Grotesquerie

I am almost done with episode four and I feel like I am watching a Mashup of Someone's Mid Life Crisis who is aware of their Neurodivergent Storytelling (but doesn't care what we think about that adhd method) and then added some fetishist borderline schizophrenia and then got lost telling the original story.

And yes, I am aware of how horribly structured that sentence is. It is me emulating the rhythm and tone plus general confusion as to what in the world I am watching. Who is this about? Who do I care about here? And please tell me why (for the love of storytelling just let me in on why I am watching this, please).

It's so all over the place that I welcomed Taylor's boyfriend in the chaotic mix of a cast. I am not even a fan. Meaning there's zero fangirling - just me being happy to have something to relate to or even be remotely interested in. He's got a solid vibe - I see the appeal.

But lets talk about Niecy Nash - I want to have a small talk with her agent because she is getting undersold and underused. Stop putting her in these ridiculous detective roles that it doesn't even seem she is interested in. She is better than those roles and it's not helping to keep trying. She is wise and beautiful and talented. Find her the roles that have the range and she will shine. (Sorry but these roles give us time to think about her wasted talent).

All the Actors are also quite good - but there is a very unnatural chaotic viewpoint that hurts to try to follow. I mean random singing and fires and being preached to about life and watching the weird metaphoric portrayal of some outdated religious stuff - but I guess that's okay because you throw in some online activity lines and it's suddenly not the same thing we have seen over and over? Ick.

I gave it a six because the Actors showed up and still stayed in the scenes. Maybe they were as confused as I am because I care more about that then the plot.

Is there a plot?

The problem with Ryan Murphy is the way things get stretched out. After a few episodes (or seasons), the story gets overextended, deflates, and drags on without any real substance.

That's exactly what happens here, in this series. After a strong start with a very unique idea, well-written characters, and a sense of freshness, Murphy's need for shocking twists and flashy narrative choices once again leads to an overstuffed world where the balance between content and flashy presentation is lost.

I truly admire the innovative ideas of the talented Ryan Murphy, but once again, he squanders his talent on unnecessarily drawn-out stories.

All I have to say is this right here... If Niecy Nash (I don't have time to worry about a hyphenated add-on to her name) doesn't win some kind of award for these performances in these 10 episodes, there is something wrong with the Hollywood system. Forget about what the show is about, whether you like the show or not, whether the other actors are good, or the direction is good, just watch the show because Ms. Nash is nothing short of interesting as f!*k. Now, I'm going to add this so my required minimum is met for this review. These shows are getting more and more demented because Hollywood is mostly demented.

It's a shame so many people wrote this off after only watching a few episodes. I urge viewers to watch through episode 7, and then make a judgment call. While things seem odd, weird, and chaotic, there is a method to the madness. Niecy Nash is absolutely amazing in her portrayal of Lois. I have always thought of her in more comedic roles, but this role suits her extremely well. The other actors do a fantastic job as well, with each character having very specific reasons for why and who they are in this series. The other surprise is Travis Kelce - I didn't know what to expect from him as an actor, and he did a bang-up job! If you like surprising twists, this is definitely worth a watch.

I was riveted for 9 episodes. Great acting and really interesting story. Episode 10 was a pile of garbage. Convoluted, overdone and absolutely no answers. What an unbelievable disappointment. Max Winkler had great instincts in his direction. Every episode was a cliffhanger and I couldn't wait to see the next chapter. That last episode was so unwatchable it didn't seem like it was part of the original story. The lighting was off, every scene was so dark it was difficult to watch. The only way this would make sense would be to renew the story and give us some answers. Sadly, I no longer care and won't be watching.