FEUD: The Other Woman
March 13, 2017 9:04 AM - Season 1, Episode 2 - Subscribe

Joan manages to get Bette on her side about dismissing a young blond starlet who they're sure will be flirting with the director to enlarge her part. Studio boss Jack Warner urges Aldrich to fan the tension between the two stars to feed the gossip columns for publicity, and the Bette & Joan united front tumbles faster than it started.

Joan feigns a break-up to try and lure Aldrich into an affair, which he resists. When the boyfriend shows up unexpectedly, revealing the lie, she makes the break-up real.
Aldrich lets Hedda Hopper in on the fact that Joan stuffs her bra, attributing the statement to Bette.
Bette denies having said it, but adds that everybody knows it to be true anyway.
Joan fires back with a similarly vicious quote, phoned in to rival columnist Luella Parsons.
Bette decides to pack her daughter off to the country after catching her flirting with the stagehands, leading to an amazing moment from perennial 60s rebel teen Kiernan Shipka as the daughter, attacking her mother's jealousy over her youth and looks.
Bette makes her own late night call to Aldrich, confessing her true fears of aging as a woman in Hollywood, and lamenting that she's turned into her character from All About Eve.
posted by dnash (7 comments total)
 
This was dangerous to watch with a beverage. I nearly spit-taked about four times.

"What's your name, sweetheart?"
"Sylvia."
"Fuck off, Sylvia!"

As atrocious as I've found Sarandon's political ideas lately, I have to say I would give her an Emmy for this episode. She was fantastic. She nails the fast-talking bitchiness of Davis, but manages to convey a real person underneath it, not just an affected caricature.
posted by dnash at 9:09 AM on March 13, 2017 [4 favorites]


Those are the loudest sheets I've ever heard.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 6:00 PM on March 13, 2017


This was dangerous to watch with a beverage.
I hope it was a Pepsi. Mmmmm. Delicious Pepsi.
posted by Stanczyk at 5:55 PM on March 16, 2017 [1 favorite]


I have this pet theory that this show is Ryan Murphy's gift to Jessica Lange. Like, he'd come to love and appreciate her so much as an actress that when she said she didn't want to do the long days or big episode counts for American Horror Story anymore, he either asked her what she'd like to do instead and she gave him the kernel of this idea or he came up with this specifically to bring her back to his fold.

It doesn't really matter which though. We're all winners in this equation.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 8:59 AM on March 17, 2017 [2 favorites]


She nails the fast-talking bitchiness of Davis, but manages to convey a real person underneath it, not just an affected caricature.
posted by dnash at 9:09 AM on March 13


Hmmm.....I dunno. I just keep seeing Susan Sarandon. I even try squinting my eyes (ha ha) to pretend not to at least see SUSAN, but it hasn't worked. I'm not having the issue as much with Jessica Lange. It's definitely not a deal breaker for me, I plan to keep watching, but it does bug me a bit. Same with Kathy Bates. Love her, but I just keep seeing her character from Titanic.

I keep wondering if some lesser known, unrecognizable actresses would have been better because of that.
posted by foxhat10 at 7:55 AM on March 18, 2017


Hilarious, foxhat 10—last night I watched Jezebel for the first time, and all I could see was Susan Sarandon because of Feud!

But something I've never seen Sarandon really do is bring the crazy the way Bette Davis did in the scene in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane where she sang in her rehearsal room. *shudder* I hope she can mirror that at some point because... wow. That was some creepy (and brilliant) shit to behold. That whole movie was a study in fucked-up. I am grateful that this series made me do a little homework.

Also, I love having Kiernan Shipka on my tv again; I just adore her.
posted by heyho at 11:32 AM on March 18, 2017


"I haven't seen this much shit since my last bowel movement."

"What year was that?"
posted by dnash at 9:27 PM on March 18, 2017


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