Grotesquerie episodes 3 and 4 recap: Enter Travis Kelce

The next two episodes of Grotesquerie aired tonight on FX and things become even more convoluted on this strange show that often feels like American Horror Story season 13. I'm sure what many viewers are intrigued by is the arrival of Travis Kelce, who plays a hospital orderly named Eddie and yes, makes his debut in episode 3.

Episode 3 begins with Meritt recording an audition for a reality show at home, with Lois occasionally chiming in with unwanted advice. Then Lois decides to do something nice for Meritt. Make her a turducken. She agrees to help her daughter get to where she wants to be weight-wise in exchange for Meritt no longer being allowed to make any comments about her drinking.

It's a rare moment of connection for the mother and daughter, one that leads to Meritt asking Lois to recall how she met her father. Via flashback, we learn that Lois connected with Marshall when she was a waitress. Back in the present, she admits that love has a brutality to it and while she doesn't love Meritt every day, even then she still wants to.

Crack of dawn next day, a drunk and hungover Lois gets a call regarding the killer's next victim. This time he's assembled a chilling creation of multiple body parts sewn together with a black goat's head on top. The body is tied to a pole in the middle of what appears to be a recreational center of some type with music blaring, balloons littering the floor, and an incessant strobe light.

When none of the other cops recognize the bodies, Lois goes on a tirade about how they don't care about anything. Each one was a transient or someone that they'd arrested before, someone that Lois knew. Later in the precinct, Lois brings in Megan to discuss what the killer's motive might be. His latest victims were sex workers. This is a man who hates sex and thinks its filthy. After Lois leaves, the other detectives express disdain about her showing up drunk, but Detective Hanover (Brooke Smith) defends her, saying that she's the only one of them who can likely solve this case.

At the church, Father Charles preaches to some of the other nuns and priests about the paper, the one that Megan writes for. Some of them fear that it's too salacious, but Charles argues that's a good thing. It makes people scared and pushes them straight to the church's door. If anything, they should be writing more stories, publishing more graphic details.

There's also an entire sub-plot here between Charles and Megan as sexual tension brews between them. Megan delivers a hard copy of her latest article, this one highlighting the latest horrific murder scene and when she shows up, Charles is there post-shower in just a towel. They come very close to having sex, but Charles says no. For now.

Lois visits Marshall at the hospital for another weird showdown with Nurse Redd. Somehow he's developed a large bed sore and the nurse needs Lois' help to clearn Marshall and ensure he doesn't get sepsis. Afterward, she tells Lois that she wants her to sign over power of attorney. If Lois refuses, Redd threatens to blackmail her and ruin her life. Lois still refuses.

Then she meets Eddie, the orderly played by Kelce. There's an instant connection between Eddie and Lois and potentially even a flirtation. Eddie notices how drunk Lois is and, not wanting her to drive, offers to drive her himself. Lois refuses and almost immediately crashes her car, landing her right back in the hospital, this time in her own bed. Hanover shows up and informs Lois she's been arrested, but she intends to make it go away because she thinks Lois is the only one who can solve the case.

Lois convinces Eddie to uncuff her from her bed and help her sneak out, which he does, allowing her to jump into his car so they can escape into the night.

Episode 4 recap

We ended episode 3 with Lois leaving the hospital, but she's back again at the start of episode 4, visiting Marshall and telling him that she probably won't be seeing him for a while as she refocuses on the case. Nurse Redd is listening in on the conversation and recording it, hoping to use it all as evidence to get power of attorney.

At church, Father Charles is indulging in his side hustle, making exercise videos on his stationary bike. Megan brings him her next article, but he doesn't care for this one because it's not as graphic as he'd like. It's just a piece about how the police have stalled and there are no new leads. Charles would prefer more fear and bloodlust. He and Megan end up in his room again and this time they do have sex.

Returning to the hospital yet again, Eddie invites Lois on a date, so to speak. In reality, he takes her to an AA meeting and reveals that he used to be a skiier until he got a serious injury that pretty much ended his career and sent him on a downward spiral where he wound up indugling in alcohol and prostitution. He warns Lois not to lose her dignity like he once did.

Pivoting to church again, Megan brings Lois with her to meet with Father Charles via confessional. There they seem to agree with one another that maybe god left and abandoned them all. That something "old, brutal, and hellish" is here.

Arriving home, Lois gets a pleasant surprise from her daughter, who has solved that mysterious puzzle box that they found at an earlier crime scene. Inside is a small slip of paper with coordinates. Lois calls Eddie to the house to keep an eye on Meritt for the next few days as Lois leaves with Megan to drive to the location.

Upon arrival, they discover a massive burning firepit. A Dr. Joseph Ritter shows up claiming the area has been riddled with severe earthquakes lately, resulting in a sinkhole opening up over a natural gas deposit that no one even knew was there. "Or maybe hell finally opened up."

The road is blocked because of the fire, so Megan and Lois intend to return to the valley to stay in a hotel. They stop off for gas where Lois meets a strange man out back digging up a fire line. He starts rambling about how humans caused all of this because of climate change, and now it's too late to escape, etc. He advises Lois to stick to the road because the only way to escape the fire is to go through it. Then he gives her a one of those silver fire shelters to take with her.

Megan and Lois get back on the road and Megan can't help but confess to sleeping with Father Charles. She thinks the firepit and all the bad stuff that's happening is because of her and people like her. Adulterers. Sinners. But before Lois can really get into that, she slams on the brakes as a woman covered in blood runs toward them and gets into the back of their car. She screams at them to drive because "someone" is coming. When asked who, she just says, "Him."

New episodes of Grotesquerie air Wednesday nights on FX at 10 p.m. ET and also stream on Hulu the day after.