GROTESQUERIE (2024) – An unfortunate misfire from Ryan Murphy

Grotesquerie could have been another triumphant offering from Ryan Murphy closely following the brilliant “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story”. It had all the elements of another great Ryan Murphy production. The wildly creative and unpredictable storyline, the stomach-churning display of violence, the blasphemous inclusion of religion mixed with sex and carnage and the list goes on.

The best thing going for this series is the stellar performances from its cast with a script to boot. Every one of the characters is fascinating and unique. Heading the cast is Niecy Nash, a Ryan Murphy protege whom many may recognise from Murphy’s “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”. She won her first Emmy award for that role playing the concerned by largely ignored neighbor to the monster murderer. Here, she gets to give us an even more remarkable and career defining performance as Detective Lois who is trying to unravel a series of grotesque killings. Detective Lois finds herself working with an unlikely partner in the form of a sparky nun, Sister Megan, played by Micaela Diamond in an equally spirited performance. The rest of the cast were equally wonderful to watch including another Ryan Murphy regular, Nicholas Alexander Chavez (who was Lyle Menendez in the Monsters series), and a wonderfully over the top performance by Lesley Manville playing a contrasting dual role of a dominating and ill-mannered nurse and that of an ageing mistress to detective Lois’s husband.

The plot thickens with each passing episodes culminating to a sweep under the carpet reveal in episode 7 that changed the entire perspective to the plot! That game changer was unexpected but a welcome stunt as it actually elevated the series into a class by itself. It made us all prepared to find out how it would all end and wrap up in the remaining 3 episodes. Alas, the series’ finale act was a total let-down which left viewers with more questions than answers. It turned out to be a cliffhanger that offered no explanation at all on the mysteries presented in the entire season and coming across as just a teaser for a season two!

The series was going along so well and built up so many expectations from the viewer that the uncommunicative finale that was simply gratuitous. Instead of leaving me feeling excited and eager to wait for the next season, it made me feel like I just wasted my time watching the preceding 9 episodes!