This week’s Grotesquerie double feature brought us closer to the truth about the masked killer with two gripping and unsettling episodes. The mystery surrounding the identity of the murderer—who has been haunting Det Lois Tryon ( Niecy Nash-Betts) is still unresolved at the conclusion. Here’s a breakdown of the key events and some theories on what’s coming next.
Grotesquerie Episode 5: A Horror Motel
In the opening scene of Episode 5, Lois and Sister Megan are travelling down a lonely road with an enigmatic hitch-hiker named Andrea. Seemingly for safety, they stay at a dilapidated motel, but as soon as they get settled there, chaos breaks out.
The stay of Lois and Megan swiftly devolves into a nightmare. They find women who are mistreated and bruised working at the motel; one of them tries to hide her abuse. Megan discovers missing footprints and a blood-stained toilet—when she tries to step in, giving her the impression that something much darker is going on.
An altercation breaks out in the parking lot amid the confusion. When Megan tries to rescue Andrea from being abducted by a man named Nick who works at the motel, she gets shot in the crossfire. The chaos and one continuous take of the scenario add to the terror of Megan collapsing in Lois’s arms.
Megan’s Fate and Father Charlie’s Guilt
After being taken to the hospital, Father Charlie—her forbidden lover—shows up bearing flowers for Megan. One of the more bizarre love tales in Grotesquerie, their covert relationship, is revealed as Charlie feels responsible for Megan’s demise. While blaming Lois for placing Megan in danger, he also exhorts her to pursue the murderer and urges her to never give up on finding the truth.
A new lead is presented to Lois while she handles Megan’s injury and the mounting pressure of the investigation: Gloria, a formerly incarcerated woman who was just released from jail. Now that Gloria goes by “Glorious,” Lois believes that she may be connected to the killings, especially because she has found further evidence that connects Gloria to the murderer.
Grotesquerie Episode 6
Episode 6 dives deeper into the horrific crimes of the — masked killer. When Lois arrives at the maternity home. she finds that a horrifying atrocity has occurred—pregnant women have been cruelly killed. And their infants have been seized. The murderer penned a mocking note on the wall that read, “Let the dead bury the dead,” which fuelled Lois’s fixation with killing him.
After receiving a tip from Maisie, a traumatised woman, Lois and her colleagues investigate a milk bottling factory and find a disturbing scenario. Together with the missing babies, women are discovered, forced to be strung up and milked like animals. Lois is shaken by the graphic revelation, but it also gets her closer to the truth. Lois discovers a wall covered in pictures of herself in a rear room, which indicates that the murderer has been pursuing her for a while.
When a man in a mask ambushes Lois, her instincts take over and she shoots him. But before she can reveal the murderer, the screen goes blank, leaving the audience hanging.
Who’s Behind the Mask?
The most important issue still stands: who is the masked killer? The Bible verse found at the crime scene written in blood seems to indicate that Father Charlie is the culprit. His relationship with Megan—his enigmatic actions and his function as a “false prophet” as suggested by Gloria all heighten suspicions.
But since this is Grotesquerie, we can’t rule out a more significant twist. Is it Marshall, Lois’s husband—who has been in a coma and has a questionable history with Nurse Redd? The fact that photos of Lois were found in the murderer’s lair implies that the person wearing the mask knows her on a very personal level which heightens the significance of the impending expose.
Future Theories
We can anticipate further disclosures in the upcoming episodes given Megan’s return to consciousness at the end of Episode 6. Her direct observation of the murderer’s activities may be crucial to unravelling the case. Gloria’s cryptic remarks that the murderer is a “false prophet” further allude to a cult-like aspect to the killings and raise the possibility that the murderer has more in store for Lois than just taking her life.
Grotesquerie never stops weaving a terrifying and mysterious web that begs more questions than it answers. As we wait for the next episodes, one thing is clear: the killer’s identity will have far-reaching consequences for Lois and everyone involved in this dark, twisted world.
Tune in every Wednesday on FX, with episodes streaming on Hulu the next day.
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