t sure just yet, the anticipation is wild. So far all we know is an elderly lady was found dead in her home, and something hideously scary was found in the upstairs closet. It isn’t until We see the lavishly stunning Jessica Lange stroll down the 1950’s hospital corridor that we discover that it was conjoined twins Bett and Dot, played by Sarah Paulson, that were found in the closet severely injured. This information comes to us from a loose lipped candy striper named Penny. Lange  has a deep interest in these two sisters, and begins to befriend them, but we see that each sister has her own opinion of Langes’ motives, as they argue in their own twin telepathic minds. Dot appears to be more reserved and suspicious, where as Bett seems friendly and almost naive.

Third scene in and wow! We watch as a young couple after enjoying a picnic in a quiet field have a little fumble but as the young man runs to get something from his car the young lady is approached by the most terrifying clown I’ve seen since Steven Kings IT. Twisty the clown offers the young lady a bunch of flowers he has pulled from his sleeve, then as her lover returns an sees what is happening he apprehensively steps forward, only for him and his lover to be knock unconscious to by the menacing clown and his juggling batons.

As the show goes one we see Twisty a few times, and also discover Lange’s identity as the Freak show leader. We will meet Jimmy Darling (Lobster boy),and his mother Ethel, the bearded lady, played by none other than Evan Peters and Kathy Bates. Jimmy seems a very unpredictable character, and certainly a ladies man, while his mother seems very loyal to the show, and yet a bit of  a schemer to help herself get ahead.

During the second half the show gets very dark, with revelations and intense prejudice against the freak show’s members. But the finale of the episode, the great performance of the freak show to just two audience members is astounding. An array of human oddities are paraded across the stage, some performing and some just their presence to be enjoyed, and then finally we see Lange take the stage and perform David Bowie’s Life On Mars. Such an epic scene that is accompanied with a montage of the freak show members. At the end of the performance the rich pair approach Lange and  offer a very large sum of money to own the twins. The twins abruptly decline, claiming the freak show is now their home. As the show comes to an end the last scene is perfectly and dramatically executed, as we see Lange getting ready for bed and discover her ‘freaky’ reason she is a part of the freak show.

Previews during end credits for the rest of the season are amazing, flashes of new characters and strong words, and of course more appearances from Twisty, makes for happy viewing among the horror fans and excitement rising for the next episode.

Final Thoughts.

I thoroughly enjoyed this episode, it was everything I could of asked for in a first episode, let us know the direction the show is going but still kept enough mystery to keep us on the edge of our seats. The tension through the hour long show had you begging for more, and the plot unravelled at such a pace you felt you weren’t being bombarded with new characters and story lines constantly. Perfect beginning to a fantastic series. Cant wait for episode 2.