Grotesquerie (2024)
From the mind of Ryan Murphy is another nail biting, gripping crime thriller following the mind bending murders that are taunting agent Lois Tryon. Dangling a trail of gruesome crimes in attempt to get her attention, the mystery slowly unfolds in this disturbing thriller. Similar to Murphy’s projects like American Horror Story, Grotesquerie combines the surrealist nature of his shows with the crime drama genre.
This show is an interesting watch at first, it appears to be a very simple story from the offset; a detective taunted by the criminal she can’t quite catch. Although, this show turns that concept on its head by involving the voice of religion, this element adds a unique look onto the crimes and introduces some compelling characters to the mix.
Nicholas Chavez has star presence, when Father Charlie is on screen he demands all the attention. His character is an enigma and although charming you cannot place his true intentions. Sister Megan is another intriguing character who is an obvious suspect from the beginning but continues to interject herself into the story. Essentially, the whole show is glued together by Detective Lois Tryon (Niecy Nash) but sadly her grip on reality depletes and her dreams soon become truth.
Episodes 1 to 6 were continuously gripping and unique, I was engrossed in the story and wanted to know whodunnit, why and how. Sadly, this is not the conclusion I received, when episode 7 aired I was left with no answers to the story that had developed.
Grotesquerie (2024) is not particularly unique, this series toys with familiar tropes of a crime drama and doesn’t attempt to do anything different until the final three episodes. In saying that, crime dramas are good for a reason and I think this series attempted to throw the viewer off instead of giving them a satisfying end.
In the final three episodes reality is shattered and the story we have been following was a facade, I found this slightly disappointing. As though the writer said “and it was all a dream”, easily one of the most frustrating conclusions to any story. Grotesquerie (2024) leaves you bewildered, unsure of what is true or false and confused in the plots intentions; essentially the whole show was make-believe and none of it mattered or happened.
In saying that, Grotesquerie (2024) does attempt to deliver some interesting layers to the narrative. After Lois wakes up from her coma, we are able to piece together the characters and their relationship with Lois. Her dreamlike psychosis has created a false reality inspired by her own, I found it interesting to decode her dreams and realise why she imagined what she did. Although, all the characters I had warmed to and was invested in, disappeared.
Overall, Grotesquerie (2024) attempted to keep the audience engaged and surprise them with every turn. For the first 6 episodes, I was genuinely hooked and didn’t expect any twists or changes, I simply wanted to know who the killer was. The final three episodes brought a unique spin on the classic detective drama but it didn’t excite me, it instead disinterested me.
Probe Points
★★★☆☆
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