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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Orphans (''American Horror Story'')}}
{{Infobox television episode
{{Infobox television episode
⚫
| series = [[American Horror Story]]
| Title = Orphans
⚫
| image =
⚫
| Series = [[American Horror Story]]
| Image =
| caption =
| Caption =
| season = 4
| Season = 4
| episode = 10
⚫
| airdate = {{start date|2014|12|17}}
| Episode = 10
| production = 4ATS10
⚫
| Airdate = {{start date|2014|12|17}}
| Production = 4ATS10
| guests =
⚫
*[[Lily Rabe]] as Sister Mary Eunice McKee
| Guests =
⚫
*[[Lily Rabe]] as Sister Mary Eunice
*[[Celia Weston]] as Lillian Hemmings
*[[Celia Weston]] as Lillian Hemmings
*[[Malcolm-Jamal Warner]] as Angus T. Jefferson
*[[Malcolm-Jamal Warner]] as Angus T. Jefferson
*[[Naomi Grossman]] as Pepper
*[[Naomi Grossman]] as Pepper
*[[Matthew Glave]] as Larry
*[[Matthew Glave]] as Larry Gayheart
*[[Mare Winningham]] as Rita
*[[Mare Winningham]] as Rita Gayheart
⚫
| writer = [[James Wong (producer)|James Wong]]
*[[Mat Fraser]] as Paul the Illustrated Seal
⚫
| director = Bradley Buecker
*[[Erika Ervin]] as Amazon Eve
⚫
| music =
*[[Jyoti Amge]] as Ma Petite
⚫
| runtime = 53 minutes
*Christopher Neiman as Salty
| season_article = ''[[American Horror Story: Freak Show]]''
⚫
| Writer = [[James Wong (producer)|James Wong]]
| episode_list = List of American Horror Story episodes
⚫
| Director = Bradley Buecker
⚫
| prev = [[Tupperware Party Massacre]]
⚫
| Music =
⚫
| next = [[Magical Thinking (American Horror Story)|Magical Thinking]]
⚫
| Runtime = 53 minutes
| Episode list = ''[[American Horror Story: Freak Show]]''<br/>[[List of American Horror Story episodes|List of ''American Horror Story'' episodes]]
⚫
| Prev = [[Tupperware Party Massacre]]
⚫
| Next = [[Magical Thinking (American Horror Story)|Magical Thinking]]
}}
}}
"'''Orphans'''" is the [[List of American Horror Story episodes|tenth episode]] of the [[American Horror Story: Freak Show|fourth season]] of the [[anthology]] television series ''[[American Horror Story]]'', which premiered on December 17, 2014 on the [[Cable television|cable]] network [[FX (TV channel)|FX]]. It was written by [[James Wong (producer)|James Wong]] and directed by Bradley Buecker.
"'''Orphans'''" is the [[List of American Horror Story episodes|tenth episode]] of the [[American Horror Story: Freak Show|fourth season]] of the [[anthology series|anthology]] television series ''[[American Horror Story]]'', which premiered on December 17, 2014, on the [[Cable television|cable]] network [[FX (TV channel)|FX]]. It was written by [[James Wong (producer)|James Wong]] and directed by Bradley Buecker.


Although ''American Horror Story'' is categorized as an anthology series, the episode is notable for being the first in the series to directly tie two seasons together, acknowledging that both plot lines and series of events exist within the same universe. In the episode's finale, Pepper (Naomi Grossman) is institutionalised in Briarcliff Manor, the main location of ''[[American Horror Story: Asylum]]'' (in which she also appears) and is shown meeting Sister Mary Eunice McKee ([[Lily Rabe]]) two years before the events of ''Asylum'' take place.
Although ''American Horror Story'' is categorized as an anthology series, the episode is notable for being the first in the series to directly tie two seasons together, acknowledging that both plot lines and series of events exist within the same universe. In the episode's finale, Pepper (Naomi Grossman) is institutionalised in Briarcliff Manor, the main location of ''[[American Horror Story: Asylum]]'' (in which she also appears) and is shown meeting Sister Mary Eunice McKee ([[Lily Rabe]]) two years before the events of ''Asylum'' take place.


==Plot==
==Plot==
Pepper's life is shattered when she finds that her husband, Salty, has died in his sleep.


Elsa reveals to Desiree that she began her troupe after noticing the freaks were not being treated as they should be. Elsa found Pepper at an orphanage and recruited Ma Petite to act as Pepper's child and later found Salty. Desiree suggests returning Pepper to her elder sister.
=== Justin chen is an orphan and he is adopted ===


Stanley convinces Elsa to let him take care of Salty's body after telling her he would have the pinhead cremated, but he chops off the head and sells it to the Museum of Morbid Curiosities. Maggie confesses to Desiree that she and Stanley are con artists. The two visit the museum and are shocked to find Ma Petite's body, Salty's severed head, and Jimmy's hands on display. Elsa tracks down Pepper's sister, Rita, and convinces her to take in Pepper.
In Pepper's tent, Desiree ([[Angela Bassett]]) reads to Pepper, ostensibly calming her. Desiree realizes that her time to perform is almost up, but as she gets ready to leave Pepper's tent, Pepper has a meltdown and tears her tent apart. The next day, Desiree talks with Elsa about what to do about Pepper. Elsa discloses the history of the freak show, starting with her days as a [[chorus girl]] in a [[carnival]] in [[Boston, Massachusetts]], after she immigrated to America back in 1936. Noticing that freaks weren't treated as they should be, she deciding to start a company of her own. She first recruited Pepper (then 18 years old), from an orphanage, and quickly befriended her. Pepper’s sister abandoned her because she did not want the responsibility of taking care of her.


Nine years later, Rita gives birth to a deformed baby, and her husband convinces her to frame Pepper for the baby's murder. After committing Pepper to Briarcliff, Sister Mary Eunice has Pepper assist her in the library sorting magazines. While doing so, Pepper finds a magazine with Elsa on the cover.
Though Pepper was a hit with the circus, Elsa soon realized that Pepper had maternal instincts and needed both a child and a husband. One day, an Indian prince arrived with Ma Petite ([[Jyoti Amge]]) as his prized pet. As Elsa tries to buy Ma Petite, he declares payment is insulting since Ma Petite is a [[Dalit]]. Instead, Elsa hands him a [[Dr. Pepper]], and he settles for three cases of Dr. Pepper as a fair trade. Over the next few months, Elsa contacted other orphanages for a male pinhead ([[Microcephaly|microcephalic]]), and found Salty. Though he isn't as bright as Pepper, it is love at first sight for the two of them, and Elsa marries the both of them with the other freaks in attendance. Pepper is happy with her new family until the tragic deaths of both Ma Petite and Salty.

Desiree suggests that now might be a good time to reunite the sisters, as Pepper is too distraught to carry on with the show. Elsa reluctantly agrees, and gives Stanley permission to get rid of Salty's body after he promises to have the body cremated. Instead, he chops off his head and sells it to the Museum of Morbid Curiosities.

Stanley visits Jimmy ([[Evan Peters]]) in jail. While Jimmy cannot remember what happened due his drunken state, Stanley assures him he will be fine as long as he has a good lawyer. Stanley promises to get him a good lawyer, but Jimmy says he can't afford one, and Stanley nonchalantly suggests that Jimmy could sell his hands.

Back at the freak show, a drunk Maggie ([[Emma Roberts]]) is confronted by Desiree (who wants to run off with Angus) to get a reading. Maggie engages them at first, but then coldly turns them away. Angry, Desiree confronts Maggie, who then confesses that she and Stanley are con artists. At first, Desiree refuses to believe her, but then realizes that several people have gone missing or died since they arrived. Desiree threatens to kill Maggie if she discovers that Maggie or Stanley hurt anyone.

The next day, after Dot and Bette ([[Sarah Paulson]]) attempt to convince Maggie to help Jimmy by getting him a lawyer with the money they saved up for the surgery, Maggie realizes that she must help the freaks. She finally confesses to Desiree of her and Stanley's true intentions, warning her that all the freaks will die soon if nothing is done. The two visit the Museum of Morbid Curiosities, where Desiree is shocked to find Ma Petite and Salty on display. The curator ([[Celia Weston]]) reveals their newest display: a pair of lobster hands, causing Maggie to faint in horror.

Elsa tracks down Pepper's alcoholic and malicious sister Rita ([[Mare Winningham]]) and convinces her to take in Pepper. Pepper doesn't want her to leave, so Elsa kisses her hand and explains to Pepper that whenever she's lonely or in pain, to place her hand on her face knowing that Elsa was always with her. At first, life with her sister is tolerable, but things take a turn for the worse when nine years later (in 1962), Rita gives birth to a deformed baby and forces Pepper to wait on her hand and foot. Tired of both the screaming baby they didn't want and Pepper's mental incapacitates, Rita's husband Larry ([[Matthew Glave]]) convinces her to let him frame Pepper for the baby's murder. He brutally cuts off the baby's ears and drowns him as Pepper listens, horrified.

Pepper is then dragged away by the police, and her sister wrongly commits her to Briarcliff Manor. Sister Mary Eunice McKee, though convinced Pepper committed the murder, believes she sees remorse in Pepper's eyes when she sees her grieving for her dead nephew. Sister Mary Eunice gets her out of her straitjacket and declares that she will make Pepper her special project. She has Pepper assist her with sorting magazines in the library. While doing so, Pepper finds a ''[[Life (magazine)|Life Magazine]]'' from 1958 with Elsa on the cover, declaring her the Queen of Friday night TV. With tears in her eyes, Pepper puts her hand to her cheek.


==Reception==
==Reception==


===Reviews===
===Reviews===
On review aggregator website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the episode has an approval rating of 85% based on 13 reviews. The critical consensus reads: "A deeper look into the sad story of Pepper makes "Orphans" one of the more heartfelt episodes of ''Freak Show''."

Emily L. Stephens of ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' praised [[Naomi Grossman]]'s "almost wordless" performance as Pepper, opining that it "strikes a ringing note of feeling".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/american-horror-story-freak-show-orphans-213169| title=American Horror Story: Freak Show: "Orphans"|date=December 29, 2014|publisher=The A.V. Club}}</ref>
Emily L. Stephens of ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' praised [[Naomi Grossman]]'s "almost wordless" performance as Pepper, opining that it "strikes a ringing note of feeling".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/american-horror-story-freak-show-orphans-213169| title=American Horror Story: Freak Show: "Orphans"|date=December 29, 2014|publisher=The A.V. Club}}</ref>


===Ratings===
===Ratings===
The episode was watched by 2.99 million viewers during its original broadcast, making it the highest rated cable program of the day although a minor dip from the 3.07 million viewers the previous episode totalled.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/12/18/wednesday-cable-ratings-american-horror-story-tops-night-the-daily-show-the-colbert-report-mob-wives-more/|title=Wednesday Cable Ratings: 'American Horror Story' Tops Night + 'The Daily Show', 'The Colbert Report', 'Mob Wives' & More|work=[[TV by the Numbers]]|first=Amanda|last=Kondolojy|date=December 18, 2014|accessdate=December 18, 2014}}</ref>
The episode was watched by 2.99 million viewers during its original broadcast, making it the highest rated cable program of the day although a minor dip from the 3.07 million viewers the previous episode totalled.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/12/18/wednesday-cable-ratings-american-horror-story-tops-night-the-daily-show-the-colbert-report-mob-wives-more/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141231121503/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/12/18/wednesday-cable-ratings-american-horror-story-tops-night-the-daily-show-the-colbert-report-mob-wives-more/|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 31, 2014|title=Wednesday Cable Ratings: 'American Horror Story' Tops Night + 'The Daily Show', 'The Colbert Report', 'Mob Wives' & More|work=[[TV by the Numbers]]|first=Amanda|last=Kondolojy|date=December 18, 2014|access-date=December 18, 2014}}</ref>


==External links==
==External links==
{{Reflist|2}}
{{Reflist}}


{{American Horror Story}}
{{American Horror Story episodes|4}}


[[Category:2014 television episodes]]
[[Category:2014 American television episodes]]
[[Category:American Horror Story: Freak Show episodes]]
[[Category:American Horror Story: Freak Show episodes]]
[[Category:Fiction about filicide]]

Latest revision as of 23:23, 29 November 2023

"Orphans"
American Horror Story episode
Episode no.Season 4
Episode 10
Directed byBradley Buecker
Written byJames Wong
Production code4ATS10
Original air dateDecember 17, 2014 (2014-12-17)
Running time53 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Tupperware Party Massacre" 		Next →
"Magical Thinking"
American Horror Story: Freak Show
List of episodes

"Orphans" is the tenth episode of the fourth season of the anthology television series American Horror Story, which premiered on December 17, 2014, on the cable network FX. It was written by James Wong and directed by Bradley Buecker.

Although American Horror Story is categorized as an anthology series, the episode is notable for being the first in the series to directly tie two seasons together, acknowledging that both plot lines and series of events exist within the same universe. In the episode's finale, Pepper (Naomi Grossman) is institutionalised in Briarcliff Manor, the main location of American Horror Story: Asylum (in which she also appears) and is shown meeting Sister Mary Eunice McKee (Lily Rabe) two years before the events of Asylum take place.

Plot

[edit]

Pepper's life is shattered when she finds that her husband, Salty, has died in his sleep.

Elsa reveals to Desiree that she began her troupe after noticing the freaks were not being treated as they should be. Elsa found Pepper at an orphanage and recruited Ma Petite to act as Pepper's child and later found Salty. Desiree suggests returning Pepper to her elder sister.

Stanley convinces Elsa to let him take care of Salty's body after telling her he would have the pinhead cremated, but he chops off the head and sells it to the Museum of Morbid Curiosities. Maggie confesses to Desiree that she and Stanley are con artists. The two visit the museum and are shocked to find Ma Petite's body, Salty's severed head, and Jimmy's hands on display. Elsa tracks down Pepper's sister, Rita, and convinces her to take in Pepper.

Nine years later, Rita gives birth to a deformed baby, and her husband convinces her to frame Pepper for the baby's murder. After committing Pepper to Briarcliff, Sister Mary Eunice has Pepper assist her in the library sorting magazines. While doing so, Pepper finds a magazine with Elsa on the cover.

Reception

[edit]

Reviews

[edit]

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the episode has an approval rating of 85% based on 13 reviews. The critical consensus reads: "A deeper look into the sad story of Pepper makes "Orphans" one of the more heartfelt episodes of Freak Show."

Emily L. Stephens of The A.V. Club praised Naomi Grossman's "almost wordless" performance as Pepper, opining that it "strikes a ringing note of feeling".[1]

Ratings

[edit]

The episode was watched by 2.99 million viewers during its original broadcast, making it the highest rated cable program of the day although a minor dip from the 3.07 million viewers the previous episode totalled.[2]

[edit]
  1. ^ "American Horror Story: Freak Show: "Orphans"". The A.V. Club. December 29, 2014.
  2. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (December 18, 2014). "Wednesday Cable Ratings: 'American Horror Story' Tops Night + 'The Daily Show', 'The Colbert Report', 'Mob Wives' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 31, 2014. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
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