Grotesquerie: Season 1 Ending, Explained

When it comes to shows hailing from mega-producer Ryan Murphy, there’s sure to be some sort of big twist involved within the series. His latest for FX/Hulu, Grotesquerie, was no different. The series concluded its first season run at the end of October, and saw its murder mystery turn into an even bigger mystery by the end. Led by Niecy Nash-Betts, who plays Lois, Grotesquerie, focused on Lois’ journey to try and uncover who the killer known as Grotesquerie is, all while battling struggles within her own personal life.

However, by the end of the show’s seventh episode, it becomes clear that all is not what it seemed. After waking from a coma, Lois tells her doctors and those around her about the nightmares she experienced while under, ultimately revealing the terrible crimes she was a witness to. As she unveils her dreams, though, they soon come back to haunt her and those in her life. With that in mind, we break down everything that happened during Season 1’s finale, and what it could potentially mean for future seasons of the FX/Hulu series.

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What Happened in the Finale?

The Season 1 finale of Grotesquerie essentially brought the series back to square one. Fans of the series will remember that the show ultimately began with Lois walking into a highly unsettling murder scene involving an innocent family that endured horrors thanks to a mysterious killer. The scene was, obviously, grotesque, and seemed to grow worse with each passing second. However, like the other murder scenes Lois came upon early on in the series, it seemed to all be a part of the reality she conjured up within her mind while in a coma. That is, of course, until she was forced to tell those around her the horrors she experienced while under. Each crime scene, each murder, was recounted in gory detail to be noted in her file, with various individuals having access to the unnerving content. So, it’s not entirely surprising then, when the show ends its first season on those murders coming to life and Lois having to experience them all over again. In the final episode of Season 1, Lois tries to make a new life for herself. She intends on leaving and starting over after having served her husband with divorce papers. Unfortunately, though, as much as she wants to leave, she keeps being pulled back in by her former boss, played by Micaela Diamond, who needs her assistance on a few murder cases.

This, of course, comes after Lois thought she was going crazy having shot her boss’ abusive boyfriend, only to later return to no body or scene of a crime being evident in the hotel room. Lois is hesitant to help, but ultimately decides to when her boss calls her in for yet another crime scene that Lois saw in her dreams – one that included someone she knew, her doctor from the hospital. It’s then that Lois decides she needs to stop running away and instead needs to help find whoever is behind the murders once and for all, bringing the show back to the beginning with its unsolved murder plot.

Speculation on How the Finale Will Impact Season Two

This leaves the door wide open going into a potential second season. What Grotesquerie managed to do in its first season was create a murder mystery that, somehow, doesn’t feel drawn out despite having yet to be answered. This is due to the path the storytellers opted to use. By getting to see different variations of these characters, both in Lois’ mind and in reality, as well as who they’ve become once she’s awoken from her coma, it has helped to truly flesh them out. More importantly, though, it has also opened up the potential suspects substantially. Most of the characters all have a hint of suspicion about them, especially those Lois interacts with on a daily basis. This now consists of those at the hospital too, rather than simply her family and co-workers. With the Mexicali Men’s Club having been formed at the end of the season, with members including Eddy (Travis Kelce), Marshall (Courtney B. Vance), and leader Dr. Smythe (Thomas Ellenson), it leaves the door open for even more mystery. Especially as one of its potential members, Dr. Charlie (Nicholas Alexander Chavez) being one of the victims in the end.

This could mean that the men of the Mexicali Men’s Club are trying to leave their own mark, by brutalizing those they deem to be against them. Which could be an even bigger case for Lois, who has yet to discover the club even exists. There are numerous members that know the horrors Lois endured while in her coma, after all. Could they be using her terrors against her in reality to make a stand for what they believe in? Anything is possible in the world of Grotesquerie, and having introduced a new set of major players in the final episode is sure to have a major payoff for future episodes going forward.

All episodes of Grotesquerie‘s first season are now streaming on Hulu.

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