Have you been watching Grotesquerie? If not, get it on. Now. Ryan Murphy has barely slept this year, and has pretty much simultaneously released Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story on Netflix back to back with his new series Grotesquerie, airing in the UK on Disney Plus. It’s been a mysterious show that didn’t arrive with much fanfare, despite the fact it is notable for being the acting debut of Travis Kelce. Grotesquerie never gave much away in its promos, and as each episode got more and more surreal it felt like the show’s grip on reality was slipping away. But what is real and what is fake in Grotesquerie? Here’s a rundown of what we know is real and what we know is fake in Grotesquerie so far as we gear up for more chaotic twists in the finale.
What has happened in Grotesquerie so far and what is it all about?
Grotesquerie stars Niecy Nash-Betts as Lois, a hardened alcoholic detective who has an immense reputation for closing harrowing cases. She finds herself dealing with a serial killer who creates horrific religious tableaus with his crimes, and as the bodies pile up she teams up with Sister Megan – a nurse covering true crime to try and get people back interested in the church. Lois’ husband is in a coma, being cared for by the bizarre Nurse Redd – who Lois is in conflict with. Lois’ daughter Merritt lives at home with her, and is arguing with her mother about her weight as she gears up to audition for a weight focussed reality TV show.
Sister Megan is enamoured with Father Charlie, her boss played by Nicholas Alexander Chavez who also has a morbid fascination with the killings. Travis Kelce plays an orderly in the hospital.
Except, the show had a huge twist in episode seven which revealed that Lois has been in a coma all along, not her husband. And the entire show has just been a delusion. So what the hell has happened going forward in the final few episodes and what is real and what is fake in Grotesquerie?
The murders
The big thing here about what is real is the first brutal murder Lois encountered in the pilot episode, later revealed to be a dream, comes true. The real Lois after waking up is not an alcoholic, and had already retired from being a cop. Sister Megan is actually the chief of police, and calls Lois back after she wakes from her coma because the dreams and the murder has become an actuality. Harrowing!
Marshall’s affair
Lois is suspect of Marshall, her husband, and Nurse Redd in the dreams having some form of affair. In real life, Marshall was indeed having an affair with Nurse Redd but she wasn’t a nurse, she’s a cam girl. She does actually praise Redd for looking after Marshall in the years when Lois was too out of it to care for him or be a good wife.
Merritt on reality TV
Merritt in real life is not a reality TV wannabe star but an incredibly senior cancer researcher. She is married to Travis Kelce’s Ed Laclan, and in real life he isn’t a doctor but works at Cinnabon and had an affair with Lois behind her daughter’s back. Huge drama.
Father Charlie and Sister Megan connected?
In the first load of episodes, Father Charlie and Sister Megan end up romantically involved behind the church’s back, and she also helped him commit the murders. In real life though, the two aren’t even connected and don’t seem to even know each other.
It remains to be seen how much chaos looms as Grotesquerie actually wraps up this week. I have no clue what to expect but I just know full well high twists still are coming.
The first two episodes of Grotesquerie are streaming on Disney Plus now – and Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story is available on Netflix. For all the latest Netflix news, drops and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook.
Related stories recommended by this writer:
• Since everyone’s fuming, here’s why Travis Kelce wasn’t in the first two eps of Grotesquerie
• Cooper Koch ‘cares immensely’ about Menendez brothers and ‘stands with them’ amid Monsters backlash
• Um, Kim Kardashian just visited Erik and Lyle Menendez in prison after Monsters backlash
