‘American Horror Story’ 4.09 Recap: “Your Every Wish Is About to Come True”

I’ve mentioned a bunch of times already during ‘American Horror Story: Freak Show’ that I haven’t bought into the decision to make spoiled rich crybaby Dandy Mott the primary villain for the season. Now that he’s fully embraced being a gleeful psycho killer, however, the character has become both more interesting and more fun.

Dandy opens episode ‘Tupperware Party Massacre’ (that title alone already won me over) with a visit to see “Esmerelda” the carnival psychic. Unaware of whom Dandy is, Maggie gives him a bullshit fortune reading that everything will work out for him. Greatly relieved, Dandy takes this as a sign from above that he’s fulfilling a preordained destiny. In a quick flashback, we see that after he killed his mother, he also murdered an unfortunate Avon saleslady, and stitched both of their heads onto one body to make a life-size puppet version of the conjoined twins.

On his way out of the circus, Dandy is accosted by drunken Jimmy, still a total mess since his own mother died. Jimmy accuses him of being the second clown killer and tries to pick a fight, but is too drunk and just makes a fool of himself. Dandy swears to Jimmy that, “I’m going to destroy you and everything you love.” That won’t take long.

Later on, Dandy intrudes on a bunch of bored housewives having a Tupperware party. (These are the same ladies that Jimmy sexually services.) Dandy claims that his expensive car has broken down and he needs to use their phone to call the auto club. The next thing you know, all the ladies’ dead bodies are floating in the pool, and Dandy brings Tupperware containers of their blood home for a bath.

Just as he’s about to hop in the tub, Regina (Gabourey Sidibe) interrupts, once again demanding to see her mother. Feeling no more need to lie, Dandy gloats that he killed her mother, as well as his own. He proclaims that “I am a god” and invites Regina to take a blood bath with him. Naturally, she refuses. Dandy tells Regina that he won’t kill her, because she’s one of the few people in the world he’s ever liked. (Then why did he try to force his mother to kill her?) He lets her go, feeling no fear of consequences.

Regina returns later with a police detective. She’s told him everything that Dandy confessed to her. The cop, no doubt a racist, acts impatient with her and offers Dandy an opportunity to clear up the matter by explaining his side of the story. Not giving the slightest shit, Dandy boastfully admits everything. He brags, “I can think of nothing that can stop me now.” Then he offers the cop a million dollar bribe. The cop promptly pulls his pistol and shoots Regina in the head, asking Dandy, “You got a shovel?”

The next thing you know, a bunch of cops show up at the circus to arrest Jimmy for the Tupperware murders. Fulfilling his earlier promise, Dandy has framed him for the crime.

Other Storylines

  • Elsa and Stanley find twins Bette and Dot. Stanley tells them that he’s hired the famous surgeon Dr. Sugar to separate them, and that the doctor promises they’ll both live. His story is pretty dubious, but the girls are both ignorant and gullible enough to believe it. Bette still doesn’t want the surgery and fears that she won’t be able to survive on her own, but eventually offers to sacrifice herself to ensure her sister’s happiness.
  • Stanley has a meeting with this “Dr. Sugar” in his motel room. Of course, the doctor is really a gigolo that Stanley is coaching to read scripted lines and sound authoritative. His plan is to anaesthetize the girls and then kill them. In this scene, it’s implied that Stanley has a freakish dick. Too large? Not penis shaped? We don’t get to know the specifics, but one of the creepy stop-motion puppets in the opening credits may be a relevant clue.
  • Desiree is visited by an ex-lover named Angus T. Jefferson (Malcolm Jamal Warner), but they pretend not to know each other. What he’s up to, I’m sure we’ll find out later.
  • Feeling guilty about Ethel’s death (he believes the suicide story), about being gay and Stanley blackmailing him, and just generally about being a worthless piece of shit human being, Dell writes a suicide note for Jimmy and attempts to hang himself. Desiree finds him at the last second and cuts him down.
  • The twins return to the circus and find Jimmy. Dot tells him that they’ve had a change of heart and can’t live without each other, but that she (Dot) loves him and wants to be with him. She/they disrobe, and Bette promises to zone out to give them some privacy. Jimmy, still drunk, is weirded out by the situation and refuses. He tells them that he’s in love with someone else. Although he’s been taking comfort in screwing Ima the fat lady, he undoubtedly means Maggie.

I have to say, I’m disappointed in the way this season has wasted Gabourey Sidibe. During her first confrontation with Dandy, I expected her to sock him in the jaw, not to cower in fear from him. She seemed a little stronger than that in her previous appearance. Her quick exit, while amusing, feels like a missed opportunity. On the other hand, I enjoy Dandy’s ‘American Psycho’ routine and this is a pretty good episode overall.

The show has another new episode this Wednesday, but will then be off for two weeks over the holidays. It will return January 7th for the final three episodes.

2 comments

  1. This is more like it. That feeling a bit dirty after watching it vibe like season one and two often did. I too, was hoping that Precious would’ve of done a little more than get killed so easily, but aside from that, one of the better episodes this season by a long shot. I hope it can maintain this type of vibe for its’ remaining episodes.

  2. Julie

    “In this scene, it’s implied that Stanley has a freakish dick. Too large?” Actually, they’ve been hinting at it since the first episode. And yes, it is too large; according to one of Ryan Murphy’s numerous interviews with Entertainment Weekly, he’s said it was 13 inches. Stanley’s terrible ‘I’m never ‘half-cocked” line further indicates this.

    I’m thinking, somehow and some way, it’s going to end up in the museum he’s selling freaks too. I can’t see any other end-game for him, which is sad. I’d much prefer he ride off into the sunset with a car full of cash.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *