Freakshow (2013) s01e02 Episode Script

You were one of the world-famous venice beach freakshow.
Everyone that learns how to swallow swords has to learn with one of these, a coat hanger.
Are you ready to see her swallow the coat hanger? Yes! All right, Brianna.
Show 'em how it's done, darlin'.
Oh! Oh oh, my God! Give her a round of applause.
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.
" Good afternoon freakshow.
Creature speaking.
This week, we have a special event with, uh, sword swallowing going on.
If you've never been on the boardwalk, this is the place to be, you know? What are you up to? Cleaning up with mouthwash, 'cause I get, like, food stuck to 'em - ew! Since they actually go into my stomach.
I just lick mine.
Hey, ya'll.
I wanted to talk about this event, the sword swallower's event.
Uhhuh.
I wanna make this somethin' that goes down in history, and I want the stunts that you guys are gonna do to be the top that they see.
Sword swallowing is one of the most classic acts in sideshow.
It goes back thousands and thousands of years, and it's not a trick.
These people are actually swallowing a solid steel blade.
You, what you got? I'm gonna do the rocket sword.
Oh, my, indeedy.
This is the rocket-powered sword.
Wow! I'm the only person in the world to do it.
That's where the rocket motor goes.
I put it in, and then - Whoosh! - Whoo! Well, the thing is, I gotta bite down the second I hear this thing going off.
Oh! Because it's goin' so quick, if it goes further, it'll go right through the bottom of my stomach and perforate my stomach.
That is history.
You just gotta be careful, though.
So, Brianna, what is it that you're thinkin' about doin' for the event? Normally, I do the two swallow.
So, I wanna do three swords.
I love it.
That's gonna be great.
That's great.
That's gonna be a tough one to top.
Oh, yeah.
But, we also have a special guest, Mr.
Dan meyer, the head of the sword swallowers association.
He's gonna be comin' out.
Oh, I finally get to meet Dan! Really? Dan's got a million guinness world records.
He is the authority when it comes to recording these stunts.
We've also got morgue.
He doesn't even consider himself a sword swallower.
He's a shock artist.
Don't let them bother ya.
I was actually just telling them about the sword swallower event.
Oh, yeah.
I have a few things planned.
Somethin uh, 's a surprise, though.
It's a secret but, I'll tell ya one thing.
It's gonna be much better than whatever they're gonna do.
And then, you woke up.
Oh, he just gave me the middle finger.
You respect me, I'll respect you.
That's how it goes.
Some respect is earned, though.
Yeah some respect is earned.
You can't touch me when it comes to a performer.
Dude, I'm, like, sitting here, being diplomatic.
You can't stand the pressure.
What is that too much? You don't like it? You're being way too serious about this, man.
I don't mind the competition, but let's just be prepared.
I don't want any accidents.
I don't want any mistakes.
And I wanna make history.
Okay What happened inside? Oh, my gosh! I don't know what was up with that.
It got a little dramatic.
He shouldn't have called murrugun out, 'cause murrugun's been doing this for 15-20 years.
I respect them, like, them both.
If you can swallow a sword, you definitely have my respect.
It's really hard to learn, and you have to be dedicated.
- Yeah.
- And so, you - yeah, wait.
I wanna even ask you how you got into sword swallowing.
Look at me.
How could I not get into sword swallowing? I've been thinking of actually learning how to swallow a sword.
The event coming up could show everybody that I'm a serious performer.
I just think that's so cool to, like, have this appearance of being cute and classy, and then whipping out all these crazy stunts that, like, you know, make guys pass out.
I got to sword swallowing just because swallowing a sword is the holy grail.
- Craziest.
- And it's the most empowering.
That changed my life.
- Mmm-hmm.
.
- And I-it really did.
Owering.
But, it was scary, right? When I first started doing it, it was very painful, the throwing up stomach acid, which gets into your nose.
- It burns.
- Really? Just like with any other muscles, like, you're working out, you get tougher.
You get stronger.
You get used to it, too.
Right? Yeah, and your body adapts.
I just love making people happy doing impossible things.
When they're, like, amazed, it just is the best feeling ever.
- Yeah! Yeah and it's like, now, take that and apply that to your life.
- Do something yeah.
- And see what you could do.
Yeah.
- Comin' through! - Comin' through.
All right.
So, you want to learn how to swallow swords.
- I do.
- Why do you wanna do this? I don't know.
It's kinda hard to explain, but I feel like a lot of performers just see me as, like, my dad's daughter, and I don't think they really take me seriously.
I just wanna really gain that respect and kinda yeah it kinda puts you in another category.
Ahem exactly.
So, who taught you sword swallowing? I'm all self-taught.
So, how did you know if you were, like, gonna - gonna die? - Yeah.
Uh, well, I didn't.
That's the thing.
When I'm trying these stunts by myself, with no one to teach me, it's a risk.
But, I'm glad that I taught myself because I like to conquer things myself.
Aren't you afraid, though, that, like, you're gonna die? That's just a risk that you take.
But, if you live life being afraid of death, then you don't really live life.
- That's true.
- That's why I do what I do.
I like people to think about death because death reminds us to live, to make every second of every minute count.
- That's true.
- Okay.
Well, I mean, the first thing you gotta do, is get rid of your gag reflex by just gagging yourself over and over.
You wanna start off with a hanger.
It's flexible.
- Okay.
- You know, if you make a few mistakes, uh, it's okay.
Don't.
So, what you're gonna do, straighten out like this.
- Okay.
- You put your head back.
But, when the hanger goes down, there's gonna be a little bit of space, and there's a muscle there.
All right? It's basically like your ass.
It's - oh, my gosh! Just don't compare it to that.
That's disgusting.
That's what that's what it is.
So, you're gonna get to it.
That's di-okay.
G.
But, there's gonna but, seriously, when you get to the top of it, you're gonna have to apply some pressure - to get it through.
- Okay.
Once you get down there, it's gonna be in your esophagus.
And then, you're gonna go down until it hits the bottom.
My heart is pounding.
Looks good.
- Ah! - That was good.
You got it far.
- Oh! - Wow! That was good that was good.
Oh, my God! That was so weird.
That's what's-what's wrong how-how does it feel? It's making me cough is that bad? Well, there's pain.
With any of these acts, there's gonna be pain.
All right well, now the event's coming up fast.
So, if you wanna get this down, you're gonna need to do this a lot, at least ten times a day.
Do it again and again until it's perfect.
I need to be able to do this.
Keep that attitude, and you can do whatever you want.
- I know right? - Yeah, seriously.
- - yeah.
Do you have any idea what morgue's gonna be doing? I don't know, man.
He said he was gonna do something that's never been done before.
When he came stompin' in, it was just like, - whoa calm down.
- Yeah.
Get the bees out of your bonnet.
For him to come up and talk to us like he was, is just a little much.
Yeah yeah.
You kinda gotta pay your dues, you know? Right? And I've been blowin' fire since I was 12.
I've seen people come, and people go, and they don't do anything new, and they just fall to the wayside.
Right.
Whatever it is, it better be good.
I mean, he's gotta earn not only my respect, but Dan meyer's respect, as well.
We'll see.
As a father, it's crazy.
You don't want your daughter to do anything.
I don't even want her to trip and hurt her knee, much less jab a coat hanger down her throat.
My first impulse is to say, "you're crazy.
" "Don't even try it.
" It's scary to think of her doing dangerous stunts.
Asia wants to do 'em all, now.
And so, I just have to trust her.
At this point in her life, I've gotta let her be herself.
God - Hmm.
Ugh Hi.
Hey.
I saw you with the, uh, coat hanger.
How's it goin'? Uh, it's g I mean, it's good.
It's just, like, uncomfortable.
You're not hurting yourself, are ya? Well, kind of.
Um, you'll get it, if you can get it okay? I'm gonna be able to do it.
I know you wanna get it, but honestly - yeah yeah.
- No games.
It's super dangerous.
It's not just about doing it.
It's about doing it safely and doing it right.
- Yeah.
- Check this out.
This is from barnum and Bailey.
Here's 1898 I love this book.
Now, this woman, this is someone who was very special, Edith Clifford, champion sword swallower of the world.
She reminds me of you.
The beautiful woman, you know? Mmmhmm.
The victorian dress, but swallowing a sword.
Yeah, exactly.
Edith Clifford, one of the most famous female sword swallowers of all time.
She was elegant and beautiful.
And yet, she really proved to men that not only are we equal, but I can do what you can't do, at a time when women couldn't even vote.
I actually wanted to give you this.
Thiss from Edith Clifford.
And this button, you would see her perform, and then she would sell you this.
And I thought that you could wear this for good luck.
Oh, my gosh! That would be so cool.
- Wouldn't that be cool? - That's really cool.
When you get to where you can swallow swords, you're gonna be a part of history.
You know, these people are long dead and buried, but they'll never be forgotten, ever.
I'm really proud of you for being brave enough - to attempt it.
- Thank you.
You just keep working on it.
It's gonna take a minute.
I will.
It gets on my epiglottis, like, - every single time.
- Really? There have been a couple times where I'm kinda like, "that hurts," but like T, it's not, like, intense.
It's not like I'm dying or anything.
That'll go away in a week or so.
So, what are you doing for the event? You're not gonna tell anyone? - No.
- Promise? - I promise.
- Okay.
Well, I'm gonna take a big ol' steel ball.
- Like, how big? - Like that big.
- Holy crap! - Big ass one.
Okay.
I'm gonna swallow it all the way down to the stomach.
And then, while it's down there, I'm gonna take the sword uh, and then swallow that all the way down.
Both the ball and the sword are in my body, sittin' in there.
Are you sure you can do that? Becomin' friends, gettin' to know each other.
Do they touch each other? Actually, the sword hits the steel ball.
- Oh, my gosh! - Yeah.
And then, what happens if you can't get the ball back out? Then, I die.
Wait like, seriously? Seriously, I die.
Don't do it.
Butbut, that-that-that hasn't happened yet, so why am I taking advice from you? I know right? You're like, "just do it.
" Just do it.
This one is or a cool specimen.
Ila it's a pig with one head and two bodies.
Here's a two-headed snake.
That's crazy.
Their names are Laverne and Shirley.
That's so trippy.
- Does it bite? - They do bite yeah.
We would do crazy stuff when I was a kid.
I was, like, watching kiss on "don kirshner's rock concert.
" I saw gene Simmons blow fire, and I was just like, "I could do that.
" So, I just walked out to the backyard, grabbed charcoal, lighter fluid.
Grabbed a stick Grabbed, like, an old t-shirt and wrapped wire around it.
Soaked the torch, put it in my mouth, and poof, and did it.
Oh, my goodness! And the fact that I didn't actually catch myself on fire is incredible.
Yeah, that's impressive.
So, that's, like, 36 years of doing that.
This is also probably why my stomach is all screwed up, too.
And your voice is all raspy.
Haha Yeah, that's-that's from a number of things.
- Morgue? - Yeah.
I've been working, like, really hard to get the coat hanger down, you know? Good.
And I think I'm ready for the sword.
Well, can you do that all the way? Yeah I mean, I can do it.
Sometimes - let me see.
- Sometimes, I get - I.
Okayokay okay.
- Hey, be caful.
- Yeah.
- Be careful.
- I know I'll be careful.
Wait.
Now, I get nervous when you're watching me.
Okay.
Well, you're gonna have to do it in front of people.
I know I know.
Okay, here we go.
That looks good.
- Oh! - Wow wow! - Oh, my gosh! - Wow wow! Are you okay? Are you okay? Are you okay? - I think so.
- Wow! - You feel all right? - Oh, my gosh you did it! - That was really od.
- Are you all right? - Yeah.
- You did it! Oh, wow! Oh, my God! You gave me a heart attack? - Are you okay? - I was holding my breath.
- Yeah.
It hurts, but I think I'm okay.
- Oh, my gosh! Hold on one second let me grasomethin'.
Now, Asia, this is something I've had for a long time.
And now, I think you deserve it.
- Oh! - Your own sword.
Oh, that's cool.
Oh! Thank you.
Sword.
This is, like, way thicker and, like, scary.
This is really heavy.
Yeah-what's the difference, morgue, with the well, there's a big difference.
The main difference between the sword and the hanger - mmm-hmm.
- Is that hangers bend.
Swords don't.
So, if you do something wrong, it's just a straight piece of metal.
So, you have to make sure everything is aligned correctly.
And you also can't too big of breaths because your lungs will push against the metal.
- Okay.
- Wait-wait.
But, most likely not.
We just wanna keep it at you did it with the hanger.
- No! - I feel the same way.
I'm nervous.
Oh, I'm doing it.
You are the strongest girl I know.
Here's your coat hanger.
I don't know if you're gonna need that.
Not anymore I t a sword.
- What's wrong? - I'm nervous.
What's making you nervous? The people? - Well - Well, yeah.
I've only done it in front of, like, you and my parents.
But, not like a big crowd.
- Uh-uh.
- Okay.
That means you care about it, you know? - I know.
- That-that's a good thing.
Going out in front of a crowd, that's not an easy thing to do, but you can do it.
I'm, like, hyperventilating.
The thing is, the audience wants you to succeed.
All right? - Yeah.
- So, just use that.
All right, this is for you.
If-if you feel pressure from anyone else, from me, from your dad, from the crowd, just don't worry about it.
If you don't wanna do it, you don't have to do it.
All right let's do it.
It is almost showtime.
So, I wanna remind everyone Dan meyer is coming here today.
You guys know he's the head of the sword swallowers association.
It's a very special day just cause he's here.
This is a chance to meet the man.
Hey, Dan.
Hello-hello.
- Good to see you.
- Good to see you.
We're really excited that you're here.
There was also somebody really special I wanted you to meet, as well.
What's going on he? Dan, this is my daughter, Asia.
Nice to meet ya.
Hi, Asia nice to meet you.
Shshe's holding a sword.
She's been practicing very hard.
I've been very determined for this day to get the sword down and show you the most, like, special and what's this little button you've got on here? That is Edith Clifford, herself.
- My good luck charm yeah.
- That is awesome.
I own almost all of her swords.
That's really cool.
You wanna see? - So, are you ready? - Yes.
Oh, goodness Whoo! Yeah-yeah! - Wow! - Whoo! - Wow congratulations.
- Thank you surprise! I'm so proud of you! - How old are you? I just turned 20.
I'm gonna have to go home and check the database, but there's a very good chance you might be the world's youngest, female sword swallower.
- Yeah! So, I guess, after this bigoment, we should kinda get focused on the rest of the sword swallowing day.
So, what are you guys doin' today? Like, what are you doing? It's a secret it's a surprise.
- Oh, it's a surprise.
- I can't tell you.
- Oh.
- It's, um, good, though.
- Ooh! - It'll be good.
We'll find out, won't we? Oh, it's gettin' real up in here.
Oh, my Do you all ready for the freakshow? Yeah! The wind has been blowing.
I know it's cold out here.
But, it's about to get hot inside.
Give 'em a big round of applause.
Come on! For Brianna, the indestructible woman! She's actually got three swords.
There's very few people in the world that can swallow three swords.
This is very deadly.
If those swords scissor inside of her body, it's gonna be the end of the show.
For me.
Well, for all of us.
So, here she goes, folks.
Everyone, keep it quiet.
Here she goes, for real.
This is very dangerous.
- Whoo! - Oh, my gosh! One! Two! Three! Give her a round of applause.
Oh, my gosh! The next man that we're about to bring out, folks, is gonna actually perform his most deadly stunt, the rocket sword.
Here's murrugun the mystic.
No one's ever done this with the rocket because of the danger.
That rocket is gonna fire that sword straight down into his belly.
And the scary part is that he has to use his own teeth to stop the blade before it pierces the bottom of his stomach.
Okay, here we go.
Three! Two! One! Go! - Oh! - Oh, my gosh! Give him a round of applause! Oh, my gosh! Are you okay, murrugun? Are you okay, brother? All right.
Give him a round of applause one more time, folks! W is the time here we go.
Come on around here here's the line.
Make sure you get in line, right here.
Everyone, get around, now.
Just come right over this way, folks, if you would, on this side, over here.
Whoo! Come on up morgue.
Whoo! This performer here is about to do something that has never been seen with human eyes.
What I'm about to show you, goes beyond sword swallowing.
This here is a steel ball bearing.
It's roughly the same size as a billiard ball.
Watch tch! - Ah! - Oh! Nice job really great.
All the performers, they live for the audience.
It's why they give all their energy to it.
It's why they risk their lives - thanks, man.
- With everything they're doing.
They love to see the look in the audience's eyes.
Oh! Give her a round of applause.
And they feed off of that.
And it's for the people, so that they can see somethin' in their lifetime that they'll never forget and tell their great grandbabies about, their great-great grandbabies, because these shows are special, and it's a dream we share with everybody that comes in.
It's what it's all about.
Give yourself a round of applause and for all these people, one more time.
- Whoo! We're gonna try and get this baby soaked in fuel.
- No.
Don't do it.
- There he goes.
- Wow! Oh, my goodness! Give him a round of applause, folks!