Grotesquerie: Season 1 (Full Season)

January 7, 2025 4:51 PM - Season 1, Episode 1

Detective Lois Tryon must work with Sister Megan, a local nun, to figure out the source of a series of heinous crimes that is affecting both their community and their personal lives.

I’m surprised that this hasn’t been posted yet since I think that it’s in the wheelhouse of many who frequent these parts.

Created by Ryan Murphy (American Horror Story), Jon Robin Baitz and Joe Baken and starring Niecy Nash-Betts, Courtney B. Vance, Nicholas Alexander Chavez, Micaela Diamond, Raven Goodwin, Lesley Manville and a bunch of guest stars including Kelce Travis.

The show starts off with a noirish feel but within the first episode the viewer comes to realize that very little is at it seems, becoming more and more hallucinatory until all is revealed…but actually just kidding, not really and it doubles down on the bizarre.

I watched it on Disney

posted by ashbury (4 comments total)

If you haven’t seen the show be warned, it’s not for the faint of heart. Featuring blood, body horror, physical and mental abuse, serial killer, more blood, extreme lack of morality, alcoholism, obesity-shaming and religion. And again, more blood.

Niecy Nash-Betts is absolutely phenomenal in this and actually, everybody is amazing. Kelce Travis was also surprisingly good although his costars tended to carry the scenes that he’s in.
posted by ashbury at 5:12 PM on January 7

I watched most of this but unfortunately haven’t finished since my partner lost interest right when things were getting really mind-bending. But my take on it was “Ryan Murphy does Hannibal.” Unreliable narrators trying to tease the higher meaning out of elaborate serial-killer murder scenes, but done in Murphy’s soapy style. I liked it—need to find some time to watch the last couple of episodes!

It was also very funny to be watching Lesley Manville in this at the same time as watching Lesley Manville in Disclaimer…
posted by ejs at 6:04 PM on January 7

My partner also didn’t want to see the last episode. She said that it had gotten too dark and she just didn’t want to deal anymore.
posted by ashbury at 6:06 PM on January 7 [1 favorite]

This show frustrated me. I don't mind a show that makes me think, but this changed direction so many times I stopped caring halfway through the series what was real and what was a fever dream. Every time a new episode appeared in our recorded "My Stuff" section, I would say "Wait, last week wasn't the finale? There is more to this story?"

Murphy needs to craft his sensibilities to how to better present nonlinear and complicated stories. Randomly jumping back and forth and asking the viewer to fill in huge gaps only to find out later that what you thought was happening was not really what was happening, is not good storytelling. And when every episode changes direction and your viewer stops caring, that is not good storytelling. Who cares what happens this week because next week's episode is going to undo everything you already thought, but not in a surprise twist Gotcha! kind of way.

Darkly my husband and I argued through the whole series about what was actually in that boiling pot on the family's stove. We have different ideas.

Nash was brilliant nonetheless.
posted by archimago at 5:42 AM on January 8 [2 favorites]