American Horror Story’s fourth season, Freak Show, gave a tragic end to beloved character Ma Petite, whose death altered the whole season.

American Horror Story season 4, Freak Show, was arguably one of the more light-hearted seasons of the long-running horror anthology series, but Ma Petite’s death shifted the season’s tone dramatically. Freak Show was very highly rated and noted for having a departure in theme from the previous three seasons, focusing more on familial loyalty and togetherness along with the importance of finding one’s tribe. This tone was best exemplified by the character of Ma Petite — and it was brutally shattered by her death.

Drawing from true stories of real sideshows and circus performers, such as P.T. Barnum’s “Greatest Show On Earth”, Freak Show followed Elsa Mars (Lange) as the leader of a similar sideshow; Mars was an aspiring actress who ended up transitioning to the circus, where she performed as a chanteuse. While not always maternal toward all of her ‘freaks’, Elsa took a shine to some of those under her care and showed a softer side toward Ma Petite in particular. However, Me Petite’s death signaled the shift in the season that it

Who Killed Ma Petite In American Horror Story & Why

Dell Toledo Killed Ma Petite To Appease Stanley

Ma Petite’s death was one of the most heartwrenching moments in American Horror Story: Freak Show. Ma Petite was easily trusting because she had been so lovingly cared for by Elsa and the other performers throughout her time in Jupiter, Florida. This made her susceptible to Stanley (Denis O’Hare) and Maggie (Emma Roberts), who were conspiring to capture and kill some of the freaks to sell them to a museum that specialized in “morbid curiosities”, similarly to the Mütter Museum in Philadelphia, PA.

Ma Petite was targeted initially by Maggie, but she wasn’t able to go through with killing such an innocent person. Instead, the job fell to strongman Dell Toledo (Michael Chiklis), who struggled with his sexuality and had a violent temper. First, Dell targeted Amazon Eve, but was unsuccessful; since he was being blackmailed, Dell knew that coming to Stanley empty-handed wasn’t an option, so he smothered Ma Petite, crushing her fragile body in a hug.

How Ma Petite’s Death In Freak Show Effected The Whole Season

The Tragic End Of Ma Petite Highlighted The Season’s Themes

Actress Jyoti Amge, a 26-year-old Indian actress, holds the Guinness world record for being the smallest living woman as of 2011. Standing just over two feet tall, Amge’s height is attributed to a condition known as achondroplasia. Her role on season 4 of American Horror Story was very much the heart of Elsa Mars’ show — Ma Petite worked closely with her, and was often seen playing a little violin or being carried around by the other performers or Elsa. Often, Elsa would summon her to cuddle, and while Ma Petite certainly was not a child, and had a very fully-realized, feisty personality, she also possessed a childlike sense of wonder and innocence.

Heartbreaking as it was, the death of Ma Petite was very much the impetus for Elsa’s “family” falling apart. Riddled with shame over his actions and self-loathing, Dell attempted suicide but was later shot to death by Elsa after she found out that he’d murdered Ma Petite. While many of the performers end up mutilated or killed through various interactions with Stanley and other predatory outside influences, Ma Petite’s death set a precedent regardingthe true death of innocence, which changed the tone of the season dramatically.

While always steeped in the horror genre, the more light-hearted aspects of American Horror Story: Freak Show came crumbling down when it became clear that nobody was safe, that truly evil forces were at work, and the show reiterated that real monsters are often human, even ones that could previously be trusted.