Chester and Marjorie Come to the Freak Show

“Magical Thinking” (1/7/2015) was the 11th episode of “American Horror Story: Freak Show” bringing two new characters: Chester, played by Neil Patrick Harris, and his “dummy” Marjorie (Jamie Brewer). Elsa Mars sells the Freak Show and Dell Toledo has a date with justice.

First we learned how Lobster Boy’s claws ended up at the museum. Jimmy Darling needs a top notch lawyer so he won’t get convicted of the Tupperware Party murders committed by Dandy, and it’s going to cost and arm and a leg. Not really — just two claws. Stanley convinces Jimmy that he can pull it off for one claw and makes Jimmy sick with some concoction. He demands that the guard call an ambulance and the driver is Stanley’s confederate. When Jimmy comes to in the hospital, he is minus both his claws and in incredible pain but the nurse won’t help him because one of the victims of the Tupperware Party was a personal friend. She informs him that the police will be taking him back to jail very soon.

Dell Toledo comes to see Jimmy and wishes his boy had not believed that lying prick, Stanley. He spoon feeds Jimmy and tries to console him with tales of handless people he knows. When Jimmy brings up how Dell wasn’t cursed with the Toledo family claws, Dell tells him it wasn’t exactly a blessing — it made him the family freak.

At the freak show, Bette and Dot Tattler have decided that they are happy now and can put aside foolish conceits like blonde hair. Mousy brown is fine. Now they need a man. They try out a French kiss with Toulouse but he’s just not “the one”.

Over at the big tent, traveling salesman Chester has some chameleons for sale. He is also a magician. When the Tattler twins arrive, he gets a quick flashback of two other women. Bette and Dot find him so charming that they think he could be “the one.”

When Chester tries to convince Elsa to give him a job, she points out that it’s a freak show, “not a magic show.” He pulls out a ventriloquist dummy named Marjorie and Elsa is amused but undeterred. No spot. Chester begs to be allowed to sell chameleons at every show and split the profits with Elsa. When he shows her a ledger of his profits, she is impressed at last– with his bookkeeping skills. She will let him stay if he helps out with the ledgers. Chester is extremely thankful, but Marjorie isn’t. She thinks Chester groveled too much with Elsa. Yes, Chester and Marjorie hold conversations with each other all the time and it was very funny. Paul the Illustrated Seal kept interrupted the conversations between Marjorie and Chester and the last time he told Chester if he could stop talking to himself for 5 minutes, Elsa wanted to see him.

Dell returns to the freak show to find Stanley. He tells everyone in Elsa’s tent what happened to Jimmy and how he will now be defenseless if he is returned to jail. Elsa says Dell has to get Jimmy out. Amazon Eve offers to help. The cops have Jimmy in a paddy wagon and are en route to jail when they are accosted by Amazon Eve. She makes them stop the vehicle and Dell murders them.

Chester gives Dot and Bette a little music box with two dancing ballerinas, flattering them into being his assistants after he explains how a genuine set of trick boxes he found in Elsa’s storage area works. In the process, Chester has a flashback where he is sitting in a chair with Marjorie, smoking and wearing his army uniform, and watching two women make love.

Later, the Tattler sisters assist Chester with the trick boxes for sawing a lady in half. Afterwards, they visit Chester’s tent with amorous intent. He has been chosen to deflower them. But when one grabs his crotch, he backs off, claiming his head hurts. He is informed that they know having two women at once is every man’s fantasy and Marjorie says: “It’s not his.” After a shoulder massage, a less tense Chester says he needs Marjorie with him while he proceeds to deflower them.

They don’t know that Dandy Mott’s detective is taking pictures– pictures that bring Dandy to tears. “they were supposed to be mine,” he laments, and wants to know if the girls love Chester. The dick doesn’t know but he does know why Chester is on the lam. He murdered his wife and another woman.

Back at the freak show, Chester wants Marjorie out of the way, locked in her case. But Marjorie isn’t having it. She threatens to “tell.” A flashback shows a life-size Marjorie telling Chester they need to get rid of one of the women we saw in the other flashback.

The following day, Elsa sells Chester the freak show, feminine antiques and all. His happiness is short-lived when he finds out that Marjorie has escaped. The police arrive at the freak show demanding to know where Jimmy Darling is. Elsa laughs at them and Chester shows up hysterically reporting his missing dummy.

While the cops tear the place apart, Chester stumbles around calling for Marjorie to stop hiding. Dandy Mott appears to inform him that he saw Marjorie. She said she was running away and also said she was going to tell. Dandy claims Marjorie told him that Chester killed his wife and her lover but Chester (flashing back to the crime) says that Marjorie did it, not him. Dandy says Marjorie is in the big tent.

Chester tells Marjorie that they own the freak show now and she can have whatever she wants. She wants top billing and she wants him to saw Dot and Bette in half.

While Esmerelda tells Elsa that she has something to show her, Dell arrives at his trailer where he is confronted by Desiree and a gun. Desiree wants to know who he killed. Dell has all but forgotten about killing Ma Petite by now. He tells her he had to kill the cops to get Jimmy out and they made plans that include her and even a baby if she wants one.

“You killed one of your own,” Desiree says and makes him remember and admit that he killed Ma Petite. At the same time, Elsa is brought to a tent where she sees Ma Petite in the jar of formaldehyde and screams. Desiree wants to know exactly how he did it. Dell sinks to his knees and says “I smothered her.” A shot rings out and Elsa says “That’s all I needed to hear.” And that was the end, but wow, that bullet went clean through Dell’s head and came out the front. Hope it didn’t hit Desiree in the third you-know-what.

Two more episodes to go and justice still needs to catch up with Dandy. But how much havoc can he wreak until it does and will “Murderous Marjorie” be his downfall?