Jessica Lange has been the heart and soul of American Horror Story since the beginning. She has always stood out among the other members of the cast and is a constant delight, regardless of what character she is playing. In Freak Show, she will play a German woman who has since moved to America and is in charge of running the titular Freak Show. She is reportedly currently at work perfecting the German accent. This German character, in a setting which is only five years after the Second World War, will have obvious links to the Nazi regime. Considering how Josef Mengele collected people from contraction camps who showed unusual genetic traits (he was reportedly obsessed with twins, for example), it must be expected to be an important element of Lange's character. We saw James Cromwell play Dr. Arthur Arden in Asylum, and while there were several episode plots based around his Nazi backstory (including the memorable Anne Frank revelation), there is certainly more that could be tapped for Freak Show especially if the character has a different point of view. So expect penance to be a recurring theme throughout Freak Show, as Jessica Lange's character seeks to make up for the wrongs she helped perpetrate during the war. Of course, previous seasons of American Horror Story have proven that Lange's characters tend to have a skewed version of penance... That is all there is to know for now, but Murphy is due to reveal more at the American Horror Story panel at Paleyfest this Friday. We can't wait. As always, post your thoughts, comments, views and predictions below. That in itself is a good point, because what's a freak show without a psychic?!
