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"Magical Thinking" is the eleventh episode of the fourth season of the
anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...
television series ''
American Horror Story ''American Horror Story'' is an American anthology horror television series created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk for the cable network FX. The first installment in the '' American Story'' media franchise, each season is conceived as a ...
'', which premiered on January 7, 2015 on the
cable Cable may refer to: Mechanical * Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof * Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...
network FX. It was written by
Jennifer Salt Jennifer Salt is an American producer, screenwriter, and former actress known for playing Eunice Tate on ''Soap'' (1977–1981). Life and career Salt was born in Los Angeles, California to screenwriter Waldo Salt and actress Mary Davenport. Sh ...
and directed by
Michael Goi Michael Goi (born March 4, 1959) is an American cinematographer and film director. He is well known for his work on Showtimes ''Web Therapy'', and for his work with Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk on ''Glee'', '' Scream Queens'' and ''American Ho ...
.


Plot

Stanley convinces an imprisoned Jimmy that the only way to pay for a lawyer is to sever one of his hands and sell it. He concocts a plan to smuggle Jimmy out of the prison using his Viking prostitute, who poses as an EMT. After Stanley puts him under, Jimmy awakens to find that both of his hands have been removed. Dell visits him at the hospital and realizes Stanley double crossed Jimmy. The two make plans to buy the Freak Show from Elsa once she leaves for Hollywood. Bette and Dot set out to find someone to deflower them, when they come across traveling Salesman, Chester. Chester dreams of performing his magic act in front of an audience, along with his Dummy named Marjorie. Chester also reveals that after fighting in Normandy, he had a metal plate implanted in his skull; which causes him to hallucinate that Marjorie is alive. Elsa agrees to let him perform, but only if he balances the books in return. After Chester asks for them to assist him in his magic act, Bette and Dot seduce Chester and sleep with him. Dell reveals to Elsa what happened to Jimmy and Elsa pleads with him to get Jimmy out. Eve suggests teaming up to save Jimmy. As the cops are transporting Jimmy back to prison, Eve throws a brick through the windshield and she and Dell kill both officers, rescuing Jimmy in the process. Dandy hires a private investigator to follow the Twins and soon learns of their transgression with Chester. He confronts Chester after Marjorie goes missing, revealing that he knows about Chester's past. A flashback reveals that Chester’s wife, Lucy, had an affair with a woman named Alice, and he murdered them both in a jealous rage, but he believes that Marjorie committed the murders. Dandy tells Chester where Marjorie is, and once he finds her, she tells Chester that he needs to kill the Twins. Maggie tells Elsa she needs to show her something, revealing Ma Petite's true fate. Desiree pulls a gun on Dell in his caravan, demanding to know who he has killed. Once Dell confesses his crime of killing Ma Petite, Elsa shoots him in the head from behind.


Reception

On review aggregator website
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, the episode has an approval rating of 85% based on 13 reviews. The critical consensus reads: "Neil Patrick Harris is a great guest star, but his turn in 'Magical Thinking' adds too hefty a storyline this late in the game."


External links

* {{American Horror Story episodes, 4 2015 American television episodes American Horror Story: Freak Show episodes Television episodes about dissociative identity disorder Television episodes directed by Michael Goi