Grotesquerie’s Mystery Deepens in Answer-Packed Episodes 8 and 9, Ending With Another Killer Twist

After four straight weeks of relentless mind-screwing, Grotesquerie actually started to make sense on Wednesday. And just in time for the finale!

Don’t get us wrong, there was still plenty of mind-screwing in Episodes 8 and 9. But it was a little gentler this time. It bought us dinner first.

Through a bit of “controversial” therapy, this week’s double header explained exactly what Lois’ liminal dreams were all about. And who better to guide Lois through the truth of her trauma than special guest star Santino Fontana? Seriously, if a cup of coffee could talk, it would sound just like Santino Fontana. Two creams, one sugar.

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OK, the answer train is now pulling into the station. All aboard! Let’s start with Megan, whom Lois dreamt as a nun because she sees her as a “self-righteous millennial” on top of being an adversarial colleague. Lois also clocked that Megan is in an abusive, all-consuming relationship, loosely explaining why Megan was possessed in her dream. “Let me be clear, baby girl, you are being possessed,” Lois told her. “Break free while you can.” Was it the most eloquent way to show sympathy to a victim of domestic violence? No. But was it extremely on brand for Lois? Absolutely.

The explanations continue: Lois dreamt of Marshall in a coma to give herself a sense of control over their crumbling marriage, she dreamt of Redd as Marshall’s nurse because she essentially helped Lois take care of him over the years, she dreamt of Ed as a caretaker because he was her real-life AA sponsor, and she put Charlie with Megan because they were “the two people she thought were trying to take her job and her life.” She’s actually still waiting for Charlie to “confess” that he really did try to kill her. Does that explain why she dreamt of him as a priest?

Meanwhile, Merritt apparently took on the persona of a glutinous reality-TV wannabe because her “Biblical” weight gain in college became a point of contention in Lois and Marshall’s marriage. When Lois saw that Marshall loved Merritt less after she gained weight, Lois realized that she could no longer love him. In regards to sleeping with Merritt’s husband, Lois attempted to have a “come to Jesus” moment with her daughter, but because Jesus wouldn’t touch this show with a 10-foot cross, it did not go well. Slap city. 

Lois’ only true ride-or-die (albeit a paid one) is Maisie, who was apparently a pro-life activist Lois met when she was called to a protest at an abortion clinic. Despite their differences, Lois says she saw herself underneath Maisie’s layers of grandstanding, giving her a sense of hope. Women’s rights (or lack thereof) was a recurring theme in Lois’ dreams, as the victims hooked up to the milk machines were meant to symbolize Lois’ distress over women losing their agency and being forced to reproduce. Honestly, the scenes with Maisie and Lois in the car had us craving vanilla ice cream, but thinking about that milking scene is the fastest way to never want vanilla ice cream ever again.

Another recurring theme in this episode was Lois’ inhumanity. Or as she might say, her un-humanity. Merritt called her “something else entirely,” having spent too much time around “killers and psychopaths.” Marshall took it a step further, telling Lois that she isn’t a “recognizable human.” In his words, she’s a “chimera,” something impossible to categorize. He also threw some choice four-letter words at her that we’d rather not even have to bleep out. (No wonder Redd doesn’t want to be stuck with this guy 24/7 now that Lois is trying to move to Florida. He’s not pleasant.)

As for the show’s titular killer, Santino Fontana explained that “Grotesquerie is the stand-in, the totem, for the way the world according to Lois Tryon now is.” It’s a manifestation of what Lois’ work exposed her to, what she suppressed and the long-term PTSD from her career.

But just when we thought we finally understood what was happening, Santino Fontana dropped this fun little theory on Lois: she’s a prophet. He literally compared her to Moses. The worst moment from her dream, the Burnside family massacre, was the only murder not based on any of her real-life cases. It’s his medical opinion that Lois was actually predicting the future.

And sure enough, Lois was soon called to a horrifically familiar crime scene — only this time at night, which made it much scarier. Every detail was exactly how she dreamt it, down to whatever was in that damn pot in the kitchen. Is it a baby? Is it a bunny? We’ll find out next week! Hopefully.

Anyway, Lois was convinced that someone had stolen her therapy records and was painstakingly recreating her dream. She relayed this to Megan when they met at the motel from Lois’ dream, and she even made Megan cut her to confirm that she wasn’t still dreaming. (Is that how that works?) But the ladies’ meet-up was interrupted by Megan’s abusive boyfriend Justin, who smacked her around before tasting the wrong end of Lois’ gun. 

Before Lois blew his brains out, Justin taunted her, doubting that she had what it took to kill him, which was exactly what he did to Megan during their confrontation earlier in the episode. Strange. He also mentioned a study about humans having less empathy these days, which had previously been referenced in her therapy session. Also strange. How did he know about it? And what does it mean that Lois was able to do what Megan couldn’t? There’s probably some symbolism to unpack there, but we’re too busy thinking about what could be in that damn pot.

What did you take away from this week’s sensible-yet-insane Grotesquerie two-pack? And which burning questions do you absolutely need answered in next week’s finale, otherwise you’ll riot? Drop your thoughts in a comment below.