By the fourth season of American Horror Story, viewers were taken to a Murder House, an Asylum, and a Coven. By 2014, creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk wanted to bring the anthology series back in time to the 1950s and center on a traveling circus with a bevy of strange and fascinating characters in tow.
From "Lobster Boy" Jimmy Darling (Evan Peters) to the "Bearded Lady" Ethel Darling (Kathy Bates), the crew was heckled and ridiculed by onlookers, and further evil lurked around each tent corner. To prepare for the upcoming season, why not immerse oneself back into the world of Elsa Mars and the oddities that surround her?
Bette and Dot Tattler
First line: Dear Diary, it was a Saturday, the 3rd of September, that the world as I have known is forever doomed.
The first scene found Bette & Dot Tattler (Sarah Paulson) walking onto the traveling circus grounds, unhappy and suspicious. This moment sets the mood for Bette and Dot and what is about to come. After enduring the vicious murder of their mother, the fate of their lives is in a spin at this point.
Last Line: I feel like I've seen this act before.
By the end of the season, Bette and Dot are in a relationship with Jimmy and are pregnant with his child. As the season concludes, the main characters find themselves watching Elsa Mars performing on television. The women are tired of watching Elsa as they sit in their living room content and at ease.
Jimmy Darling
First line: I'm serious, I'm serious, I'm not kidding you, I can ride a motorbike, okay?
Jimmy Darling's intro to the show is classic and has a heartthrob-esque feel. He's found sitting in Jupiter's diner while he's flirting with a waitress. The intro into his character is carefree, even though trouble is waiting for him around the corner. Of all of Evan's AHS characters, Jimmy is one of the most well-liked.
Last Line: How are my girls feeling?
Jimmy has endured and survived a lot of horrible situations throughout the season. While he lost his hands and his love, Maggie Esmerelda (Emma Roberts), he found true happiness at the end when he shacked up with the twins and is the future father of their baby.
Dell Toledo
First line: As far as we're concerned, this might as be the Garden of Eden.
From the very start, it's obvious Dell Toledo (Michael Chiklis) is a rough-around-the-edges type of guy, and, when he shows up as the Strongman in Jupiter, it's an un-welcoming visit. After all, he did leave Ethel and Jimmy to live a life of his own. He returns with a new beau that is none other than Desiree Dupree (Angela Bassett)
Last Line: I smothered her.
Dell might not be a supernatural threat in Freak Show, but he is definitely a villain of the show. He's a murderer, he's run from the law, and he even framed Meep (Ben Woolf), an innocent bystander, for the murder of a policeman. So, when Elsa steps behind him after he confesses to killing Ma Petite (Jyoti Amge), she ends his life.
Gloria Mott
First line: Do you like your seat, Dandy?
The first customers to visit the circus are Dandy Mott (Finn Wittrock) and his overly-devoted mother, Gloria Mott (Frances Conroy). As they sit in an empty tent, waiting for the show, the dynamic between Dandy and Gloria is apparent. Dandy is a spoiled grown man, while Gloria is obsessed with keeping him happy.
Last Line: I can't go on if you kill yourself.
By the end of Gloria's time on the show, she's still oblivious to the fact that her son is psychotic and vile. Their last moment together shows Dandy holding a gun to his head and threatening to end his life. When Gloria mentions that she could never live without him, Dandy turns the weapon on her and kills her, instead.
Richard Stanley/Stanley
First line: Ms. Hemmings, have you met my lab assistant, Miss Rothschild?
From his very first appearance in "Edward Mordrake: Part 1," Stanley (Denis O'Hare) is already trying to con those around him. He has Miss Esmerelda in tow as they're trying to sell a faux product to the Museum of Morbid Curiosities. After being called a fraud, they escape and begin scheming again.
Last Line: She's not who she thinks she is! She killed Ethel.
After posing as a Hollywood talent agent, Stanley and Maggie weasel their way into Elsa's world. He's a master manipulator and tricks several people into killing and gaining a prophet from his schemes. Stanley's real intention is exposed by the end, and Elsa and the others hunt him down. He ends up in a cage, dressed up as a bird.
Maggie Esmerelda
First line: Oh, that's not true.
Maggie's first scene shows her at the Museum of Morbid Curiosities with Stanely. They're posing as a professor and an assistant, and Maggie is dressed up as a young, nerdy woman. When she's introduced to the museum's owner, she plays the part to perfection.
Last Line: Chester! Stop!
Maggie has schemed and conned, but, in the end, she fell in love with Jimmy and is trying to prove to Elsa and the group that she's sorry for her actions. To prove her loyalty, she volunteers to be sawed in half by Chester Creb (Neil Patrick Harris), believing it's an act. She doesn't realize that Chester is crazed and can't tell between what's real and what isn't. Her body is severed while she's screaming for Chester to stop.
Dandy Mott
First line: They're all my seats; I can sit anywhere I can.
Dandy Mott is spoiled and psychopathic, and, from his first scene, he's proving his reputation. As he sits in an empty circus tent with his mother, Gloria, he snaps at her when she asks if he likes his seat. While he can have the pick of the litter since there's no one else in the audience, he rudely disregards his mother and claims that they're all of his to take.
Last Line: I hate you! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!
Dandy is bored with his upper-class life, so his psychopathic tendencies are turned up a notch when he meets Twisty (John Carroll Lynch). He causes a lot of pain throughout the season and even killed his own mother, so, by the end, Jimmy, Desiree, and the twins realize they must put a stop to it. They drug Dandy, chain him up, and throw him in a water tank. As the tank fills with water, Dandy is throwing his very last childish fit.
Desiree Dupree
First line: Please tell me this is a rest stop.
After all of the other traveling circuses have proved to be duds, Desiree and Dell travel back to Jupiter to grovel to Elsa. It's obvious Desiree doesn't know this initially, as, when she steps out of her trailer, her initial look around proves she isn't satisfied with the scenery.
Last Line: Everything we got at home is just fine.
Desiree is, without a doubt, one of the most complex and interesting characters of the season. Mistaken as a male at birth, Desiree has had a hard life, and all she wants is to feel like she belongs truly. Clad in some of the best costumes of the season, Desiree is a true survivor, and, several years after her time in the circus, she's happy and married to a former lover of hers. Her final scene shows her watching Elsa perform on a department store television. When her husband asks her if she needs another television, her last line proves that she has everything she needs.
Ethel Darling
First line: Stop this foolishness. You need your strength to perform.
After the twins are brought to the circus, they're uncomfortable and at odds with one another. When Ethel brings in food for them to eat, one of the twins demands the other one doesn't touch the food. It's here where Ethel proves her grittiness and makes sure the women are taken care of. She knows Elsa will want them strong and ready to be on stage and doesn't want to disappoint her.
Last Line: Tonight, you will see the brightest and best there ever was and ever will be. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Ms. Elsa Mars!
Ethel is Jimmy's mother, but she portrays herself as a mother hen for everyone around her. Even though she's gone through major highs and lows in her life, she's always been loyal to Elsa, despite what Elsa has done. In "Blood Bath," she's killed off by Elsa Stanley and appears again in the last episode in the afterlife. It's here where she appears to forgive Elsa and announcers her return to the stage.
Elsa Mars:
First line: I've come to visit my poor, ailing aunt, but I have trouble navigating your halls.
To ensure she has enough acts in her "freak show," Elsa visits the local hospital under false pretenses. While she tells a nearby nurse she's there for her aunt, she's really trying to locate Bette and Dot so she can wrangle them into joining the last remaining traveling circus in the United States.
Last Line: Am I to perform? Now?
Elsa's transformation in the season went from good to terrible, and her greed to be a Hollywood star got the best of her. After selling off the circus and conspiring with the wrong people, she realized how detrimental her actions were. After summoning Edward Mordrake (Wes Bentley) to claim her and take her into the afterlife, she's reunited with the other deceased performers and can perform in a packed tent full of fans waiting for her.