AHS: Freak Show is the season that reveals the connection across the series of seemingly stand alone series. Find out what Ryan Murphy has to say about the current installment and the connection here!

Ryan Murphy is one for throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks. It is a trait that either makes or breaks his shows. In the case of AHS: Freak Show, the arrangement on the wall creates a more distinguishable pattern, but it is still not entirely clear on where the show will go with the remaining nine episodes.

In an interview with EW, the creator hints at a bunch of clues for the upcoming episodes, the bridge that connects all the seasons together, and sets the scavenger hunt up for season 5.

On Elsa’s past and future:

Last week’s episode showed, in great detail, the days Elsa Mars spent in Germany and the brutal conditions a performer worked in the Weimer Republic. More of a dominatrix and less of an actress, the troupe leader did not receive the acclaim she desired even after her brutal amputation made her a snuff film star. For fans of Jessica Lange, it is no secret that she is not a fan of the Horror that makes American Horror Story, but Murphy says, “It was a two part thing: the tragedy of the snuff film, but then in future episodes we find out who actually made her those perfect legs.”

But do not hold your breath for another Axeman fling like the one from Coven: “I told Jessica very early on that this season her love interest is her career. That sort of woman who wants to be a star at all costs. Show business is the great paramour of her life.”

On Dandy and Twisty’s departure:

When we last left Dandy, he was laughing manically over the body of his murdered maid. Gloria Mott has yet to learn of her son’s actions, but when she does, do not expect her to run to his side and coddle the forever-child. “When I was researching this, I read a lot about Jeffrey Dahmer, because Jeffrey Dahmer’s father wrote a book. Being the parent of a sociopath is a hard road! What do you do? You love this child, but you have to do right by the law and by society, and that’s Gloria’s dilemma.”

Dandy does not seem to have a second thought about the murder; in fact it is only a matter of time before his lust for blood stirs up again. This week’s episode we will see him interact with Matt Bomer’s character. The scene between them is not for the faint of heart. Murphy describes it, saying, “It is disturbing. I keep saying this, but I guess I keep topping it in my mind — —but I think it’s the most disturbing thing we’ve done because it’s so real and so based on fact. It’s a true horror sequence…I think episode 5 ups the horror quotient in a real way on our show.”

Twisty’s backstory pulled at the heartstrings and made everyone question the true evilness behind the mask. But at the close of the episode we see him stroll off into the dawn with Edward Mordrake, perhaps never to be seen again. Murphy did say earlier this season that once someone is dead they are not coming back. Well, with this one exception, apparently: “Twisty is not over, and neither is Edward Mordrake. They both make triumphant returns. People love Twisty. I think that’s due to the power of John as an actor. I think he’s just so mesmerizing and sympathetic.” If a spirit who is already dead returns, and brings his cohorts with him, then technically Murphy did not lie about bringing people back from the dead. Sorry, Meep.

The puzzle known as ‘AHS’

Theories circulate every season as to whether or not there are connections from one installment to the next. Clues lurk in the scenes for the upcoming stories, but what about call backs to the past? Murphy finally confirms that all the seasons are connected in some way. “We have always from the very beginning in the intertwining mythologies and how things connect. This is the first year where we begin to tell you that season 2 is connected to season 4 which is connected to season 1.”

With Lily Rabe’s return later this season, reprising her role as Sister Mary Eunice, the connection can no longer be denied. Murphy goes on to say, “There’s definitely a rhyme or a reason and a connectedness to all of these seasons, but in the same way, they’re standalones, which is the fun of it. But it is a puzzle. And Lily coming back and dealing with Pepper is sort of the first unveiling of that connectedness.”

Watch American Horror Story: Freak Show episode 5, “Pink Cupcakes,” Wednesday November 5 at 10:00 p.m. ET on FX.