American Horror Story S04E13 Recap: Curtain Call

Tonight it all comes to an end, the only question is, who will survive? I'm not betting on many other than Sarah Paulson.

Dandy Mott's freak banner is unfurled. The freaks wonder if anyone will really pay to see him sing. Penny thinks that they should leave and go somewhere else, but Paul points out that if there was another place for them to go, then he would go somewhere else. But, they have to eat, and Dandy has more than enough money, so they should stay on as long as they can.

Dandy goes through a dress rehearsal, unhappy with the lighting. Paul and the others return from hanging their banner, and Dandy is very unhappy to hear that they haven't sold a single ticket. Dandy blames them for the lack of ticket sales, he goes so far as to put down the freaks, and when he pokes at Penny, Paul has had enough. Eve puts Dandy down, and Paul lays it out for Dandy. His mother may have told him he was special, but he isn't. No one is willing to come to see what he has to offer, and the freaks refuse to be treated badly. They deal in the extraordinary, not the mediocre, and furthermore, they quit. The freaks leave Dandy on the ground with nothing but his broken dream.

Elsa and her carpet bag head to visit the head of the broadcasting network. The receptionist tells her, as she has for many days before, that she cannot see him without an appointment. Elsa has some new headshots, and the receptionist offers to take them along with her contact information, but Elsa refuses. She's willing to sit and wait. Elsa smokes the day away, until closing time. Mr. Gable never comes by, and the receptionist prepares to leave for the night. Elsa notes that she never saw Mr. Gable leave, and the receptionist informs her that he left out the back, to avoid her. She let Elsa sit there, like a fool for nothing, and Elsa is not pleased. She tells Elsa to change her act, that Marlena did it better, and Elsa slaps her. The security guard steps in and the commotion gets the attention of a man from the office. The receptionist tells him that Elsa has been in all week trying to see Mr. Gable without an appointment, and she's finally lost it. Michael Beck introduces himself, and he's very kind to her. He's also the Jr. Vice President of casting.

Dandy does his makeup in preparation for his show. He's not headed up on stage though, he heads out of the big top, and walks the quiet grounds, humming a happy little song. Paul comes out to ask about his last paycheck, and Dandy shoots him in the head. Penny hears the shot as she's handing laundry, but there's no place for her to hide, as Dandy approaches. Still humming he shoots her too, and goes in search of his next victim. Dandy heads over to the dining camp and kills another. Susan tries to hide from Dandy, but its no use. As freaks try to hide, Dandy kills them one by one. The gun shots finally bring Eve out, and she finds the dead Paul while Dandy guns down another. Barbara hides while Eve grabs an ax. Dandy catches up to Barbara, and heads over to Desiree's trailer. Desiree hides out in her closet, but Dandy doesn't find her. He rips it apart, before he realizes where she has to be. He approaches the door slowly, but Eve gets to him first. She tackles him to the ground, and the large woman gives Dandy the beat down he deserves. But Dandy gets the upperhand on Eve, and shoots her in the leg slowing her down, and giving him the time to get a head shot. Dandy goes back into the trailer, but he doesn't find Desiree, as she was smart enough to move. Angered, Dandy leaves, and goes to look at his prize. He has the twins gagged and tied up. He asks them to come with him.

Night has fallen over the freak show, and Jimmy finally returns. It's quiet, too quiet, and then he begins to notice that something isn't right. There's broken bottles and no one to be seen. He calls for Elsa, but she's long gone, and it looks like everyone else is too. He calls out for anyone, as he searches. Eventually he finds everyone in the big top, all of the bodies of his friends, his family. They're all dead. He closes Eve's eyes. Desiree comes up from behind him, and throws herself into his arms, she's the only one left.

Beautiful music plays in the Mott home. The Twins walk down the aisle towards a tux bound Dandy. Bette happily marries Dandy, while Dot holds her tongue. She and Bette have agreed that on her wedding night she will leave her body. Dandy hopes that sometimes, she will want to participate and warns that he can get in a temper if his manhood is compromised. A stallion has certain expectations of his mares. First, Bette tells him that they've hired a french trained cook who's prepared all of his favorites. Dandy talks his craziness at the dinner table. He's planned a honeymoon safari, where he plans to skin them cats, and make some freak babies. Bette is overly chipper, and Dot quiet, as he talks of his hope of having daily freak shows in the nursery. Dandy's drink is refilled, and he drinks deeply from it. The drink and excitement, and poison, go straight to his head. His new cook is Desiree. He tells her that she's not aloud to sit at the table, and Desiree opens her shirt, revealing her identity. The twins tell him that they would never lay with him after he killed their whole family. Dandy cannot believe that they would drug him. They thought that he loved him. Bette shoots Dandy in the arm, and order him to sit. Desiree calls in the butler, and Jimmy arrives. He asks how Jimmy came into the house, and he tells them that he had help. As Dandy wined and dined the twins, Dot spotted Jimmy in the garden, and caused a distraction so he could gain entry. Now, the freaks reveal that Dandy is going to get what he always wanted, a star attraction.

Dandy awakens chained up in a glass box, Houdini's famous escape tank. Desiree wanted to just cut off his balls, but as Carney folk, they needed to get revenge another way. Dandy pleads with everyone that he is good people,and he was just doing what he had to. He tells the twins that marriage is hard, and that he wants to just go home. They're sending him home, straight to hell. The girls hate him, they finally had friends, and he took those friends from them. Desiree tells him that there has been a lot of death there, another man was killing freaks and putting them in jars. That's where Dandy thinks that freaks should be on display, but he's worse than they are, even with his movie star good looks. Dandy offers them money, but they refuse it. Dandy doesn't thin he can die, but they have sentenced him to death. Jimmy tells him that freaks will always stick together because they have no one else, and in the end they will inherit the world. The water pours in as they watch Dandy drown. He finally got the audience he always wanted.

1960. The walk of fame is born in Hollywood. Tonight, Elsa Mars is getting ready to be honored with a star of her own. Not only does she have the Elsa Mars hour, but also many music albums. On her arm is her loving husband and manager Michael Beck. With Elsa's star laid, she films a commercial for coffee, but thinks its shit. She demands to see the writers. Michael wants her to just say the lines and be done with it, but she doesn't like how they're painting her, so she wants it rewritten. She heads back to her dressing room, and Michael brings in a VP of the network to see Elsa. She tells Elsa that they want to do a spread for Parade magazine for the couple to promote their Halloween show. Elsa refuses to perform on Halloween, but her husband tells her that she's contractually obligated, and with the huge slate of guests, her audience will love it. She tells the VP that when she met Michael he was just a Jr. VP hanging out in a lobby, and she made him her manager. She later made the mistake of making him her husband,and now he thinks that he knows what he audience wants. Her domination in the bedroom is what won him over, and how she forgot so easily, that it was he that rescued her, and took notice that day in the lobby. Elsa puts her foot down, there will be no Halloween show. She goes to leave, telling him that she has another engagement.

Elsa heads out to meet Massimo by the pool. She asks what he's been doing since Florida, apologizing for leaving so quickly. Massimo left when he did. He talks to her about getting work as a carpenter, and worked hard to build things, while the government just blew them all up. Could he be talking about Top Hat? He's seen her star, and he always knew she would find greatness, but if he had told her that back in his workshop, she wouldn't have believed him. She has all that he ever wanted for her. She admits that she is bored, and unhappy. She's surrounded by yes men, who are too afraid to tell her no. Her husband cheats on her, and she cheats on him. First she was cursed by having all her dreams taken away, and now she is cursed by getting all of her dreams. Eight years ago a friend gave her a birthday cake, and all she wanted was to be loved. But now the more she works, the further she is from that want. She wants to run away with him, like they had talked about long ago. She wants to be with someone she loves. Massimo reveals that he is now the one who is cursed. He is sick, and has only a month to live. She will be all alone when he is gone.

Michael comes to visit Elsa, but she wants him to just leave her alone. He's brought Mr. Gable to see him. She can't believe that the head of the network has come to visit her, but she remains firm that she will not do the Halloween special. Mr. Gable didn't come about the Halloween special, but instead about the old German 8mm film. The content he says is graphic in nature. Elsa claims that it is not her. Michael tells her that it looks a lot like her. The Times gave them a sneak peak, and no one will believe that it isn't her. He can't believe that she lied about losing her legs in a rail accident. Elsa points out that that is what the two of them do, they lie to eachother. Michael leaves to pack his bags. Mr. Gable isn't done though. The Times can't be persuaded to not run their story, Elsa will be ruined. And in their digging they traced her back to Jupiter, Florida where she ran a Freak Show. She admits that she did for a short time, it was an act of charity. She felt sorry for them. He tells her that they're all dead. It was some sort of massacre. They were all found in a shallow grave. Elsa is shocked. He tells her that her contract had a morals clause, and her payout is that contract. Elsa decides that she will perform on Halloween, she may as well go out with a bang.

\Elsa prepares to film the Elsa Mars Spooktacular. Elsa takes the stage knowing full well that Edward Mordrake will come for her, but she puts on a great final performance with a rendition of “We can Be Heroes.”

Desiree and her husband Theo Huxtable chase their children. Desiree sees Elsa on a passing TV, and she pauses to watch her for just a moment. She's got everything she ever wanted.

Jimmy is watching Elsa on TV as well, noting her guts. The twins come in, very pregnant. Dot is exceptionally happy, but Bette looks content. Jimmy checks on his girls and kisses Dot, while Bette reads.

Edward Mordrake returns with Twisty, summoned by Elsa's Halloween performance. His green mist pours in. The stage manager sees the fog, and thinks someone screwed up their cue. Elsa stops singing as Edward makes his way to her. He remembers her story, and Elsa wants nothing more than for him to take her away. The stage manager asks her what she is doing, and Elsa is confused. Twisty warns Elsa that it hurts but only for a moment, as Edward strikes her down. Her place isn't with them though.

Elsa enters the after life. She walks up to the familiar red and white tents. Ma Petite is waiting. She's missed Elsa. She is back among her freaks her family, they welcome her back. Ethel tells Ma Petite that she'll take her from there. Elsa asks her if she has to pay for her sins. She was merely playing the part she was given, and stars never pay. Ethel explains that they're all together and happy, but they've been missing their headliners. Elsa isn't sure that should be her, but she was never a good friend, cook or anything else, only a good headliner. Elsa happily gets ready for the full house. Ethel gives the introduction, and Elsa take the stage as she did for the first number, singing “Life on Mars” to a large adoring crowd