FEUD: Capote vs The Swans

FEUD: Capote vs The Swans

FX/Hulu, January 31, 2024

01 February 2024
By Lily Moayeri
Photo by FX
Web Exclusive

The original 'Real Housewives' are revealed on Ryan Murphy's FEUD: Capote vs The Swans. The second at Murphy's HATRED This eight-episode series, six of which are directed by Gus Van Sant, focuses on Truman Capote (Tom Hollander) and his band of high-society housewives, also known as “The Swans.” The series is based on the book by Laurence Lerner, Capote's Women: A True Story of Love, Betrayal, and a Swan Song for an Era. It has Murphy's signature soapiness and scandalous tone, but not his technicolor aesthetic, in part because his decades of focus are the 60s, 70s and 80s, the look retains the graininess of those eras.

HATRED revolves around Capote's selfish and manipulative nature, which he revealed in his groundbreaking true crime book, In cold blood, published ahead of the series' schedule. His greatest qualities are tricking his subjects into trusting him and his storytelling ability. He uses these two to the fullest with his sophisticated and intelligently evolved swans. This flock consists of an all-star cast with fun names like “Babe” (Naomi Watts), “Slim” (Diane Lane), “CZ” (Chloe Sevigny) and Lee (Calista Flockhart). This companionship extends to “Bang Bang” (Demi Moore) who was named by Capote when he spread his theory that she killed her husband and Joanne (Molly Ringwald). The Swan that never was is Capote's mother, viciously portrayed by the venom-spewing Jessica Lange.

The Swans love Capote's gossipy stories. They include him in all their social events, private and high profile. It gives Swans what they don't get from their philanthropic spouses: support and attention. All the while he mirrors the behaviors of these cheating partners with his own blatant affairs. However, the advice he gives the Swans when they turn to him for help is really good. But it's not entirely out of the goodness of his heart. There is an undercurrent about what moves to push his Swans towards that would entertain him the most and what would keep him in the inner circle, in his perceived position of power.

But then he writes a thinly veiled book of fiction based on his access to these women, a sneak peek of which is printed in esteemed sir. The Swans may love Capote's stories, but not when his venomous pen is aimed at them. He underestimates their rage and is ignored when they close the ranks. Slim leads the flock on Capote's mission to Coventry, so to speak, instructing them to replace him with other gay notables as their chaperones at events and to send his flowers back so he knows they're not welcome. His fall from grace fuels his simmering alcoholism into a complete mess.

The ensemble cast work seemingly effortlessly, the love/hate relationships and painful codependency at odds with the power they wield in society. The story has a fluid timeline that goes a long way in keeping viewers engaged in the multi-layered elements and events that lead into each other. Scandals unfold casually as do unexpected turns in the narrative. With each scandal and each new twist, there is renewed interest is the overall story. More compelling than the most aired “unscripted” series revolving around the rich and as riveting as an 80s miniseries, HATREDA week's worth of episodes (though it started with two) can't come fast enough.

Author Rating: 8/10