Jessica Sharzer

As the messy season of television that has been Freak Show nears its conclusion, the show doesn’t present many signs of coming to a satisfying end. Although certain arcs have worked, Ryan Murphy and co. haven’t followed many of the stories extensively enough to bring them to a satisfying conclusion.

With Twisty now completely out of the picture, “Pink Cupcakes” continues to bring Freak Show away from the high-energy camp of the first two episodes, and towards more sober-minded drama. Though it works in “Edward Mordrake (Part One),” the more that Murphy and co. pursue this more even-keeled storytelling style, the more its weaknesses begin to show.