Freakshow (2013) s01e01 Episode Script

[collective chatter.]
- This is my family And this is my extended family.
I'm todd ray.
I was in the music business, Making a-a great deal of money.
Really, most people's dream, but I wasn't happy.
So, I decided to give it all up and do something different, Something very different.
Folks, today, You will witness the strangest creatures on earth, The living wonders of the world, And the most amazing people on the planet.
They're all inside.
What you thought was a myth, You will see with your own eyes.
Welcome to "the freakshow.
" [whistles.]
here, munchkin! [dog barking.]
[doorbell ringing.]
Whoa, hey! - Hey, what's up? - George, come on in.
Oh, my god-- I can't believe you're here.
It's good to meet you.
- Hey, glad to meet ya, man.
Finally got a chance to see each other.
Give me a hug.
- I was about to say, "give me a hug"-- wow! Holy moly! Oh, wow! You really are a giant.
- Hey, I am.
- Hey, phoenix, come down, son.
I want you to meet my son.
- Sure, love to.
- This is phoenix.
- Oh, okay.
- Hey, phoenix, this is george I was telling you about.
- Hey, nice to meet you.
- What's up? - How are you? - Hey, asia! - Oh, my gosh, hey! - Hi.
- This is my wife, danielle.
- Hi.
- This is my daughter, asia.
- Oh, my gosh-- I can't even hug you.
He's so tall.
- So, this is larry.
You've seen him in "the guinness book of world records" and all that.
And this is creature-- One of the most tattooed men in america.
- Usually I'm getting stared at, But I'm staring right now, you know what I mean? Wow! - This your mom here? - This is mother-- her name's [indistinct.]
.
Everybody calls her pinky.
- Wait.
Can I see how big your-- Oh, my gosh! - So, how tall are you? - Seven feet eight.
- Wow! Wow! - That is so cool.
- All right, well, george, have-have a seat.
- Sure-- thank you.
- And, danielle, You wanna grab him somethin' to drink? - I'll grab you a nice, cold drink.
- Can you get me some miracle grow? - Okay.
Wow, man, it's so good to meet you.
You know, when we first talked, And I told you the name of my place-- - Right.
- And-and it's "freakshow.
" You-one of the concerns you had was the word "freak.
" - Yeah, 'cause, uh, you know, I, myself, Have a-a lot of, uh, pride On carrying myself as normal as possible.
- Right, right.
- And I've been doing it all my life.
And I never looked at myself as different, 'cause as you see here, This height I have is a gift from god.
It's not something I just decided to be.
- That's right, that's right.
- So, how can I feel ashamed of god's gift? - That's why we say "freak" is a positive word, 'cause not-- I-it's like a redefinition of the word.
- Right.
- I think that's why We're trying to bring it-- We-we're trying to bring it back, But we're trying to celebrate the differences.
I don't know if you know much about The history of giants in the sideshow.
Back in the days, I mean, they, literally, Were like royalty.
- Yeah.
- Like, this, right here, this is jack earle.
He always wore the big hats.
- He was a big cowboy.
- Here's johann petursson, the viking giant from iceland.
Same height as you.
- Yeah.
- I mean, here's chang, the chinese giant.
So, to the people, it was like a It was a mysterious person from a foreign land, a giant.
Pitch cards are photos about the size of a postcard, And they would sell you this photo As a memory of the show.
People like me, we-we collect these photos.
Museums put 'em up with pride.
I look at 'em all the time.
I-I've studied p.
T.
Barnum and his whole life.
So, to have our own real giant, It is a dream come true.
Well, george, that'd-- I mean, that's where we're at.
- Yes, one thing you're missing is a tall person.
[laughing.]
- yes, a giant-- a true, living giant.
And that, you know, that-that's why You're so important.
So, let-let's do it.
We'll-we'll go over there and-and check it out.
- Well, todd, I got, uh, one question.
What kind of car you have? - Uh, I'm driving a smart car.
- Smart car? [laughing.]
- no, I got a lincoln.
You'll fit.
- Oh, okay.
You'll be-we can get you in there.
So, george, you sit up front out here, And, danielle, I'll drive.
- Uh, yeah, I gotta slide the seat back.
That's as far as it go? - That's as far as that one's goin'.
- All right.
- Oh-oh, god.
Oh, squeeze in, george.
Well, here we go, to the freakshow.
Wait till you see the two-headed snakes.
Now, on the weekends, it's all-it's crazy.
It's packed.
- Every now and then, I find some grownup looking shoes, You know? - Right, like, those are hot.
- Yeah, thanks.
- I'm surprised that those-- - I know-- kid shoes, right? - Kid shoes.
Exactly-- I know.
- Hey, ally, ally.
Come-come here, y'all.
This is george-- he's the tallest man in america.
- Hi, george-- I'm ally.
- How ya doin'? Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you-- wow! - Hi! - This is brianna.
We call her "the indestructible woman.
" - Hi, george.
- Can you believe how tall this guy is? - Oh, I come to, like, his kneecap.
[collective laughter.]
- So, the tallest american, mr.
George bell, is here, And he has a little bit of a problem with the term "freak.
" Almost like it means "monster" or "ugly.
" He feels like he's not a freak.
I hope that he is gonna see That "freak" isn't a bad word at all.
Welcome to "the freakshow.
" - wow.
- Actually, here's somebody you haven't met, right over-- Hey, morgue, come over here.
I wanted you to meet, uh, george.
This is the tallest man in america.
- Hey, nice to meet ya-- welcome to the show.
- Morgue is an incredible performer.
He's a shock artist, And that's what he does for a living, Is shock people.
- All right, this is one of my favorites here.
I like to take this hook, I put it in the nasal cavity here, And I twist it all the way around until it comes out, Uh, the mouth.
- Wow.
- That one took me three years.
I actually had to stretch out all my insides.
- He's a very unusual performer.
- Well, you're-you're bigger than I thought.
Wait-- I like to look a man in the eye when I meet him.
So, here we go.
[collective laughter.]
Glad to meet ya, george.
- You like what you see? - This is murrugun.
One of the greatest performers in the world.
- Thank you-- nice meeting you.
- All right, so, let me show you a few things over here.
Here's the, uh, two-headed bearded dragon, And they told me they weren't gonna live two weeks.
They're almost three years old.
That's what we're celebratin', is their birthday.
Tomorrow, they're turnin' three.
- Oh, okay.
- That's amazing, though, Right? - Yeah, very amazing.
- Come on over here.
I'll show you the two-headed snake.
Right here it is.
- Wow.
Wow, yeah.
- Isn't that crazy? - Uh, what-what-what are the snake names? - That's laverne and shirley.
- Laverne and shirley? Wow.
- Come on over here, george.
I wanna show you this old barnum and bailey poster.
- Oh, wow.
- Now, p.
T.
Barnum Was sort of the king of this kind of a show.
I mean, you'd walk in the tent, And there would be just people on individual stages.
- Okay.
- Doing all kinds of amazing things.
Uh, like charles tripp, he had no arms, But he would write letters to the audience with his toes.
- Oh, with his feet-- oh, wow.
- Yeah, the indian dwarf here.
You know, today, you see so many tattooed people, But back then, it was a big deal.
The bearded lady.
You always had to have a bearded lady.
- Right.
- And, of course, this guy, The egyptian giant.
- Giant, right.
- So, george, if you think about it, These were the superstars.
These were the superhumans.
- Right.
- You know, which is sorta how I look at you.
Like, you're-you're that guy for this generation.
So, you play a really important, uh, Part in this show, if you join us, george.
It won't just be that you'll just be one of many.
You'll be one of the greatest in the show.
So, um, so, what you think, george? - Well, I'll give it some thought.
- Okay, well, keep thinkin'.
- All right.
- But don't think too long.
[chuckling.]
- Who wants to see pancho and lefty tomorrow? This is a free party on the boardwalk.
Who wants to pass up a free party on the boardwalk? Two-headed dragon, free party! Who's goin'-- who's comin'? Come on in-- who's comin'? I got fliers here.
-- Don't be shy.
- So, I'm-I'm lookin' for a bearded lady.
I-I've been tryin' to find, you know, I found this one girl in san francisco, But she's just got peach fuzz.
- When you say, "bearded lady," Like, does she have to have a mustache and a beard? - I'm-I'm looking for somebody that's got, like, You know, like a ser-- - a full beard.
- Like, annie jones here, you know? - Whoa! - I have always wanted to have a bearded lady, Here at "the freakshow.
" It is a classic freakshow attraction.
And what better time to have a bearded lady, Than at the bearded dragon's birthday party? Right now, I-I got a lead on somebody, But I haven't found her yet, And I really want her to be a part of this party tomorrow.
- The search for the bearded lady.
- All right, here we go-- I'm gonna swallow this sword.
Let me tell you why this is so dangerous.
Now, the esophagus is not straight.
When the sword goes down, It goes an eighth of an inch away from the heart.
[collective.]
- ten, nine-- - Louder-- there we go.
- Eight, seven, six, Five, four, three, Two, one! [cheers and applause.]
- So, hey, I'm-I'm-I'm a night owl.
- Right on.
- Nightclubs [indistinct.]
.
- Oh, yeah, I'll high-five to that, baby.
So, what size shoe do you wear, then? - Eighteen.
- Eighteen? Now, you know, do you get the whole big shoe thing From the ladies? - Yes, I do.
I get that, too, yeah.
[laughing.]
- I bet-- oh, I bet.
- I just got an email from the bearded lady, And she's got a beard.
It's real and it's long.
We found the bearded lady.
Jessa? - Todd? What's up, baby? - Hey! You're looking beautiful-- oh, my god! That is the prettiest beard I've ever seen on a woman In my life.
Well, come on, come on in-- I'm glad you made it.
We're about to go to dinner-- you down to come with me? - Yeah, sure.
- No, like-like, maggot-type worms.
- Were the worms still alive? - Yes, they were.
[laughing.]
It stunk, but it was delicious.
[collective.]
- hey! - Jessa arrived-- the bearded lady is here.
[cheering.]
- I just-I can't believe I'm here, And I'm with you guys.
- Well, you made it, finally.
I need a picture.
- I am meeting all of you guys.
And I'm like, oh, my god! 'cause y'all are the celebrities.
I'm just some chick with a beard.
- Yeah, well, that's what makes you a celebrity.
- You're one of us.
- So, here's to the bearded lady.
To the bearded lady and the tallest man in america.
[collective cheers.]
- You get a lot of weirdos? - Being a street performer in vegas Is one of the hardest things you will ever know.
- Did you grow up in las vegas? - No, I did not.
I actually did a lot of my growing up in texas.
Growin' up, it was really hard, Because we're out in the middle of texas, In the middle of nowhere, in a little trailer.
Occasionally, we had electricity, But we're talkin' dirt floor poor.
- When did you start becoming, like, the bearded lady? How old were you? - When I was 13, I went through early menopause.
I started growin' a beard.
I used to shave it, I used to be afraid of it, And I used to have a lot of other problems in my life Because of it.
Yeah, it sucked, and I kept it shaved.
And you know somethin'? I finally got to the point where I just-I just said, "to hell with it"-- I grew it.
And part of growing the beard has made me accept who I am.
I don't care about those folks.
- Yeah, screw them, right? - Yeah, screw them.
- It's just like that for everybody, For any siation.
- Right.
- Tomorrow is the event.
We've got the two-headed bearded dragons.
We've got the bearded lady here with us.
She's gonna be there.
Will you join us tomorrow? [cheers and applause.]
- all right, all right.
You know, I think george has finally come around To see the way we look at the word "freak.
" He came in here thinking it was a bad word.
Somethin' he didn't like to be identified with.
The dinner was incredible, and just like I thought, He knew that he was one of us.
And I hope, in the future, That everyone that comes through the freakshow Feels the same way.
Here's to the freakshow.
[collective.]
- to the freakshow! - May we live like this till the day we die.
Welcome to the family, darlin'.
- Hey, how's it? - Hi.
- You have that cake ready for us? It's gonna be under "todd ray's freakshow," With a two-headed drag-- two-headed bearded dragon cake.
- Okay, one second.
Here you go.
- Whoo! - This is a big day.
We've got pancho and lefty's birthday.
We really wanna make this special, Because we're tryin' to grow the freakshow To the size of the old p.
T.
Barnum days.
Okay, we're bringing something to life That hasn't really been alive for 100 years.
So, it's very special, And I want us to all keep that in mind.
All right, so, murrugun, you're gonna be doin'-- - Fire-breathing and some eating.
- Okay, and asia, you're also gonna be eating fire.
- Fire-eating, yeah.
- And, uh, morgue? - Swallowing a sword.
- Yes, you-- exactly.
You'll swallow a sword, and brianna, We need you to do somethin'.
- Um, okay.
I got grinder.
- That would work good outside, I think.
Yeah, okay.
The main reason we're doin' this, Pancho and lefty, They-they really are the rarest creatures on earth, And they're about to be three years old.
- Now, that's a birthday party to be celebrated.
- That's-that is real, right? So now, they're the rarest reptiles on the planet.
Hey, creature, you got-you got it? [cheers and applause.]
- the cake is here! - Here, put it right here-- put it right here.
Be careful with it.
Gosh, I can get a quick look at that? Oh, my god! [cheering.]
All right, folks, listen.
This is the world-famous "venice beach freakshow," Known around the world as the strangest show on earth.
Today, we are celebrating pancho and lefty, The two-headed bearded dragons' birthday.
Everybody, he they are! [cheers and applause.]
pancho and lefty.
[collective.]
- happy birthday! - Oh, wait-- hold on, hold on.
Come get it, kids-- come get it! - In celebration of pancho and lefty, The two-headed bearded dragons, We're gonna have murrugun breathe a little fire.
[cheering.]
yeah! Give it up for the indestructible woman! [cheers and applause.]
yeah! [cheers and applause.]
This young man, we call him morgue, Because if you do what he's gonna do now, You're gonna end up dead.
All right, morgue-- let's show 'em how it works.
It's gonna go down between his lungs.
A centimeter away from his beating heart.
[collective.]
- oh! Down the hatch without a scratch.
Oh, my gosh! Wait.
Wait.
Give him a round of applause! [cheers and applause.]
come on, come on! Look, he's taking the handle off, In case you thought it was a collapsible sword.
Just to let you know that that is real.
One more round of applause! [cheers and applause.]
All right, folks, it is showtime! - Come on in and enjoy the show.
[chuckling.]
- It's real.
- Doesn't match the beard.
- High school and college.
Speeding.
[laughing.]
- Freak! [all.]
- show! - Freak! [all.]
- show! - Oh! Whoo! [collective.]
- oh! - Oh, you know what-- let's get that drill back.
[cheers and applause.]
- Asia.
Because everyone loves fire, Asia's gonnaemonstrate for you her talent of fire-eating.
Now, this is very dangerous.
If asia were to inhale at any time during her performance, She'd burn the inside of her lungs.
[cheers and applause.]
- Okay, here's pancho and lefty, The two-headed bearded dragons.
They have two heads and six legs.
This is a magic animal.
Ask your friends, and I guarantee you this, They've never seen one two-headed animal alive.
It's once-in-a-lifetime.
- That's crazy.
- Isn't it crazy? To me, the fact that pancho and lefty are alive, That's a success already.
If that's all I had, I would be happy.
But to have all these people gather here, Just by their own excitement, To look into the eyes of the children When they see the giant - I bet you're popular with the ladies, huh? - Yes, I could say "yeah.
" [laughing.]
- And shake the hand of the bearded lady, And tug on her beard [laughing.]
[growling.]
Or they see the two-headed snake And the two-headed dragons.
To see the wonder in their eyes, Is what I do it for.
It is an experience.
- Hi, ally.
- Hi, sweetie, how are you? - It's a beautiful moment.
A realization that wonder is still alive On planet earth.
And that's a great feeling.
Welcome to "the freakshow.
" [cheers and applause.]
I wanna bring out murrugun the mystic.
One of the most amazing men on earth.
This hasn't been done for 100 years.
He has stuffed his mouth with bedding.
He's puttin' in a hot piece of coal.
It's gonna set on fire inside his mouth.
The human furnace! [cheers and applause.]
give him a round of applause!