Here Are the Disturbing Backstories of American Horror Story's Freaks

Ethel was once the star of a successful song-and-dance act, but her former husband, Dell, convinced her she could do better. She tried to perform Shakespeare but was booed off the stage. Things got even worse when she became pregnant with Jimmy. Cash-strapped, Dell sold tickets to people who wanted to witness Ethel giving birth. He even tried to sell the opportunity to hold the "freak baby" while Ethel was still standing by a tree having just given birth.

Paul has been tortured his whole life because of his seal-like arms. He used to seek refuge in the movie theater, where no one could see his condition. He wanted to be in movies, which is partially why he never tattooed his "handsome" face. "I have the face of a pretty man," he tells Edward. "Can you imagine this mug on a normal body? I could've ruled the world."

Suzi has been legless for nearly her entire life, having lost her legs to a spinal condition at age 2. Her parents left her on the doorstep of a children's home, and she ended up on the streets in the midst of the Depression. Though she doesn't look very threatening, she stabbed and killed a dancing man because she was so jealous of his legs. That's dark, Suzi.

As it turns out, Twisty isn't such a bad guy; he's just incredibly sad and not mentally sound. Years ago, he was a happy clown in the circus, but his costars were jealous of how much people loved him. They told the police that he was a child molester, even though he actually had nothing but pure intentions. He was run out of the circus, returned to his home of Jupiter, and tried to make a living turning junk into toys. When no one would buy his goods, he became so depressed that he tried to kill himself. He failed, only blowing away his jaw. (Now his horrific face makes sense!) Something snapped for Twisty, and he just wanted to make kids happy again. This brings us up to present day, when he kidnaps a kid and a "babysitter" for him, kills the kid's parents because "parents are mean," and tries to make his prisoners happy by putting on shows for them. See? There is a method to his madness.

Elsa reveals her tragic past when Edward Mordrake asks everyone about their lowest moments. For her, this is when she was a dominatrix back in Germany in the 1930s. She prided herself on being the best of the best, never actually letting her clients touch her. One night, she was drugged and unwittingly became the star of a snuff film. Men tied her down, sawed off her legs, and left her to die. A soldier she'd been seeing saved her, but the video was shown all around Europe. You may not have had much sympathy for Elsa before, but this is horrendous.

As we know, Pepper also shows up in Asylum, and her character is tied to this season's upcoming appearance from Sister Mary Eunice (Lily Rabe). We have learned just a smidgen of information about her and her brother's past: Elsa pulled them both out of an orphanage, when even their own sister didn't want them. We know Pepper supposedly ends up at Briarcliff for drowning her sister's baby (though she denies it), so how does this all piece together?

Dell and Desiree show up at the freak show not completely prepared to divulge the details of their past. However, in a flashback, we see Desiree having sex with a gay man who is trying to embrace a straight lifestyle. A drunken Dell walks in and snaps the man's neck all the way around, racking up yet another casualty for this season.