Round Two: Feud

Feud: Season 1, Episode 2 “The Other Woman” (B)

So many people told me that I was crazy to have not stuck with “American Crime Story: The People vs. OJ Simpson” past its initial episode, which didn’t do much for me. I understand the power of Ryan Murphy in the industry and the fact that shows like that are going to dominate awards cycles for years to come. I watched this second hour out of obligation, to see if it piqued my interest any more than the first one or if it would just be worthwhile for me to conclude that it’s a strong show I’m sure others will enjoy but I don’t need to be watching. Given the number of shows currently are to keep with on a weekly basis, I’m going to defer to the latter opinion going forward. It is interesting to see how quickly Joan and Bette slipped back into hating each other when Robert made his dastardly move to divide them. He’s also the one they call, and the fact that he slept with Bette after turning down Joan’s advances is sure to eventually come to light and made things torrentially worse. I do like the casting of Kiernan Shipka from “Mad Men” as Bette’s daughter, and Dominic Burgess seems like he’s having fun as the “unexpectedly homosexual” Victor Buono. I imagine I may encounter this show again sometime soon, in Emmy episode viewing or in its already-announced second season, but for now I think I’ll have to acknowledge the quality of its storytelling and acting that others will be able to benefit from enjoying.