American Horror Story, Pink Cupcakes - review: Not even scary underpants can inject oomph

Twisty the Clown is back. Kind of.

The original psychotic clown may have been spirited away (quite literally) to the underworld with Edward Mordrake last week but Dandy has taken up the mantle. It was probably going to happen sooner or later given Dandy’s murderous tendencies.

The deaths get more gruesome with every episode. Watching Andy the gigolo getting hacked to bits as he struggles for his life is pretty grim. Played by White Collar’s Matt Bomer he was just too interesting to be killed off so soon - his relationship with Dell Toledo had so much potential.

Speaking of which, finally we see a new side to Desiree Dupree and we like it. The triple-breasted hermaphrodite is actually all-lady and could even lead a “normal” life with some surgery. Sadly, Dell’s violence could hamper any chances of happiness for her – he is one of the real monsters of the freak show.

But the scariest thing about this episode is the abundance of white Y fronts. Yes, it’s the Fifties but Ryan Murphy is taking liberties with other historical details. The Bowie homage complete with the blue suit and garish eye shadow is as anachronistic as it gets on American Horror Story.

Compared to the terrifying climax of Edward Mordrake’s Halloween tale last week, ‘Pink Cupcakes’ proves to be an unexciting slow burn that lacks oomph. Even when Elsa dumps Bette and Dot at Gloria Mott’s house it’s not as shocking as it's trying to be.

But there are some nice touches. The brief scene between Ethel and Desiree showing a bond developing between Dell’s two women is lovely. Then there’s Elsa’s romantic speech about the beauty of the silver screen and the rise of television.

Just please put the men in boxers next week.

'American Horror Story Freak Show' airs Tuesdays at 10pm on FOX UK.