Few shows pack a stacked cast like Feud: Capote vs. The Swans. Based on the book Capote’s Women: A True Story of Love, Betrayal, and a Swan Song for an Era by Laurence Leamer, we follow thirty years of Truman Capote’s rise and fall in New York high society. Hot off of Breakfast at Tiffany’s and In Cold Blood, Capote was the talk of the town. However, after releasing excerpts of his next book in Esquire, his support system crumbles. Gus Van Sant directs the first episode of the season “Pilot,” written by Jon Robin Baitz.
Capote vs. The Swans “Pilot” Recap
In 1984, Truman Capote (Tom Hollander) drives out to a lake, where he observes a gaggle of swans. He quietly smokes and contemplates the events of the last twenty years. We flashback to 1968 as Truman rushes to the side of Babe Paley (Naomi Watts). Babe and Truman discuss her recent trip to Paris, but when she returns, she discovers her husband Bill (Treat Williams) cheated on her again with Happy Rockefeller (Rebecca Creskoff). When Babe returns home, she finds the aftermath of the affair because Happy was menstruating during their affair.
Capote steps into the room to see the aftermath, still staining the bed and floor. Babe tells Truman she will divorce Bill after this recent indiscretion. However, Truman runs damage control, reminding her she can leverage this against her husband. He gives her drugs to sleep and directs her staff to take care of the kids. Truman lays down with Babe and promises never to hurt her.
We jump back to 1955 when Bill Paley receives a call from David O. Selznick (Scott Zimmerman). Selznick lets Bill know that Truman will accompany them on a private jet on vacation. Paley believes Selznick invited Harry S. Truman, so he is quite surprised when Truman Capote arrives. Instantly, Babe and Truman connect and become friends over the weekend.
Truman dominates parties with his brash stories and gossip. He finally tells the group about Ann Woodward (Demi Moore), who killed her husband, William Woodward Jr. He suggests it was murder, not an accident as many have suspected. Capote captivates everyone, and after the party, he observes Bill kissing another woman in the garden. Babe noticed it too, and they continue to bond.
In 1975, Capote discusses his most recent book – Answered Prayers – with his publisher. His partner, Jack (Joe Mantello), packs his bags to leave, and the two fight about Truman’s substance abuse. Truman leaves first and heads to a sauna, where he meets John O’Shea (Russell Tovey). Truman comes onto John, and they begin an affair, even though others are in the baths.
Capote brings John to lunch with Babe, Slim Keith (Diane Lane), and C.Z. Guest (Chloë Sevigny). Capote provides the backgrounds of each of the women. We review Babe’s relationship with Bill, but Truman leaves out the lurid details. Slim came from poverty to marry multiple Hollywood bigwigs. Slim continues to have connections across the major cities in London and Paris, including the English Royals. Capote admires C.Z.’s gardening abilities and believes she’s the “breath of fresh air” of the group.
During the lunch, the women tell Capote that John is a mistake, both as a lover and business manager. Before they leave the lunch, Ann Woodward confronts Truman about the stories he’s circulating. She asks why he began circulating the rumors. Truman admits it’s because she used slurs against him. Ann throws a drink in his face and leaves. After the lunch, John tells Truman he needs to write about the lunch. It’s gold, and he’s one of the only people who can expose the elite women. Truman writes about the death of Ann’s husband.
Later, Esquire releases Truman’s writings, and while he used pseudonyms, everyone knows who he is writing about. Bill tells Babe about Truman’s writing and that it will blow over soon. Babe asks whose betrayal is worse. She loved Truman, as he replaced Bill as the object of affection as their marriage fell apart. Babe joins Slim at lunch. Slim tells her about Ann’s suicide. Ann took cyanide and died at her house. Slim decides it is time for the Swans to fight back and that they must take their revenge on Truman.
The Critique
In terms of pacing and character development, “Pilot” stands out in the season. It not only begins with the lurid details we expect from a Truman Capote story. It also shows why The Swans would want Capote in their corner. There is more than enough warning about how Truman can hurt them, and their friendship with the man is framed as a dangerous one. Unlike other episodes of the show, the emotion from everyone is on point.
Demi Moore steals the show with a pair of scenes, and it’s impossible to ignore her rage towards Capote. Developments with her character explain her absence from most of the series, but she leaves an impression in her limited time. Additionally, Hollander begins his role as the gravitational force of the season. He steps into the limelight and rarely relinquishes it. This begins what will be a potential issue for the show, namely that this is a Truman Capote featuring the Swans series.
This episode mostly reinforces that idea by telling the story through his perspective. This is very much a subjective experience of the events, and there are few (if any) moments until the conclusion where The Swans are given time without Truman. This does little to help the issue of who is telling the story and where its focus should lie. Is this an exploration of New York high society? Or is it an opportunity for its cast to cosplay as the famous and elite? Right now, it’s leaning more toward the latter.
Gus Van Sant directs the episode, and there’s just enough of his fingerprints to show off his talent. A few split dipolar sequences and some voyeuristic flourishes help this rise above anonymous directing. However, Van Sant does not excel with the interpersonal and quiet scenes, partly because Hollander’s Capote is larger-than-life. This is not a bad thing for the show, but it makes Capote vs. the Swans a less compelling character study.
Finally, the origins of The Swans as an entity are tested early. While there are six women we are told to consider Swans, one is fully excommunicated from high society when she shares the screen with the other women. Another does not even appear in the episode. A third – Clarrissa Flockheart – does not arrive until the last ten minutes.
This once again highlights the problem of a “versus” tag on this season. Most of the women will become frustrated with Truman throughout the season. However, not all of them are actively antagonistic or vengeful toward him. Unlike Bette and Joan – which showed how the women were actively at war – Capote vs. The Swans does not always deliver on those goods.
Conclusion
While Capote vs. The Swans begins on a high note, especially as you adjust to Hollander’s excellent performance, it showcases some of the season’s flaws. It successfully lays enough groundwork to clue us into the relationships. However, with inconsistent time spent on The Swans, and the perspective of Capote becoming the framing device, we experience some underlying cracks in the foundation of the show.
7/10
Full season review of Feud: Capote vs. The Swans here!
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