Description
Set in the year 1952 in the quiet town of Jupiter, Florida, the season follows a struggling freak show led by Elsa Mars (Jessica Lange)
Decades have passed since the public has looked upon freak shows as a form of entertainment, but Elsa dreams of finding a home for her "monsters", as well as for her own fame and fortune
Other members of her troupe include Jimmy, a boy born with syndactyly who dreams of living a normal life, and his mother Ethel (Kathy Bates), a bearded lady who is Elsa's second-in-command by maintaining law and order under the tent
A strongman from Ethel's troubled past named Dell (Michael Chiklis), and his three-breasted wife Desiree (Angela Bassett), make waves when they arrive to join the sideshow
To drum up business and save her troupe once and for all, Elsa also recruits conjoined twin sisters Bette and Dot (Sarah Paulson) to perform for her show
In a time when the era of television is beginning to reign high above sideshow acts, these individuals must overcome those who persecute them based on their looks
However, as events unfold, it is revealed that multiple dark entities have taken up residence in Jupiter, with all of their eyes being set on the freaks
A conman named Stanley, posing as a Hollywood executive, arrives with his young protege Maggie (Emma Roberts), with the intention of murdering the freaks and sending their bodies to a museum for profit
The wealthy and spoiled Dandy (Finn Wittrock), enabled by his doting mother Gloria (Frances Conroy), develops an unhealthy obsession with the freaks, particularly Bette and Dot
Perhaps most dangerous of all is a mysterious, deformed serial killer, only known as Twisty the Clown (John Carroll Lynch), who wreaks havoc among the town and appears to be targeting freaks and townspeople alike
This season mostly deals with discrimination, with other themes including prejudice, acceptance, exploitation, entertainment, television, and medical oddities