Feud: Capote vs The Swans

Following the rivalry of Bette Davis and Joan Crawford (portrayed by Susan Sarandon and Jessica Lange respectively), the second instalment of Feud revolves around the falling out between acclaimed writer Truman Capote (a divine Tom Hollander) and a group of New York socialites. Once close friends, the wealthy women (whom Capote dubbed his swans) fight back after he betrays them in a scandalous act. Featuring a star-studded cast of Naomi Watts, Demi Moore, Diane Lane, Chloë Sevigny and Calista Flockhart, alongside seeing Gus Van Sant in the director’s chair for a large chunk of the series, there’s a lot of talent behind this series headed by TV juggernaut Ryan Murphy.

From American Horror Story to Glee, The Watcher, Dahmer and so much more, Murphy has established himself as the champion of camp television. Despite lavish sets and Hollander’s delightfully eccentric performance, however, Capote vs The Swans doesn’t capture the fun of Murphy’s other works. By just missing the mark, this show becomes an unfortunately dull affair.

Beginning with a scene in which Capote visits his close friend Babe Paley (Watts), who’s just discovered her husband has been cheating on her, the series is off to a solid start. Hollander’s presence fills the screen as Capote takes control of the situation before viewers are treated to a Saul Bass-flavoured title sequence. The writer’s telling of his scandalous story, which sparked the feud, is even presented as a slick moir film. Every scene in the opening episodes drips with decadence, with each of the stars giving superb performances.

There’s a clear attempt to channel the flavour of pulpiness that Murphy is known for. However, the show takes itself far too seriously for this to be the case. With a lack of the exaggerated style of American Horror Story, this series moves at a tediously slow pace, made the more irksome by a narrative that haphazardly jumps between decades. As deliciously scenery-chewing as Hollander can be (with one early scene with Jessica Lange being a notable highlight), his performance alone isn’t enough to liven up the series.

There’s a lot about Capote vs The Swans that should have worked, but by failing to capture Murphy’s usual camp spirit, this show falls disappointingly short of Hollander’s magnificent turn as the titular writer.

Andrew Murray

Feud: Capote vs The Swans is released on Disney+ on 17^th April 2024.

Watch the trailer for Feud: Capote vs The Swans here: