American Horror Story: 10 Things That Make No Sense About Freak Show

American Horror Story is one of those shows that seems to know how to find exactly those parts of the American landscape that are the most disturbing and unsettling. In the case of season four, that was of course the freak show, which was once a staple of American culture. It’s one of the better seasons of the show, and it manages to not wander off into too many narrative dead-ends (a perennial problem with this series, alas).

However, there are still quite a few things about this season that just don’t quite add up and that, to be honest, just don’t make sense.

10 What was the point of Neil Patrick Harris’s Character?

One of the things that gets very frustrating about this show is its tendency to indulge in stunt casting, and that is the case with the character Chester Creb, who suddenly appears (along with his demented dummy Marjorie). His story probably would have made more sense if he’d been introduced earlier in the season, but as it is he just sort of wanders in and then out again just as quickly, leading some to wonder just what the point was in having him at all.

9 Edward Mordrake Literally Makes No Sense

This show does best when it focuses on reality and doesn’t engage too much in the supernatural, and it really doesn’t do well when it tries to mix the two of them. The decision to include a ghost named Edward Mordrake thus feels like a misstep, made all the worse by the fact that Wes Bentley has a poor British accent. Unfortunately, the whole thing comes across very campy (and definitely not in a good way).

8 Why The Town Tolerates The (Obviously Murderous) Motts

In this season, it quickly becomes abundantly clear that the Motts are not only very rich, they are also very corrupt and prone to violence (particularly Dandy). While it would make sense that the town would step lightly around them because of their wealth, it does rather strain credulity that they would continue to put up with their nonsense as long as they do, particularly when their own lives seem to be at stake.

7 Denis O’Hare’s Lower Half

Denis O’Hare is a fantastic actor, and it’s always a pleasure to see him appear in this show. However, sometimes the series doesn’t really do him in any favors, particularly when it gives him strange storylines that don’t really make any sense. In this season, the story seems to pay a ridiculous amount of attention to his lower half, though it refuses to really give the viewer any kind of detail (in terms of story) to explain this or why it should matter so much.

6 The Whole Penny Storyline

If there’s one thing that gets very irritating about this series, it’s its tendency to create characters that lack a lot of depth or point. Sometimes, it seems as if they just need to fill up the requisite number of episodes, so they throw a lot at the wall to see what will eventually stick.

That seems to be the case with Penny, a rather minor character who nevertheless seems to get far too much screen time without a lot of explanation as to why.

5 Dell’s Sexuality

Dell is one of this season’s more interesting characters, in part because he seems to have a very conflicted relationship with his own sexuality. There are times when he seems to be homosexual, but then again there are also a few times when he seems like he might be bi or pan. However, the series doesn’t seem to be that interested in exploring him in any significant depth, and so the audience is left to merely speculate on what makes him tick.

4 The Final Confrontation Between Elsa And Ethel

There’s a lot to love about this season, and of course both Kathy Bates and Jessica Lange turn in great performances, Lange as the owner and master of the show and Bates as Elsa, the bearded lady. Of course, no friendship in this show is ever safe, and so the two of them end up coming to blows (and, sadly, Elsa kills Ethel).

It’s a powerful moment, to be sure, but it does feel a bit rushed, and it seems like the writers could have helped this scene to make more sense than it did.

3 Ethel’s Accent

Kathy Bates was one of the best things to be added to the show after its second season. While there’s a great deal to admire about her performance as Ethel, one thing is utterly confounding, and that is her accent. It’s supposed to be from Baltimore (which, to be fair, does have its own unique sound), but there’s still a lot about it that doesn’t sit right on the ear, and it doesn’t seem to land with quite the level of authenticity that Bates clearly intended.

2 Why Gloria Didn’t Think Dandy Would Turn On Her

The Motts are one of the most deranged families to appear in the series (and that’s really saying something), and it seems like Gloria deserves a fair amount of the blame for the fact that her son Dandy is a murderous psychopath. It’s hard to shake the feeling, though, that she probably should have foreseen the possibility that he would eventually turn against her. As it turns out, that’s exactly what happens, and he ends up bathing in her blood after murdering her.

1 The Whole Regina Storyline

Gabourey Sidibe is, without a doubt, a great actress, and she was a fine addition to the previous season of the show. Here, however, she has a very brief role as the daughter of Dandy’s murdered housekeeper. In this case, she’s rather brusquely written off the show when Dandy bribes a policeman to shoot her. It’s a rather silly contrivance, and it’s hard to see what was the point of including this character if she was just going to be killed off so casually.

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