Feud: Bette & Joan episode 2 review: Hot off the presses
Here is perhaps the most interesting thing about the show: It’s incredibly enjoyable despite the fact that nobody within it is particularly likable. With Joan Crawford, you have someone desperate to manipulate her way through What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? using whatever means that she can, whether that be selling a story to the press, firing someone who looks too god for her taste, or them also trying to get the director Robert Aldrich to sleep with her just so that she could influence the parts of the movie.
Robert himself is no saint, based on the allegations in this episode that he’ll boost up any young co-star via any sort of sexual intercourse provided.
Then, you have Bette Davis, an incredibly accomplished actress who, at her core, has many of the same fears and insecurities about herself and her status in Hollywood. There are moments where we think that she’s slightly easier for the production than Joan, but then she doesn’t exactly deny talk of Joan’s breasts or respect the feelings of those who work under her. This is a tale of sadness as much as it is a tale of snark. These two women are so desperate for money, for attention, for recognition that they will do whatever they can to get it. Yes, that even includes walking all over each other.
The beauty of the storytelling from Ryan Murphy, however, is that he makes it incredibly clear all the while that these two are not despising each other without motive — or without a desire from other people to have it happen. Maybe they want headlines, or they want the challenge to elevate one another’s performance to the level where they can secure some further Academy Awards nominations and attention. They are the perpetrators behind these incidents, and they don’t want to see Bette and Joan get along. Remember, they weren’t the ones who created the snowball effect as seen tonight — they did actually want to work together.
How authentic are the performances?
Well, that is a little bit up for the debate, given that there are always evens that are tough to verify. For us, we don’t necessarily care so long as the story remains compelling and the performances top-notch. We got that tonight courtesy from Susan Sarandon and Jessica Lange yet again.
While Feud: Bette & Joan may not be the flashiest show on the air right now, there’s no doubting that when it comes to style and substance, it continues to reign supreme.
What did you think about Feud: Bette & Joan episode 2? Share some more of your thoughts with a comment below! (Photo: FX.)