Feud: Capote vs. The Swans is the second season of the Americananthology television seriesFeud created byRyan Murphy,Jaffe Cohen, and Michael Zam forFX. Directed byGus Van Sant,Max Winkler, andJennifer Lynch, it is written byJon Robin Baitz. The eight-episode season is based on the bookCapote's Women: A True Story of Love, Betrayal, and a Swan Song for an Era written byLaurence Leamer.[1] Its first two episodes premiered on January 31, 2024, with episodes available onHulu the day after broadcast on FX.[2]
Acclaimed writerTruman Capote ruins his friendships with the Swans, a socialite group of New York Cityhigh society, by writing a thinly veiled fictionalized account of their scandalous and hedonistic lives in his (ultimately unfinished) novel,Answered Prayers. WhenEsquire publishes the chapter "La Côte Basque 1965", after therestaurant of the same name frequented by the Swans and Capote himself,[3][4] several vow to ruin his life in revenge.[5][6]
Russell Tovey as John O'Shea[a], Capote's abusive side-piece with a "heterosexual dominance" complex.
Tom Hollander asTruman Capote, the esteemed author ofLa Côte Basque, 1965, the book that ended the New York elite society, as well as a group of socialites known as "the swans".
In 1968,Babe Paley tellsTruman Capote that her husbandBill is having an affair. In 1955, Truman accompanies the Paleys and film producerDavid O. Selznick on a trip toMontego Bay, during which he charms them with witticisms and an outrageous story thatAnn Woodward murdered her husband. After dinner, Babe tells Truman about her husband's affairs, which he tells her to use to her advantage.
In 1975, Truman meets banker John O'Shea in abathhouse and takes him to lunch with Babe,Slim Keith, andC. Z. Guest atLa Côte Basque. Ann confronts Truman, but he is unmoved. O'Shea suggests Truman use his friends' lives as inspiration for his next novel,Answered Prayers. Despite attempts to dissuade him byJack Dunphy, Truman's erstwhile partner, an excerpt is published inEsquire, with many recognizing it as a thinly veiled attack. Babe tells Bill she has been diagnosed with cancer. While lunching with Babe, Slim reveals Ann committed suicide before the excerpt's publication and suggests exacting revenge on Truman.
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"Ice Water in Their Veins"
Gus Van Sant
Jon Robin Baitz
January 31, 2024 (2024-01-31)
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A few months following the scandalous article being published, Truman's downward spiral begins. Following Ann's suicide, the Swans decide to present a unified front as they set in motion a plan of revenge against Truman.
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"Masquerade 1966"
Gus Van Sant
Jon Robin Baitz
February 7, 2024 (2024-02-07)
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In a documentary of 1966, Capote has cameras filming as he sets up for aMasquerade. Despite various times asking to not have their private issues shown on camera, the camera crew continues filming. In the background, Capote claims to be inviting a special guest, causing the women to guess unsuccessfully the identity. At the party, Ann Woodward and her son party crash with her wanting him to stop his smear campaign. At the end of the evening, Capote hallucinates dancing with his deceased mother.
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"It's Impossible"
Gus Van Sant
Jon Robin Baitz
February 14, 2024 (2024-02-14)
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Babe continues her radiation therapy atMemorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, but receives unfortunate news about its progress. As she faces a harsh reality, Babe forgives her husband of his indiscretions and hints at forgiving Truman to the dismay of Slim. Slim tries to slander Truman in the press while the rest of the Swans discourage her efforts. Truman completes his stint at rehab, but quickly relapses and returns to John O'Shea and his old habits.
In 1975, Babe reads theEsquire article and argues with Bill about his lack of discretion in choosing his lovers. Despondent from a conversation with Bill Paley, Truman tries to commit suicide. He receives a phone call fromJames Baldwin, with whom he is acquainted, and James invites him to lunch at La Côte Basque. James offers Truman emotional support and encourages him to get sober. As they discuss behaviors of wild swans and compare them to the negative and hurtful behaviors of Truman's Swans, Truman recalls salacious details he did not include in the article. Truman awakens the next day (from his suicide attempt) in the same clothes he wore before the day with Baldwin, implying that the meeting has been a dream, and continues writing his book. That evening after telling Jack this is his best writing ever, he eats a roasted swan by candlelight.
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"Hats, Gloves and Effete Homosexuals"
Gus Van Sant
Jon Robin Baitz
February 28, 2024 (2024-02-28)
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Truman advises the professional styling of Kate Harrington, the daughter of John O'Shea who he has taken under his wing as a protégé, and pressures her to mimic the look of Babe for her upcoming photoshoot withRichard Avedon. Both Lee and Dick encourage Kate to not allow Truman to control her image. Kate loves and admires Truman, but grows disillusioned with his irresponsible lifestyle and resumed alcoholism. Meanwhile, both Truman and the Swans struggle with their advancing ages and fading relevance in the social scene as their favorite stores and fashions become outdated. Truman takes a boorish repairman as a brief lover, only to find the affair unfulfilling. Entrenched in the threat of a lawsuit fromGore Vidal, who he had defamed on television, Truman elects to undergo plastic surgery and later resumes writing, wistfully recalling happier times with the Swans.
An increasingly frail Babe learns that she has only six months to live and makes peace with her mortality. She dies in the summer, surrounded by her family, and has a dying vision of reuniting with Truman, whom she praises as being one of the greatest and most important relationships in her life. The Swans attend her funeral, from which Truman has been banned, and begin to go their separate ways. Truman, grieving Babe and regretting their failure to reconcile, slips further into alcoholism and drug abuse, culminating in a disastrous and incoherent appearance onStanley Siegel's talk show. Jack cuts ties with him and leaves him with Joanne Carson, Truman's only remaining friend. Joanne tries to support Truman's writing efforts, but Truman instead continues to drink heavily as his health declines. He hallucinates Babe comforting him as he dies of organ failure, and Joanne informs Jack that Truman's final words were "Beautiful Babe".
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"Phantasm Forgiveness"
Gus Van Sant
Jon Robin Baitz
March 13, 2024 (2024-03-13)
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In 1984, Truman visits Babe's grave and lies down on top of it, longing to be reunited. He later visits Jack's apartment while pursuing sobriety, and the two reconcile and part ways as Truman vows to finishAnswered Prayers as an apology to his former friends. As he writes, he envisions himself reconciling with the Swans by selflessly granting their deepest wishes. Between chapters, he has a vision of his combative mother, which drives him back to drinking and using drugs. During one such episode, he recalls her suicide, and hallucinates Ann, who informs him thatAnswered Prayers will never restore his friendships, as he wrote it with the intent of destroying high society out of revenge for himself and his shunned mother. He destroys the completed manuscript in secret and departs for his final stay with Joanne. In 2016, Truman's ashes are sold at auction for $45,000 (with Kate Harrington in attendance) as the ghosts of the Swans critique the proceedings.
By April 2022, the focus had shifted ontoTruman Capote and his tempestuous relationship with New York high society withGus Van Sant on board to direct andNaomi Watts attached to star.[10]
The first two episodes of the season premiered on January 31, 2024, with episodes available onHulu the following day.[16] Internationally, the series will be available onDisney+ throughStar and onStar+ in Latin America.[17]
Feud: Capote vs. The Swans debuted at No. 1 onHulu's "Top 15 Today"—a daily updated list of the platform's most-watched titles—on its first full day of release.[18]JustWatch, a guide to streaming content with access to data from more than 20 million users around the world, estimated that the show was the sixth most-streamed series in the U.S. for the week of February 5–11.[19] The streaming aggregator Reelgood, which monitors real-time data from 5 million users in the U.S. for original and acquired streaming programs and movies across subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) and ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) services, calculated that the series was the eighth most-streamed television show in the U.S. during the week of February 4. It climbed to the third most-streamed show the following week, before moving to the ninth spot by February 21.[20]
OnRotten Tomatoes,Feud: Capote vs. The Swans holds an approval rating of 77% based on 64 reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "While thisFeud might lack the abundance of incident that made its predecessor such a nasty delight,Capote vs. the Swans' luxe milieu and dynamite ensemble will keep spectators entertained."[21] OnMetacritic, the season has a weighted average score of 68 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[22]
David Bianculli ofNPR praised the season, concluding thatCapote vs. the Swans merits attention for its quality. Bianculli described it as a strong drama with a compelling story and a powerhouse cast, noting that the actors deliver particularly powerful performances in this installment ofFeud.[23] Alison Herman ofVariety commended the show's portrayal of the "complex, enduring, often co-dependent bond between straight women and gay men." Herman described the series as a sincere and moving exploration of this dynamic, a rarity treated with empathy and depth. Herman noted that this unique focus helps make the show's flaws more forgivable, viewing them as part of its ambitious storytelling.[24] Benjamin Lee ofThe Guardian awardedCapote vs. the Swans four out of five stars and praised it for its thoughtful approach, crediting the shift away from Charles and Diana. Lee commended the performances of Tom Hollander, Naomi Watts, and Chloë Sevigny, as well as the show's exploration of the emotional toll on high society figures. While the expected cattiness is present, Lee found the series more focused on the poignant relationships between Capote and his female friends. Despite some minor flaws in pacing, Lee concluded that the second season surpasses the first by emphasizing melancholy over meanness.[25] Carol Midgley ofThe Sunday Times awardedCapote vs. the Swans four out of five stars and found it to be a visually stunning and sharply written series that, while too long at nearly eight hours, is elevated by Tom Hollander's mesmerizing portrayal of Truman Capote. Hollander's performance, marked by his convincing physical transformation and voice work, captures Capote's descent into alcoholism, drug abuse, and self-destruction. Midgley also praised Naomi Watts as Babe Paley, highlighting the cast's strong performances. Though the series explores rich people's self-obsession, Midgley found that Hollander's nuanced portrayal brings depth and pathos to Capote’s tragic decline.[26] Emma Fraser ofIGN ratedCapote vs. The Swans eight out of ten, praising the actors' performances, particularly that of Hollander. Fraser also complimented the show's costumes and production design, describing it as a "delicious cautionary tale of writing.[27]
Jackson McHenry ofVulture noted thatCapote vs. the Swans offers plenty of surface-level details about Capote, highlighting his public persona, but struggles to delve into his creative inner life. McHenry observed that while the show delivers on the cattiness, glamour, and intriguing facts—such as Capote serving spaghetti and chicken hash with champagne—it falls short in providing deeper insight into why Capote's social circle was so groundbreaking or how 1960s society was evolving during that time.[28] Melanie McFarland ofSalon observed that the female characters in Baitz's script lacked depth, noting that the writing focuses heavily on one layer of the women's interiority, primarily portraying their vindictiveness, prejudice, or selfishness, without suggesting deeper dimensions. She also critiqued comparisons made by FX and the show toThe Real Housewives franchise, arguing that this comparison undermines the cast's efforts. McFarland pointed out that whileBravo's housewives may appear as shallow as Capote’s socialites,Andy Cohen excels at turning problematic personalities into captivating spectacles. In contrast, Baitz and the cast overwork the characters, making them appear rigid rather than allowing them the flexibility to be authentically wicked.[29]
