“American Horror Story: Freak Show” Episode 7 Recap – Test of Strength

Why, cruel Gods, why? Why did you forsake Ma Petite?

Was the one beacon of innocence on this show too much? Did Jyoti Amge want too much money? Were people starting to like Bald Murderer (Dell) too much?

The murder train starts rolling with Dandy and Gloria, leading Jimmy to the sisters. Dandy mentions he knows they’ve been at odds because she wants the surgery, but wait, how does he know that? Dot demands to know and he reminds her that he will have no secrets – he read her diary.

Naturally, Dot is ready to bolt. Bette thinks she loves Dandy, but opts to stick with Dot (like she has a choice).

Back at the show grounds, Jimmy belts out “Come As You Are” by Nirvana and tells Elsa he knows she sold the twins to Dandy. Dot draws out a lie, saying they wanted to see how Dandy lived and the German maven merely granted her wish.

Jimmy doesn’t buy it, but goes along with it anyway.

Ethel and Desiree go to visit Dr. Bonner at his office, but they come across one of his daughters instead. Apparently Bonner killed himself – although Dell probably staged the suicide, despite what the doc’s daughter thinks, as it’s hard to work a gun with shattered fingers.

Carrying on, Stanley spotted Bald Murderer at a gay bar and tells him everybody will find out unless he offs one of the freaks. Dell, the genius that he is, attempts to go for Amazon Eve (Erika Ervin), the tallest freak in the camp.

“You trying to get with me?” she asks before nearly beating Dell into unconsciousness. That clearly didn’t fly.

It has, however, convinced Ethel that it’s time for her old flame to be snuffed out. Jimmy protests, but no, his youthful idealism hasn’t been crushed yet, she says, and he doesn’t yet know there is no hope in the world. Jimmy tells his tearful mother he’ll deal with him.

Jimmy and Dell go out to talk and also (mainly) to get wasted. Jimmy tells Dell the women of the carnival aren’t keen on his attack on Eve and says he doesn’t want to drink too much, in fear he may become an alcoholic like his Ma. He then (because, why not?) starts bearing his soul to the man who beat him up in episode two.

Jimmy, wearing gloves to hide his lobster claw-ish hands, tells the story of a winter when the troupe was stuck in Wisconsin. It was the time of his life because he made Ma Petite a hat out of a rabbit’s head (little did Jimmy know telling the story would indirectly cause the outcome of this episode).

Jimmy leaves the bar to puke his brains out and turns too quickly for Dell to brash his brains with a brick. Jimmy reveals he inexplicably knows about Dell being his dad and the “Toledo Lobster Clan” he hails from.

They hug it out, and, in the highlight of the episode, father and son drunkenly stumble back to the circus and tell Elsa that things are “gonna be different ’round here.”

Yet, Dell knows he has some freak-collecting to do if he doesn’t want to be conned out of the closet.

Meanwhile, Dot and Bette have negotiated terms with Elsa: Give them 20 percent of the box office, dye Bette’s hair blonde and caviar for breakfast everyday – or everybody will know the truth.

“We look like the epitome of a before and after photo,” the now-blonde Bette say to Dot, who is feeling more than a tad insecure. Elsa picks up on this, and through some note passing, Elsa is informed about Dot’s surgical plans.

Shortly after, Stanley tells Elsa that maybe, just a thought, what the sisters need is a mercy killing. Ethel overhears this. Maybe Ethel will actually do something by the last episode?

Also, Paul’s girlfriend, Penny (the Candy Striper), has a psychotic father. Her Dad arranges with his insane, tattoo artist buddy Morris to cut a slit in her tongue, because – “Freak Show.” He wanted her to fit in with the rest of the freaks, he claims.

At the end of the episode, Dell sneaks into Ma Petite’s tent. He gives her a new dress to try on and after, promptly kills her.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers as he becomes the most hated man in the series. The American Morbidity Museum then gets a new Ma Petite-shaped display.

RIP, little one. Rest easy.