‘Grotesquerie’ Episode 7 Review: An Hour That Left Us Asking “What Was That?”

Just when we thought Grotesquerie couldn’t surprise us anymore, we got to episode 7, and it was an hour of TV that left us asking, “What was that?” First off, I have to say thank you to Ryan Murphy for only releasing one episode this week because keeping up with double episodes can be a challenge. At the same time, I am also like, “You gave us that wild hour, and now we have to wait a week to get more?” well-played, sir. Well played. Let’s discuss everything that went down this week on Grotesquerie episode 7.

Last week Grotesquerie episode 6, “Good Caesarean Work,” ended with Lois showing up at a warehouse where a man in black walked up behind her and attempted to slit her throat. Before he could, she was able to break free and shoot him in the chest. As she bent down to unmask the killer, it appeared that it was Father Charlie, even though we only got a blink-and-you-miss reveal that had to be slowed down to catch. You would think that Grotesquerie episode 7 would pick up in that warehouse or even the police station, but it does not. Interestingly, it took me a while to realize we didn’t start there.

Instead, Grotesquerie episode 7 opens up with Lois having dinner with her daughter Merritt and fast Eddie. The two reveal to her that they are dating and planning to move in together. When those two fell in love was beyond me because I never saw anything in any of the episodes to indicate this was a thing (more on that later). Merritt has been cast in the reality show of her dreams, and everything seems perfect for her and Eddie. Lois is having none of it and thinks its all lies. She then proceeds to degrade her daughter in the most vile way by fat-shaming her. As Eddie attempts to intervene, Lois gets even nastier and brings up a relationship that she and Eddie had. Did they? According to Eddie, they did not. Lois is adamant and unmoved by anything Eddie and Merritt have to say, and she leaves the restaurant in a drunken haze.

Lois then heads to the hospital, ready to take Marshall off life support. She’s done watching him and waiting for him to wake up. Nurse Redd’s revelation that they were in a relationship is the last straw, and Lois is over it. In a rather callous ceremony, Marshall is taken off life support, and Lois heads to the Church, where she does some investigations of Father Charlie’s things to see everything from his time as Grotesquerie. As Lois is doing this, we see Sister Megan meeting with the Fathers of the Church, where she gets full autonomy to manage The Catholic Guardian. We then jump back to Lois at the police station, where she’s being praised with balloons, which is highly unorthodox after solving a murder. She meets with Gale, who tells her that she has to retire. Lois does not want to do that at all. Gale runs down a list of reasons why Lois has to retire. AI is taking over etc., etc. As a naturally frustrated Lois walks away, Gale shouts, “Lois, Wake up! Wake up, Lois!” As she walks down the hall, she passes by some balloons that say “Get Better soon,” and in that moment, my brain goes, “Wait… is Lois the one in the coma and not Marshall?”

I did have my suspicions that Lois might be the one in the coma, but what then threw me off that theory was we jumped to Lois’s house as she was preparing dinner with Sister Megan. This was an interesting scene to watch because it becomes a game of cat and mouse as Lois and Sister Megan begin to size each other up. Something is different about Sister Megan, she’s all decked out in makeup, wearing Louboutin heels she can barely walk in, and just appears to be having too much fun. Lois begins to check off some things that feel odd to her about Sister Megan, particularly the way in which she was shot. Lois says it was “theatrical” and “showy” the more she begins to put pieces together, like how Sister Megan knows a little too much about the crime scenes and would often show up ahead of the police. The more she unravels the threads, the more anxious Sister Megan becomes. When Lois begins to mention Father Charlie and his need for an accomplice, and that accomplice is Sister Megan, she snaps, and a fight begins.

Lois and Megan (yes, we have stripped her of the Sister title effective immediately) fight tooth and nail. It’s violent, and it seems that Lois is getting the best of Megan. But then it goes horribly wrong, and Megan stabs Lois. Then, we get one of the biggest twists I have witnessed on TV in a long time.

Like a literal switch being turned off, Lois and Marshall have switched places, and we learn that Lois has, in fact, been the one in a coma the entire time and not Marshall. Merritt and Fast Eddie, who is, um, not so fast anymore, are married, but it’s a loveless marriage, essentially like Lois and Marshalls. Merritt reveals to Marshall that Eddie and Lois had been sleeping together for two years. This obviously comes as a shock to Marshall, and he, in the same way as Lois, shows up to the hospital ready to pull the plug on her. There is so much happening in the last parts of Grotesquerie episode 7 that I actually stopped taking notes because my mind was blown. Literally, everyone’s role has changed. Everyone. Nurse Redd is now a mistress to Marshall, and she’s a cam girl; Megan is the Chief of Police who apparently got Lois’s job, and get this, Father Charlie Mayhew is now Doctor Charlie Mayhew.

Everyone has gathered around in Lois’s room as Dr. Mayhew is preparing to take her off life support. Chaos ensues in that entire scene. Everyone is fighting, which is an excellent representation of what is happening inside Lois’s head because she’s fighting with Megan, who is still on the attack. It appears that Lois’s life is quickly fading away as Megan stabs her repeatedly. But Lois is a fighter, and she comes back. As she survives in her dream state, she starts to breathe again in the real world and lives.

I can’t even put into words all the thoughts that ran through my head while watching the episode, but it’s clear my theory from last week was way off. And I accept that. I accept that what was really happening was, in fact, what was happening. It felt too simple for it to be Lois in the coma. And in some ways, this still feels too simple. She’s awake now, but what does that mean for all she dreamed? How much of her life was real, and how much was an illusion? Why did she see Megan as a nun? We guess it was symbolic of Lois seeing Megan as holier than thou because she got her job. We’re still not sure why she saw Dr. Charlie Mayhew as a kinky priest though. It does seem that the Doctor is religious from some of the things he was saying, but seriously, where does the freaky priest part come in? With three episodes left, there are still a lot of questions we need answered; here’s hoping we will get them because this week left us mind-blown.

Other Thoughts

• The fat-shaming dialogue on this show is a lot.
• “Pretty white boy, you can’t gaslight a Black woman. We know too ……. Much!”
• “All you need for peace and justice is just to unplug somebody.”
• I still want to know where the name Grotesquerie came from.
• Carrots and Mayonnaise? Yuck
• “2014 was the last time people were innocent…… The internet was a toy.” That whole set of lines, A WORD!
• “Who orders onion rings?” umm, I do. Onion rings are delicious.
• Cherry Redd, okay, Lesley Manville! Get it, girl.
• Travis Kelce is an impressive actor.
• How and why did Lois imagine Dr. Mayhew as a freaky priest hooking up with Megan???? I still need that question answered because that was A LOT.
• Again… MIND BLOWN!

Grotesquerie airs Wednesday nights on FX.