Cheezwiz

I love Ben Mendelsohn, so I'm in! I agree that the age difference between Mendelsohn & Maisie Williams is really distracting. I'm willing to suspend disbelief because I like the actors, and the story is interesting. I'm guessing this story is going to explore the grey areas people wind up getting into when survival is paramount. Having a moral compass is something of a luxury, and there are probably varying degrees of complicity. Coco Chanel definitely appears to be at the self-serving end of the spectrum. I admit I giggled when Monsieur Dior stumbled out of a bar in the middle of the night with his friend: "I've got to go. I have to go make a fucking ball-gown" The 1950's gowns featured in the opening sequence at the Sorbonne were breath-taking!

I just watched that documentary last night! (I think it was made about 4 years ago -the whole thing is available on YouTube). Very interesting and highly recommended. I do think this show is really going in a bit hard on Capote. Yes, he betrayed his friends, and he definitely could be a little shit, but there were other sides to his character as well, which is why people were continually drawn to him - even after he was on the downslide. Capote made it clear in interviews that he didn't think writing was something that could be taught. Nonetheless, it seems like he could have been a really good mentor to other young up and coming writers had he chosen a more constructive path.

Some interesting info on the young woman who became Truman Capote's protege toward the end of his life. Kate Harrington was the daughter of Capote's former lover John O'Shea, and Capote wound up taking her under his wing after O'Shea completely abandoned his family. I honestly thought this plot point was fabricated for the mini-series, but it really did happen. Kate Harrington saw Capote as much more of a father figure than her real one. https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/09/truman-capote-surrogate-daughter

Wow, I read up a little on her, and Truman actually took her in after her father (and Truman's former lover) abandoned the family. She called him up simply hoping for help finding a job. He met with her for lunch, later moved her into his apartment, gave her all kinds of education on writing, helped launch her modeling career, and genuinely thought of her as a surrogate daughter. She still considers him to be the most important adult figure in her life. I'll post a link to the article I read in the media thread, but it does give a different glimpse as to who he was as a person. I'm glad they included this in the show, because it was definitely real, and shows another facet of who he was.

I didn't see the affair between Bill Paley and Slim coming - I wonder if that indeed did happen in real life? He was an incorrigible philanderer, but that particular pairing wasn't mentioned in the "Capote's Swans" book. Bill Paley is portrayed as much nicer in this series than he was in real life. Maybe it's because Treat Williams is so cuddly and affable looking in the role. The real Paley was very abusive, and Babe lived in constant fear of setting him off on a tantrum. This was why she kept minute details of entertaining and everyone's preferences in her little gold book. She was expected to uphold an inhuman standard of perfection in all things. I have no doubt that the incessant stress may have contributed to Babe's ill health (well that, and the chain-smoking they all did). The book detailed an incident where Babe and Truman had to barricade themselves in a room during one of Paley's rampages. Paley did apparently soften enough to accompany Babe on her treatment sessions - perhaps he felt some guilt for his poor treatment of her at the end of her life. Felt very sorry for Truman's long-suffering former partner Jack Dunphy - I just love the actor who plays him - he often shows up in Ryan Murphy productions. I also really liked the scene between Truman and O'Shea's daughter. It humanized him and gave a glimpse of the type of person he could have been had he not been awash in substances and obsessed with social climbing. I'm assuming the final meeting between Truman and Babe on the sidewalk existed only in his (and possibly her) imagination.

Yeah, I got that fight scene totally confused as well. I honestly thought it was Navarro beating on Leah. Her stepping in to stop another cop makes much more sense.

Oooh, this sounds juicy - I hadn't heard about this, now I'm going to disappear down another research rabbit hole!

The black and white ball definitely happened - it was a real event that Truman Capote hosted in the mid-sixties, with all the hype and intrigue that was depicted in the episode. Everyone in high society circles wanted an invite - kind of like our current Met Galas. It's fun to google pictures of everyone's get-ups back then. The fictional element in this episode was the documentary filming by the Maysles brothers - that never happened around the ball. The brothers did apparently meet with Truman briefly at his beach house about a year before the ball took place - not sure if they did any filming. I was looking forward to this episode, as I had read so much about the ball, but it seemed a bit draggy to me - the fun juicy elements (Truman playing the swans against one another, everyone thinking they were the special guest of honour) were truncated, while the more tedious ones ("stop filming!") were too repetitive.

I really enjoyed Dunne's writing - I read Vanity fair avidly during the years he covered the society/rich people crime beat, and completely forgot about "The Two Mrs. Grenvilles". I read it when it came out, but completely forgot the details and had no idea it was inspired by Ann Woodward. So much of this show is about people I recall being featured in Vanity Fair exposes (the various Swans, Katherine Graham etc) but only recalling bits and pieces of their stories, so it's been fun to watch this and then disappear down research rabbit holes, to get a broader picture. It's also been fun watching actresses roughly my age chew a bunch of scenery in their portrayals.

I think they're all doing pretty well - Diane Lane & Naomi Watts are the standouts for me. I'm not loving Calista Flockhart as Lee Radziwill - I'm finding her performance too OTT. I love Molly Ringwald, but she just always seems like Molly Ringwald to me. I enjoy her presence - but I'm just not buying her as Johnny Carson's ex - that was an oddball casting choice.

Tom Hollander is totally hitting out of the park as Truman. I recall seeing Capote on talk shows all the time when I was a kid in the 70's, and Hollander has nailed his voice and mannerisms. Interestingly there have now been 3 motion pictures with Truman Capote as the main subject: 2005 Infamous with British actor Toby Jones 2006 Capote with Phillip Seymour Hoffman (RIP) 2024 and now Feud with Tom Hollander Each actor, although they looked somewhat different from the real Capote, gave stellar performances - not a misstep anywhere. If you haven't seen the two films from the 2000's I highly recommend both. Capote is a fascinating character, because although his actions in this miniseries are indeed villainous, (people are still aghast at what he could have been thinking back then), there were many sides to his personality. There were reasons he enchanted so many - high intelligence, quick wit and mesmerizing storytelling ability. Unfortunately the darker aspects of his character completely overtook him in the latter part of his life, and he paid dearly. I was also amused to see a sequence detailing the filming of Neil Simon's "Murder by Death" a delightfully dumb send-up of detective stories that I absolutely loved as a kid - it may have been my first (ignoble) intro to Truman.

Originally posted this in the wrong thread, so re-posting here: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ I'm looking at the cast and comparing to photos of the real-life socialites they are supposed to be portraying, and I can't help but feel like they really screwed up the casting (even though I like all of the actors). In my mind, the actresses should have all been swapped around: Chloe Sevigny apparently was cast as C.Z. Guest, but in my opinion, she looks waaaay more like Slim Keith. Teeny petite blonde blue-eyed Naomi Watts has been cast as lanky dark-eyed Babe Paley, but I think she would have been much better as blonde blue-eyed socialite C.Z. Guest. And brunette dark-eyed Diane Lane, who, in my opinion, would have made a MUCH better Babe Paley, wound up getting cast as Slim Keith. I guess Calista Flockhart works okay as Lee Radziwill. I really like Molly Ringwald, but she looks nothing like Joanna Carson. Molly Ringwald just always looks like Molly Ringwald to me, and I'm not sure if I'll buy her in a historical biopic. I know the majority of viewers probably aren't going to have a clue who any of these women were or what they really looked like. I'm probably quibbling, but it always bugs me when shows don't even try for a remote semblance of the real-life counterparts. I'm currently reading "Capote's Women" which was the inspiration for this incarnation. of Feud, and it's a page-turner! Ryan Murphy productions always seem to start out with a bang and then sort of peter out, so I'm curious to see what happens with this one. Reply to this topic... Go to topic listing

Accidental double-post. Reposted in the Season 2 thread.

With the fake vines and lemons from the dollar store!😜 Dorit really is ridiculous.

That was my thought as well. Different locale, but some similar plot points.

The first episode mentioned him having a Russian mail-order bride on the way. So yep, he's probably being fleeced.

I'm finally starting to understand some of the relationships. Wow, I totally had Liz's family all wrong based on the first episode. I genuinely thought the John Hawkes character was her ex-husband, and that the young rookie cop was their adult son together. She's not related to either of them, and young rookie cop is just her mentee/protege. It looks like Liz may have had a son with a deceased partner shown in flashbacks - or the boy could have belonged to him only. I'm also assuming the young woman living with Liz is her stepdaughter. I guess something (the drunk driving incident) happened to Liz's husband & the little boy. I like that Liz is a problematic and not always likable character I still don't quite understand Navarro's relationship with her sister - looks like they had a traumatic childhood, but how did they wind up in Alaska? Are they actual sisters? Or were they just raised together? One of the head scientists had a relationship with the murdered woman Annie. Curious as to what they will find in the abandoned trailer. I recoiled when Liz got it on with the Police Captain. Just. Ew. Yuck. I'm hoping they pick up the plot thread with the screaming corpse again. That definitely strained credulity. So far my favourite characters are Rose, and the sweet dopey bar guy Navarro is having a fling with. Also the Alaskan malamute dog is excellent!

Yes, my assumption is that the young teen girl living with Danvers is probably her step daughter, and there is some sort of drunk driving tragedy in their recent past. I agree that there seems to be more friction between Danvers and Navarro than simply a conflict over an approach to a past case. As others have mentioned, I'm really not loving Navarro or finding her character's meanderings very interesting. I'm not familiar with the actress playing her, but so far she's not captivating me. I'm a bit confused by her character's familial relations as well. I always love John Hawkes, so it was a pleasant surprise to see him turn up in this.

I'm guessing the supernatural seeming stuff is more for atmosphere, and may not ultimately play a huge part in the plot. So far, it seems there is a definite connection between the murdered activist woman and the mysteriously vanished scientific researchers.

I'm really liking this one so far - the opening scene was great, and the spookiness definitely feels like a throwback to Season 1. I'm enjoying Jodie Foster as the Police Chief. Still trying to work out what is going on in everyone's familial relationships. Curious to find out who/what has "woken up".

This episode had me tearing up all the way through. This was a tough watch for anyone who has witnessed a loved one struggle with ill health. I remember seeing the press photos of Margaret post-stroke in the early 2000's and being utterly shocked at her appearance. While I'm not a fan of Margaret, Leslie Manville knocked it out of the park, as did Imelda Staunton. The depiction of their relationship in Margaret's declining years was extremely moving - the shots of them reading together in bed, and holding hands really got to me. What a sad period of time that had to have been for the Queen - losing her childhood friend Porchy, her younger sister who was essentially her closest confidante, and then her Mother not long after that, must have been overwhelming. Uncanny casting of the young Elizabeth (honestly thought they'd brought Claire Foy back) and Margaret (totally looked like a young Vanessa Kirby). Can't say the same about the Queen Mum sadly - they needed a much squatter rounder actress for that part. The final scene at the palace gate was beautiful.

They should have kept the previous two actors for just the Willsmania ep, as the episodes are only supposed to be weeks apart in time. They could have done a subsequent time-jump for the remaining episodes with older actors. Regardless, the casting was terrible for Harry - no resemblance whatsoever.

Me too! I was drooling over those chairs! I actually quite liked this episode and found the conclusion - mostly because of Jonathan Pryce's performance - quite touching. I didn't mind the actor playing Will, but the casting for Harry was terrible - what were they thinking? He's supposed to be a 13 year old boy - not a college kid. And the HAIR - those terrible straight across super short bangs drove me crazy - Harry never looked like that!

Yay! We got to see more of that adorable house that Chrishell was showing the stand-up comedian. It was a compact (for Hollywood) 2,500 square feet, and was absolutely gorgeous. It appeared to have some nice views, and had a pretty swimming pool in the back. There wasn't a single thing I disliked about it. If I had that kind of budget, I would snatch it up immediately. I really wish we could see more vintage homes like this one.

I really love the Hollywood Regency style house that Brett put both Nicole & Chrishell on. Clearly a silly scripted move for more drama, but it was such a relief to look at something different from the cavernous glass and concrete boxes that are usually featured! I hope we get to see more of this home in upcoming episodes. Seriously, does no one appreciate human-sized charm anymore? The modern hill-side homes are all so antiseptic looking. Amanza's back story was truly heartbreaking. For her to have come as far as she has from that beginning and to have navigated further adult challenges is remarkable. She and Mary are my favourites.