After a slow start, “American Horror Story: Freak Show” is getting surprisingly captivating.

I was not convinced this season of “American Horror Story” would stay true to the show’s format, which incorporates interesting characters in unsettling storylines.

All of this changed during the Oct. 29 episode, which features my favorite killer clown, Twisty, and the mysterious leader of the freaks, Elsa. This episode was the one I had been waiting for; it hurt my heart and featured some legitimate character development. It’s one thing for a show to humanize a villainous character, but making me empathize with one was powerful.

For the first few episodes of this season I was disappointed. This season did not quite exude the power of uncomfortable terror I had grown accustomed to. The characters were not nearly as captivating as those of past seasons. Many characters, like the spoiled fool Dandy Mott, couldn’t keep my attention. His freakout when getting the wrong Halloween costume was dramatic. The show’s writers do a good job of making viewers dislike this obnoxious character; however, his Wednesday transformation changed my view as he put on Twisty’s disgusting mask. Dandy was putting on the cape of a deadly, blood-filled future.

If the season stays on the path of Dandy’s madness, fleshes out more of the characters and takes more advantage of the time period, it could be wildly successful.