Grotesquerie Season 1 Episodes 1 and 2 Review

Ryan Murphy, of Glee and American Horror Story fame, has returned to horror with Grotesquerie Season 1 Episodes 1 and 2, “Episode 1/Episode 2.” The famous creator has teamed up with Jon Robin Baitz and Joe Baken to deliver his latest series, which takes heavy cues from the movies Seven and Italian Giallos.

However, despite the pedigree, Grotesquerie can’t help but be a little dull with scenes that last longer than they should.

The grizzled cop and sweet nun premise is a high-concept premise at which Murphy usually excels. Sadly, the series is drowned by talking scenes that go on too long.

Everyone acts strange in Grotesquerie, a tentpole to Murphy’s writing in his other shows. Viewers’ enjoyment is determined by how much they like Murphy’s style and dialogue.

It’s a dark and strange world, with the people even weirder. While conversations are certainly memorable, they are also flat and not engaging enough.

Specific scenes between Tyron and Nurse Redd could’ve been cut down to save time. Yet, admittedly, once we know more about the whole story, these excess scenes may make more sense in hindsight.

Grotesquerie’s success is determined by how well audiences like the two leads work together. Cop stories often succeed specifically because of the dynamics of the main duo.

Unfortunately, Lois Tyron and Sister Megan don’t fully work as the co-leads of this series, as their chemistry isn’t there yet. The show rushes right into the ladies’ friendship with Det. Lois Tyron revealing too much information to Sister Megan during their first meeting.

There’s no build-up explaining why Tyron trusts the nun so explicitly right away. This is especially suspect since Megan is the most suspicious of any other character in the show so far.

One possible justification for Tyron trusting Megan so quickly is that she’s looking for some positivity while her husband is in a coma. However, the justification feels flimsy at best, especially since Megan acts odd from the get-go.

The first time we see Sister Megan is on her phone in the waiting room. It’s a mundane first appearance for our co-lead while also completely contrasting everything we know about nuns.

The first scene makes clear that Sister Megan is a nun for the modern age. It’s a great first look at the character, making her seem normal, even though the character is anything but.

Micaela Diamond adds plenty of wide-eyed optimism in her portrayal of Megan. While the character may seem silly and a bit too much, there’s an earnestness to Diamond’s performance.

Diamond also imbues Megan with some mystery, with her unorthodox behavior as a nun and unknown bruisings making her captivating to keep an eye on.

Transversely, Nash gives an admirable performance as Tyron, but her character is nothing new. She’s an alcoholic cop with a troubled home life. We’ve seen it all before, and Tyron doesn’t add much new to the formula that makes her stand out.

In general, Grotesquerie feels derivative from the works that inspired it. The series has decent production value, yet it feels too familiar to previous work to feel new or fresh

The show takes place in a miserable town that is constantly raining, just like in Seven. The show is excessively bleak, with creepy unhoused people roaming the streets and the murders being gruesome.

The show shines in the murder scenes, using its adult rating well. The opening murder scene with the family is deeply unsettling and sets up the bleak tone of the series.

The final murder scene at the end of Grotesquerie Season 1 Episode 2, “Episode 2,” is creative and visually interesting. Unfortunately, there’s too much going on in between murder scenes that doesn’t make the show captivating to watch.

Grotesquerie offers plenty of great gore and a new look for the modern nun. Nonetheless, the series is dragged down by dull moments and unearned character connections.

It’s only the first two episodes, so things may change as the two leads’ chemistry continues to develop.

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What did you think of the first two episodes of Grotesquerie? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Grotesquerie airs weekly every Thursday night on FX and Hulu at midnight.

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