Edward Mordrake
| "Edward Mordrake" | |
|---|---|
| American Horror Story episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 4 Episode 3 & 4 |
| Directed by |
Michael Uppendahl (Part 1) Howard Deutch (Part 2) |
| Written by |
James Wong (Part 1) Jennifer Salt (Part 2) |
| Featured music | "Road to Utah" by Pere Ubu "Zwischen heute und morgen" by Greta Keller "Lazy Daisy" by The Goldtones "Gods and Monsters" by Lana Del Rey "Innocence Lost" by Sworn Enemy |
| Production code | 4ATS03 (Part 1) 4ATS04 (Part 2) |
| Original air date | October 22, 2014 (Part 1) October 29, 2014 (Part 2) |
| Running time | 57 minutes (Part 1) 45 minutes (Part 2) |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
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"Edward Mordrake" is a two-part episode, consisting of the third and fourth episodes of the fourth season of the anthology television series American Horror Story. The first part aired on October 22, 2014, and the second on October 29, 2014 on the cable network FX. The first part was written by James Wong and directed by Michael Uppendahl and the second part was written by Jennifer Salt and directed by Howard Deutch.
The episode's first part introduces the main characters of Stanley (Denis O'Hare) and Maggie Esmerelda (Emma Roberts), it also stars Wes Bentley as the title character of the episode. The second part of the episode deals with the backstories of several characters including Twisty the Clown (John Carroll Lynch).
At the American Morbidity Museum, Stanley (Denis O'Hare), disguised as Dr. Sylvester Mansfield, and his assistant Maggie (Emma Roberts), disguised as a Miss Rothschild, attempt to sell a specimen to the museum. The curator (Celia Weston) runs a background check on Stanley and determines his credentials are fraudulent. The museum guide says that they would pay handsomely for a legitimate specimen, some of which they get from freak shows. Learning that one of the two remaining freak shows is in Florida, the pair set out.
Ethel (Kathy Bates) visits Dr. Myron Bonham (Jerry Leggio), who diagnoses her with cirrhosis of the liver. Her prognosis is dire: six months to a year. Back at the freak show, the carnies explain that they will not be performing on Halloween by telling the twins (Sarah Paulson) about the legend of Edward Mordrake (Wes Bentley): a noble Englishman with a second, whispering face on the back of his head. His failed attempts to kill the face drove him insane, and his family sent him to Bethlem Royal Hospital. He escaped to a freak show where one Halloween night, he murdered his entire troupe and then hanged himself. The legend says that if they perform on Halloween, he will appear and take a soul. When Jimmy (Evan Peters) criticizes Ethel, she corroborates that it happened to her former troupe. She has been drinking, which will accelerate her demise. Jimmy confronts her, but she waves him off.
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