Does anyone know what accent Kathy Bates is trying to do this season? It sounds like a gutter mix of Appalachia, Boston and some Midwest. I get the impression she's having a rough time of it. Some folks out there on teh Interwebz think it's Philadelphia. I'm thinking it might be Pittsburgh, based on
this article about the ugliest-sounding accent. I usually have a fairly good ear for American accents, and I've met many people from both those Pennsylvania towns, and they don't sound like
that. It mystifies me.
I, too, feel somewhat distracted by the anachronistic songs (and a mosh pit!) but it's holding my interest. I think Jessica Lang's musical number in the first one was designed to look horrid. As a carnie, her character's ideas are clearly old and stale and they wanted to show that by having her cringe-worthy warbling about to a near-empty tent. This I feel was to set up the contrast with the Strong Man's matinee show, with standing ovations and the fore-mentioned mosh pit, further setting him up as a primary adversary and a direct threat to Lang's character's relevance. Personally, I think it was all by design. Her German accent has definitely improved since last episode, thankfully. Much more consistent.
