Top 8 Saddest ‘American Horror Story’ Moments in “Freak Show”

“Freak Show” follows a troupe in Jupiter, Florida, during the 1950s. Led by Elsa Mars, the show was plagued by tragedy, both caused by outsiders and by those within. These are my top 8 most tragic events from one of the saddest American Horror Story seasons.

1. Pepper’s Fate

We first meet Pepper in “Asylum,” but it is not until “Freak Show” that we learn she was abandoned at an orphanage and later rescued by Elsa Mars. She finds love there, but her happiness is short-lived when her partner dies.

As if that wasn't tragic enough, Elsa sends Pepper to live with her sister, who constantly mistreats her and later frames her for murdering that sister’s baby. Pepper is then placed in Briarcliff Manor, which connects her story to “Asylum” in the most depressing way possible.

2. Ma Petite’s Death

Ma Petite was the sweetest and most innocent character of the entire season. She was loved by the other performers and viewers alike. So it was absolutely gut-wrenching when Stanley convinced Dell to kill her just to sell her body to a museum.

3. Meep’s Murder

When Jimmy frames Dell for murder, the police arrest Meep instead. Meep is thrown into jail with criminals who brutally murder him.

4. Jimmy Losing His Hands

When Jimmy was framed for murders he didn't commit, he ends up in jail and Stanley conveniently has a way out. He convinces Jimmy that he could help free him from jail, only to drug him and amputate his hands to sell them.

5. The Whole Esmeralda and Stanley's Plan

Stanley and Esmeralda’s plan to profit off the “freaks” by killing them and selling their bodies to a museum was the huge part of the tragedies in the show. They convinced Elsa that her dream was within reach, infiltrated the show, and caused the entire chain of tragic events.

6. Twisty the Clown’s Backstory

Initially presented as a villain, Twisty’s backstory reveals he was once a simple clown who was bullied out of the circus by jealous performers. After a failed suicide attempt that left him disfigured, Twisty’s mental health deteriorated.

7. Elsa Mars’ Backstory

Before becoming a freak show owner, Elsa was drugged and used for a snuff film where her legs were amputated. Despite her flaws and sometimes selfish behavior, knowing what she survived makes her one of the most complicated and sympathetic characters in the AHS universe.

8. The Freak Show Massacre

The season reached its devastating climax when Dandy Mott, after purchasing the freak show, went on a horrific killing spree like it was just a walk in the park. The scene was made even more tragic by how helpless they were against him.