Thursday, October 03, 2024

My Review of Grotesquerie: "The Bender"

 


Written by Ryan Murphy And Jon Robin Baitz And Joe Baken 
Directed by Ryan Murphy

Eddie: "Why should I help you?"
Lois: "I'm trying to catch a killer."

Ah yes, that old chestnut as the hunky nurse Eddie Lachlan succinctly put it. After weeks of mystery surrounding the name of Travis Kelce's character, it's very casually revealed. Then again, so was his last minute introduction into this episode.

Lois was going through it in this one. Her drinking was becoming so problematic that virtually every character had to point it out to her. Her fellow officers didn't hold back in their disapproval of her constant boozing and that was when she was filling in the blanks at the crime scenes that they kept missing.

On top of that, there was the opening exchange with her and Merritt. Both women might criticise each other's dangerous vices  ht they also enable them too. Why isn't Merritt trying to get her mother sober and why is Lois letting her daughter eat herself to death? They're practically killing themselves and each other. It's not fun to watch.

Getting back to the cases, this week's victims were sex workers and junkies strolled together. The deduction on the killer being that they're a surgeon or army medic of something. Another deduction being that the killer hated Lous for helping sex workers. One or two scenes maybe hinting at certain characters who could be in the frame. The way this show could go, even Lois could be a future suspect.

On to the religious side of things, boy do Sister Megan and Father Charlie revel in this stuff? I think the latter even more so during his church meeting with diocese members. I get talking about modernising the church but even I found the OnlyFans comparison a bit much. Also, Charlie practically seduced Sister Megan, only to leave her wanting more.

Circling back to Lois though, both the opening and the last scenes felt the most like an alcoholics haze. I mean, it seemed like she was practically throwing common sense out the window and was far too trusting of Eddie. Was I me or did it seem like the episode was verging heavier into fantasy land than the previous two?

- I should've mentioned Brooke Smith as Hanover from the previous two episodes. She's got a bigger role here and was in Lois's corner, even when the latter crashed her car in a drunken haze.
- Nice flashbacks to the beginning of Lois and Marshall's relationship but Nurse Redd wanting power of attorney of Marshall was creepy as fuck.
- Father Charlie really used Proverbs 25:26 to get a point across, likes to dress kinky when he's not whipping himself and both him and Sister Megan talked about the West Village killings from the 1980s.
- Chronology: A short period of time from where the previous episode left off.

The Bender probably could've been a little shorter and they're certainly labouring the point about Lois being an alcoholic mess and the smartest detective in the room. Fortunately Niecy Nash-Betts has managed to make Lois into a person instead of a walking trope. Travis Kelce was pretty decent as Eddie so far.

Rating: 7 out of 10

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