Review: Feud: Capote vs. The Swans, “It’s Impossible” | Season 2, Episode 4
This week’s episode—better, if still not that great—shows what happens when a show keeps its two main stars apart
I’ve been thinking a lot about why this season of Feud isn’t working. The biggest reason? There may not be a story to pull from this material.
This wasn’t the case with the first Feud season. Some of my friends who are big fans of old Hollywood (as I am) were bothered by that season’s reckless gossip and loose approach to showbiz history. Myself, I found it to be a mostly truthful slice of movie star life, using the details and drama inherent to the making of one memorable, influential film (as well as what immediately preceded and followed) as a way to explore how famous women are often held to impossible standards.
But what is Capote vs. The Swans dramatizing, exactly? The publishing of a magazine article and the resultant social ostracizing don’t lend themselves easily to a gripping, serialized narrative. What, specifically, is happening here?
“It’s Impossible” is the best episode of this season so far, even if still never quite rises to the level of “good.” The parts that wo…