Grotesquerie (Season 1)
Review of season one of Grotesquerie
Now, I have a confession to make: I never ever use Hulu. I used to a little bit when I worked as a film critic and was watching televisions and movies endlessly for a living, and that meant I had to watch the originals that would end up on the streaming platform more often than not.
I quit that job in April 2024, and this is the first time I’m returning to Hulu. I’m a huge Micaela Diamond fan—I was aware of her talent back when I was in an arts high school and used to watch the YoungArts reels of winners as I was applying. Then, in 2023, I saw Parade twice and realized this was the girl I used to watch on YouTube through YoungArts.
As I just mentioned, I saw her live twice. This girl can sing and act, and so when she started posting on Instagram that she was in this new FX show, I knew I wanted to watch it.
And that was how I ended up watching Grostequerie! It was certainly a wild ride, that’s for sure.
I want to make this review as spoiler free as possible, but I feel like it’s kind of impossible to review the show openly without mentioning certain elements of the plot. So I want to say this: read at your own risk!
Let’s get into the review before I start rambling too much.
A talented detective realizes a serial killer is specifically targeting her .
At the beginning of this series, we meet Lois Tryon, one of the most prestigious detectives in her town. She’s an alcoholic, openly swigging her booze at her desk, her husband is in a coma and she is debating on whether to pull the plug (despite the wishes of the creepy nurse he has—this nurse literally is sexually assaulting a man in a coma while watching him), and her daughter is binge eating and trying to join a reality television show.
But there’s something else going on in the town: there’s a killer on the loose, and they’re pulling some elaborate theatrical work when it comes to the crime scenes they’re leaving behind. I won’t go into detail, but they definitely have some brownie points when it comes to the kinds of creativity they’re implementing with their crime scenes.
It doesn’t take long for Lois to realize that what the killer is doing is very intentional. A lot of these cases are being connected back to her, including some of the victims that are at the crime scenes. But as we get deeper into the show, it becomes obvious everything isn’t as it seems.
There’s someone else interesting that keeps showing up to these crime scenes: Sister Megan. She’s a local nun who does a side gig as a journalist for the church’s newspaper. The sales of the paper apparently fund the church, which is dying, and her writing is one of the main sources of funding now.
The two end up teaming up (which is unprofessional in so many ways, but this isn’t the real world, is it?) and trying to track down the killer. Along the way we meet other characters, like Ed, who has a relationship with Lois, and Father Charlie, who self-immolates but also has sex with Megan when they think no one is looking.
But in episode 7 of the show, everything we know is flipped completely. There is a lot of surrealism involved throughout the beginning parts of the show, and you’re probably going to wonder how some lines and details are incorporated into the plot.
Well, here in episode 7 becomes obvious, but I can also see someone getting really frustrated. This might even be a series that warrants a second or third watch, as there are so many finer details packed into the dialogue and scenes that offer insight into what’s really going on in this chaotic little town.
Overall Thoughts
I found this show to be a little confusing until we got to the point where it all started making a little more sense. The tension and horror elements are some of the standouts, as well as the performance of the two female leads. Both were incredible, although I am biased towards Micaela’s role as Sister Megan.
She has an absolutely brilliant scene in Episode 7 where she just snaps, and I was in awe of that. But both women are fantastic in their roles overall!
Anyways, this is a show where if you want to think hard about it, this is right up your alley. In the beginning you’re going to think this is bizarre or strange, and you might not even get it by the time we get to the end. I just finished the last episode before typing this and I’m still reflecting on certain plot points.
I’d say watch this one and give it a chance if you’re interested in the synopsis or a slow burn horror. It’s a Murphy show, so there are going to be twists and turns, and you might not like them in the end. I could see how this is divisive, sparking debate about whether it loses steam four episodes in.
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