Welcome to Fräulein Elsa's Cabinet of Curiosities! American Horror Story's controversial fourth season is loosely based on the banned 1932 film Freaks, and is also inspired by a number of real-life historical figures to include Grady Stiles Jr. and Chang and Eng, twins that were born conjoined at the shoulder.
Freak Show has a fairly large ensemble cast of main and recurring characters. Whether they were inspired by actual people or were simply made up in the wild imaginations of the show's writers, they all had their own complex histories and motivations – some darker than others. Which character was the most likable?
Dandy Mott
A gleeful killer and lover of violence, Dandy Mott is fascinating, but not exactly somebody to have over for dinner. Raised in a lavish environment, Dandy was terribly spoiled from a young age. Due to being psychologically disturbed, his desires became more obscene as he grew older, and he reveled in acting cruelly to those around him. He has little respect for human life, and attempts to buy Bette and Dot after visiting Elsa's show for the first time.
Twisty The Clown
Twisty the Clown is an utterly terrifying antagonist, but it's his tragic backstory that keeps him from being the least likable member of the season. Dropped on his head as a child, he has a mental disability due to brain injury, but made a happy living as a clown for children's parties.
He was so popular that fellow clowns spread horrible rumors about him. Between the loss of his career and the death of his mother, Twisty attempts to commit suicide, but it leaves him horribly disfigured.
Dell Toledo
A strong man that works for Elsa, Dell Toledo also serves as security for the vulnerable performers. Quick to anger and blatantly homophobic (caused by struggling with his own homosexual tendencies), Dell was shown as temperamental to the point of being abusive. His marriage to Ethel Darling ended after he threatened their deformed son. He later married Desiree Dupree, but showed her equally negative treatment.
Maggie Esmeralda
A con artist with a pretty face and a skewed moral compass, Maggie Esmeralda comes to Elsa's Cabinet Of Curiosities with dark intentions. Working with her partner, Stanley, she lies about being a fortune teller and attempts to work her way into the good graces of Elsa and the other performers. Though she later becomes involved with Jimmy and regrets the con, she is still involved with the plan that gets innocent people killed and mutilated.
Elsa Mars
Elsa Mars is not a traditionally kind person. She even exploits her performers in many ways, and at one point throws knives at one of them. Her struggles are human and her past was a cruel one.
Having lost her legs after being tricked into taking a role in a torturous snuff film, she too feels like a "freak" and pretends at all costs that she is not. She dresses fashionably, speaks highly of herself and her talents, and hides her prosthetic limbs.
Bette Tattler
Born in Alabama, Bette and Dot lived most of their lives in hiding due to their condition of being conjoined twins. Though they look very much alike and share one body, they have two brains, and two separate personalities. Bette tends to be much more kind and optimistic than her sister, while Dot is stern and jaded. A dreamer and a bit naive, Bette idolizes stars and craves fame and a comfortable life.
Desiree Dupree
Desiree Dupree is married to Dell Toledo and takes the job at Elsa's show due to her intriguing appearance - specifically that she has three breasts. Desiree was also born with genitalia that the doctors and her parents mistook, which caused her to be raised as a boy for much of her childhood. Despite outer features that make her different, she owns her oddities and even flaunts them with confidence and sensuality.
Ethel Darling
Jimmy's mother and the Cabinet's resident "bearded lady", Ethel Darling has spent a long life performing in shows where she is often mocked for her appearance. Having led a life full of many hardships, she struggles with alcoholism and depression, but does her best to carry on for her son and her friends.
A strong woman molded by the difficulties of her life, Ethel is loving and protective of others at the show and acts as their leader. Fiercely maternal, she protects her friends like they are family.
Paul
Born with phocomelia which caused the malformation of his limbs, Paul has made his living as a sideshow performer, and works at Elsa's show. Kind and affectionate, Paul often stands up for the other performers. Though he had a sexual relationship with Elsa, she doesn't treat him well, and he falls in love with a woman named Penny. Most of all, Paul just wants to love and be loved.
Jimmy Darling
The son of Dell Toledo and Ethel Darling, Jimmy was born with a rare genetic condition called ectrodactyly, and goes by the stage name "Lobster Boy". Jimmy is charming, attractive, and kindhearted. Like his mother, he is fiercely protective of his friends and won't hesitate to fight - physically or verbally - for the fair treatment of all of the other performers.