Warning: The following contains mentions of violence, blood and spoilers for Grotesque!
Forex Grotesque continues to make waves with its unique take on the murder mystery format, adding a deeper layer with all the biblical references sprinkled throughout the show. Ryan Murphy’s horror/true crime show follows detective Lois Tryon (Neecy Nash-Betts) as she investigates a series of gruesome murders set in the wake of biblical scenes that become increasingly personal. A local nun named Sister Megan Duvall (Michaela Diamond) takes an interest in the case for her parish newspaper and quickly forms a unique friendship with Detective Tryon.
An unlikely partnership between Grotesque the characters Lois and sister Megan serve as a guide to deciphering the show’s most (literally) grotesque crimes. From the Seven Deadly Sins to clues that reference specific Bible verses and images, The show offers a look at what happens when religion is taken too literally. These references continue to drive the plot Grotesque and shed light on each character’s backstory.
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The mortal sin of gluttony
The first episode reveals the ongoing motif of this deadly sin
Lois is presented as an emotionally exhausted detective whose husband is in a coma and whose daughter struggles with overeating as a coping mechanism for family trauma. Grotesque Episode 1: The first crime scene is the grisly murder of the Burnside family, who Lois recalls were beloved members of the community and progressives who fought for social justice. Their youngest child was boiled in a saucepan, and the father of the family was “salted and peppered, seasoned with fennel seeds and cayenne pepper and baked for two hours in a 375 degree oven with sunchokes and baby carrots.”
The remaining family members were tied up and forced to eat part of their father, killing them from acute shock. An incredibly confusing murder scene clearly worries the cops working the case, and Lois struggles to discuss the baby’s fate when Megan’s sister first appears to discuss the crime. When Sister Megan explains that she hopes to help Lois with her investigation because she fears it is a matter of religious fanaticism, it becomes clear that this initial crime scene is intended to reflect one of the biblical seven deadly sins – gluttony.
The killer clearly feels that progressive people will eventually, figuratively, “eat their own”, and this is a terrible end, considering that gluttony refers to greed or overindulgence. He chose a family known for their beliefs to convey his message and continues to follow this strategy throughout the show.
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Entertainment “The Last Supper”
Grotesquerie signals to Lois that the end is near.
Inside the church where Sister Megan and Father Charlie Mayhew (Nicholas Alexander Chavez) work, a killer infiltrates the altar and stages a series of murders reminiscent of the biblical Last Supper. The Last Supper is what started the Catholic practice of communion, where the bread and wine symbolize the body and blood of Jesus (via Bible Study Tools). This crime scene occurred after Lois was repeatedly chased into her home. its finality is meant to send her the message that time is running out.
Added to these themes of the Last Supper is another scene from Grotesque episode 3, in which Lois prepares a grand feast for her daughter Merritt Tryon (Raven Goodwin), asking her to forget about her alcoholism in exchange for not paying attention to her overeating. This scene ties together the gluttony present in episode 1 and the end of the Last Supper in episode 2, leading to the conclusion that gluttony and overconsumption mean the end is near.
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The mortal sin of lust
The show explores this theme in different ways in episode 3
The next victims were a group of exotic dancers and sex workers, whom Lois recalls saving from drug overdoses and illnesses. Sister Megan analyzes what the killer must “I hate sex” and think of yourself as “a prophet who announces the coming of the end.” The head of one of the victims has been replaced a goat’s head, reflecting the puzzle Lois solves in flashbacks with her husband Marshall (Courtney B. Vance). The painting is a 1798 work by Fransico Goya entitled “The Witches’ Sabbath”, painted during the Spanish Inquisition, a time when non-Christian people and women were subject to harsh punishments..
The painting that became the crime scene provided insight into how Groteschieri thought about women and sexuality, and the deep contempt he felt for these sins. After the crime is reported, Sister Megan and Father Charlie submit to their wishes and become close friends at the convent while she works on an article, after she learns of his part-time job as “merchant priestThe contrast between the murders and this moment between Charlie and Megan illustrates the dangers of vice, as it has led to the deaths of sex workers and now the potential destruction of Charlie and Megan’s lifestyle.
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Bible verses
Coordinates found in the box lead to a recreation of the biblical hellfire
After Merritt cracks the code and opens a box left at another crime scene that points to lust, sisters Megan and Lois discover coordinates that lead their partnership deep into the desert to the site of a wildfire pit that grows larger every day. Sister Megan concludes that the killer sent them to this location to point out that Lois is the reason he is spreading the figurative hellfire. The juxtaposition of Lois’s comatose husband’s purgatory state and the fires of hell may also reference Dante. Infernoa work of classic literature that explores the different layers of hell.
The juxtaposition of Lois’s comatose husband’s purgatory state and the fires of hell may also reference Dante. Infernoa work of classic literature that explores the different layers of hell.
If Inferno The theory sounds plausible then sisters Megan and Lois are in the seventh circle of violence.after they had already gone through Limbo, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Wrath and possibly Heresy after Megan and Charlie’s date. After Lois becomes upset about the wild goose chase, Sister Megan quotes Psalm 89:6-7:You put me in the deepest hole, in the darkest depths. Your anger weighs heavily on me; you have overwhelmed me with all your waves.”
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Images of Dante’s Hell
There is a sense of suspense throughout the show.
The hospital where Lois’ husband is staying continues to haunt her thoughts, although It remains unclear whether the retro nurses and orderlies are a product of Lois’ drunken stupor or the reality of a small desert town.. When Lois gets into a drunk driving accident and is taken to the hospital, an orderly named Ed (Travis Kelsey in his Grotesque acting debut) helps her return home, and later encourages her to seek treatment for alcoholism, as he once did.
While Eddie later connects with Lois Merritt’s daughter, with the pair becoming friends to protect the family as Lois is increasingly persecuted, his sudden role in their lives seems divine. Within Inferno theory, Perhaps Eddie will be the person to lead Lois out of the uncertainty she feels about her career and marriage.
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Doomsday symbolism
Twin Sisters of the Apocalypse
As sisters Megan and Lois rush to escape a fire, they notice a young woman named Andrea (Victoria Abbott) covered in blood in the middle of the road. After rescuing her, the group seeks refuge at a local motel on Andrea’s recommendation. The hotel has no telephone service, and the television shows only programs about fires, wars and the COVID-19 pandemic – all moments synonymous with the “end times” or the biblical concept of Judgment Day.
Judgment Day means the last day on earth on which God must judge all remaining sinners. Given the religious theatricality of the murder scenes in the main film “Groteschieri”, it is quite clear that the main killer of the series despises any marginalized or progressive people and believes they should be judged based on the state of the world.
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Lois’s “glorious” arrest
How the word “glorious” appears in religious texts
When a killer begins to include personal information about Lois in his elaborate crime scenes, Lois’ colleague decides to revisit the previous criminals Lois put behind bars. A pimp named Nice, after serving a life sentence, has been mysteriously released and is constantly quoted by a strange woman on the side of the road.
The name has a deeper meaning. The word “glorious” is used throughout the Bible to describe the righteous attributes of God. As viewers learn, Glorious is not a killer, but she definitely knows something – in her case making her outstanding quality her knowledge of how to catch a criminal. In any case, biblical motifs are present in Grotesque several characters look suspicious, making the intricate symbolism worth noting.
New episodes Grotesque airs Thursdays on Hulu.
Sources: Bible Study Tools