- A death at the camp causes Elsa to seek out a new home for Pepper. Meanwhile, Desiree has enough of Dell's failure as a husband, and Stanley lends Jimmy a hand.
- Pepper is upset and nearly uncontrollable after Salty's death from a stroke. Elsa tells Desiree that Pepper was the first freak recruited after she had decided to open her own show. Pepper had been living in an orphanage which was more than happy to just let her leave. Soon after, Elsa acquired Ma Petite from a Maharajah in exchange for 3 cases of Dr. Pepper. Now, Elsa manages to convince Pepper's sister Rita to take the girl in. In a flash-forward to 1962, we learn where Pepper ends up. Desiree and her new friend Angus T. Jefferson go to Maggie for a reading but don't quite get what they want. Maggie tells Desiree a little too much about her relationship with Stanley and takes her on a little trip. In jail for the Tupperware murders, Jimmy gets a visit from Stanley who says he may have a solution to his predicament.—garykmcd
- The rumors are true: the seasons of "American Horror Story" are connected. The "Orphans" episode shows, in almost tender, heart-breaking depiction, how Pepper went from this year's freak show to the asylum of Season 2. In an episode, uh, peppered..heh.. with attempts at redemption, Elsa tries to do right by Pepper and ultimately fails miserably and Maggie confesses her true reason for joining the show, but it's possible her change of heart comes too late for at least one freak.
*****
Pepper discovers her soul mate Salty has died in his sleep, presumably of a stroke. She's bereft.
Elsa has had about enough of Stanley (aka Richard) the Hollywood scout, but he gives her a telegram finally summoning her to LA.
Stanley offers to take care of the body for her. Cut to Stanley hacking off dead Salty's head and it arriving in the Morbidity Museum in a glass case next to the body of Ma Petite.
Dell comes to Desiree for a second chance at their marriage, but she points out they both deserve a chance at happiness and she can't give that to him. Pepper pitches a fit when Desiree has to stop reading to her and get ready for the show.
Desiree drops in on Elsa, who tells her about leaving Germany for the carnival in Boston. She made her way to the top of the chorus in part by kneecapping a star but decided to start her own show, where people would come for the freaks but stay for the star. She found Pepper in an orphanage, "My first monster."
A few years later, Elsa could tell Pepper had maternal needs and the solution arrived a few weeks later with a Maharajah Ma Petite. He at first refused to take anything for her because she was an Untouchable and he couldn't acknowledge her value. He caved for three cases of Dr. Pepper.
But Elsa could tell Pepper needed a spiritual husband, and so she wrote to every orphanage in the country and found Salty.
Elsa officiated the wedding. The bride and groom knew six words between them. They raised Ma Petite as their own child, with Elsa as their fairy godmother. She calls theirs "a love story for the ages."
Desiree encourages Elsa to find out if Pepper's sister is still around.
Before the show, Desiree and her boyfriend Angus drop by Maggie's tent for a reading. She met him after a show. Maggie sizes up his shoes and deduces he's a traveling salesman. She says they'll relocate out west but then her happiness gets to Maggie and she turns dark, seeing only unhappiness in their future.
Later, Desiree finds Maggie drinking alone on the carousel. Maggie admits she's grifting with Stanley.
Flashback to Kansas City, 1941
Maggie lifts wallets as a newsboy in a fancy hotel and Stanley comes to her rescue when she nearly gets busted. He offered her 10 cents on the dollar and never tried to touch her.
In the present, when Desiree asks what they're up to, she doesn't believe Maggie's answer of stealing. Desiree threatens to kill Maggie herself if she finds out Maggie and Stanley are behind the recent deaths.
Back in her tent, Dot and Bette are waiting with money for Maggie to hire Jimmy a lawyer. Maggie refuses, but Dot tells her to do right by Jimmy.
Stanley pays Jimmy a visit in prison, telling him he understands what he's going through. Jimmy can't swear he's innocent because he was in a blackout at the Tupperware party. Stanley promises to get him Donald Darrow, son of Clarence, for a lawyer. When Stanley asks about money for a retainer, Jimmy says Ethel didn't leave him anything. Stanley has an idea about how to raise the money.
Back at the show, Desiree tries to take over cooking duty from Ethel to practice for being a homemaker. Maggie comes to her, saying she wants to help Jimmy. She has an idea to keep everyone safe by connecting the dots and putting the real villain away forever. But first, there's something she wants Desiree to see.
Elsa takes Pepper to see Sudbury, Massachusetts, to meet the sister, Rita, who left Pepper at the orphanage. Rita doesn't want her. Elsa tries to convince her that Pepper is a rare pure soul, but she worries that Pepper will die of a broken heart with no one to love her.
When Rita leaves to make up the hide-a-bed, Pepper asks Elsa to stay. Elsa tearfully tells her to remember she's always family. Elsa urges Pepper to forgive her sister if she makes mistakes.
Maggie takes Desiree to the American Morbidity Museum to see Ma Petite and Salty under glass. They're there when the curator unveils the new exhibit that just arrived today: lobster hands. Maggie faints.
Massachusetts, 1962: At the asylum, Rita explains to pre-possession Sister Mary Eunice that she unexpectedly had a child at age 50, but it was deformed. Pepper took care of Lucas while Rita demanded martinis in bed. Rita and her husband were both annoyed by the baby and Larry started taking Pepper down to the basement. Rita says Pepper started walking around without any clothes on.
Then she calls Pepper a murderer.
At her house, Rita complains about being stuck alone in the house with Pepper and their child. Slowly, Rita and her husband are both talking about the baby being gone. Larry says she has a way to kill two birds with one stone.
Rita tells Sister Mary Eunice she was at the park and asked Pepper to give Lucas his bath. It was going fine, but Larry threw Pepper out of the room and went in alone with the baby and a knife.
Pepper is committed.
Sister Mary Eunice frees Pepper from her straight jacket and sees Pepper's tears. She takes them as remorse and thanks the lord for the lesson in humility. Eunice takes Pepper to the library to tidy it up, calling Pepper her special project. Maybe soon you can work in the bakery with me, Mary Eunice says.
Pepper is sorting the Life magazine covers when she sees one from 1958 that says: "TV's Elsa Mars: She Still Owns Friday Night."
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