Grotesque: Niecy Nash-Betts unpacks the finale

SPOILER ALERT! This post contains details about FX's finale Grotesque.

It looks like Lois may never make it to Florida after all.

The finale of FX's grotesque In a way, it felt like the ten episodes had come full circle, as Niecy Nash-Betts abandoned her plan to start over in Tarpon Springs and instead put on her detective hat again to try to solve the problem to solve the same gruesome crimes she had investigated in her borderline state – except this time they happen in real life.

When Lois is called to the scene of a family being brutally murdered and carefully seated at their kitchen table, she begins to become suspicious. But when she finds herself at the church altar again, she finds herself staring at a bloody replica of the Last Supper, this time with her doctor (who was the church's priest and ultimately the murderer of the events that unfolded while she was in it In a coma, she knows she can't escape to Tarpon Springs until she gets to the bottom of this.

Meanwhile, the doctor who questioned Lois about her borderline condition tries to convince her of it she is the one doing the killing this time. Finally she lost track of time. And who other than the two of them would have learned anything about the nature of the murders from their comatose imagination?

For the record, Nash-Betts wants answers to all of these questions and more.

She tells Deadline: “If everything is perfect, we would have a second season to unpack it. If not, that means I'll be sitting at dinner with Ryan (Murphy) for hours telling me where he's going with this story.”

In the following interview, Nash-Betts reveals the final episode of Deadline, speculates and reflects on Season 2 grotesqueis a social commentary that explains why Lois is “one and the same” as Vice President Kamala Harris.

DEADLINE: The finale once again raises doubts about Lois' reality. What do you think of it? Is she actually awake and alive?

NIECY NASH BEDS: Yes, I believe everything that happened up until episode 7 took place while Lois was in a coma. On the other hand, after she wakes up from the coma, someone, a copycat killer, has started making her dreams come true.

DEADLINE: So you don't think Lois is the murderer?

NASH BETS: No, I didn't say that! I didn't say who I think the murderer is.

DEADLINE: Do you have a theory?

NASH BETS: You know, I think that in the Ryan Murphy universe you always expect the unexpected.

DEADLINE: Very cryptic. How did you react to the final episodes when you first read them?

NASH BETS: Oh, I loved it because as an artist, all the actors got to play that duality. My daughter, played by Raven Goodwin, was portrayed like this – her mother wasn't proud of her and she wasted her life, when in reality she is a high-functioning doctor with dual degrees. The same was true for every character. Sister Megan, played by Micaela Diamond, was a nun. And in real life she is the police chief. So we all live in a world where as actors we dream of being able to play multiple sides of a character. So that was absolutely delicious for us.

DEADLINE: What was it like changing the dynamic between all of these characters midway through the season? They all have completely different relationships than initially portrayed.

NASH BETS: Let me tell you, we really enjoyed it. What we like most about it is that he's giving Travis Kelce a hard time with that mullet. Everyone thought (Eddie) was so polite and so cool, but it was like, “Uh uh.” Not in real life.'

DEADLINE: Now that you can talk in depth about his character, what was it like working with him in this kind of dual character capacity?

NASH BETS: Oh, it's great to be able to embrace the duality of it all. I'm definitely a strong supporter of Travis and any new actor. They want them to win. You cheer her on. Just watching him look at himself so differently… I posted a little BTS of him and his cowboy boots and mullet. I thought, 'Boy, you look like you should be on the tractor.'

DEADLINE: How did you figure out what kind of person Lois is after she came out of her coma?

NASH BETS: Lots of conversations with Ryan Murphy to understand the state of mind she is in now. What does it all mean? Is she still drinking? Or is she in recovery? So many things had to be unpacked. What is causing her to feel like she is going crazy and getting herself admitted to a mental institution? We just had to have a lot of conversations about all of these things to make sure we were getting to the right cruising altitude for Lois and her waking life.

DEADLINE: I found the relationship between Lois and Marshall very interesting. It's so controversial after she wakes up. How did you work with Courtney (B. Vance) to figure all this out?

NASH BETS: This is interesting because not only Courtney, but also Lesley Manville, who also played Nurse Redd. We have very different relationships in our waking lives. Marshall is thought to be on life support and in a coma, only to find out that it is Lois who is in a coma – and how contentious his relationship with her is and how he really sees her. Courtney is such a good guy, the times he's had to say mean things to me, I mean I just start laughing because I'm like, 'Who are you?' You're not even that person.' We get along great. We've worked together on a few projects, but we've never had to be mean to each other. In the end, when we had to be mean, we always said, “Are you okay?” Are you okay?' Because it just didn't feel right.

DEADLINE: In the finale, Marshall suggests to Lois that they all move in with Redd.

NASH BETS: Did you see that?!

DEADLINE: What did you think of this scene?

NASH BETS: I thought, 'What's going on?' But you never know. Some people probably live this life. All I know is that at that moment Lois said, “Everyone get out of here.” With all sincerity, in waking life her husband said, “Can we all live here together?” You know, it was crazy.

DEADLINE: I find it really fascinating that even at the end the audience still has to question what is real and what isn't.

NASH BETS: I've had so many people call me and say, “What's wrong?” I don't understand what happened. Wait a minute. Is that real? Isn't that real? Wait, what happened?' So I've had a lot of people think about it and theorize what they think. There are some groups that are all dialed in and have large chat rooms dedicated to the show and their theories on the show. I feel like we definitely geared our ending towards a second season so that the audience would stay tuned.

DEADLINE: So you think there's room for more?

NASH BETS: Absolutely. They don't even know who Grotesquerie is. This is a huge unanswered question.

DEADLINE: Are there any unanswered questions that you would like to address in a potential second season?

NASH BETS: I guess the main thing I'm looking forward to is who Grotesque is, because especially in therapy the doctor says Grotesque is an amalgamation of all the evils that have happened in the world in her head, but then these crimes start in the truest sense of the word to happen. So wait a minute. What does that mean then? There are still a few questions I'm waiting to answer, and if everything is perfect, we'd have a second season to unpack them. If not, that means I'll be sitting at dinner with Ryan for hours telling me where he's going with this story.

DEADLINE: So you don't think Lois is going to Florida?

NASH BETS: Not me. I don't think so, not after she stands flat-footed after being released from the mental institution and says to Cranburn and Megan, 'Meet me in my old office.' I know who the killer is.' I don't think she'll ever make it to Tarpon Springs any time soon.

DEADLINE: What was it like for you as executive producer to be able to provide more creative input on the series?

NASH BETS: Ryan is a wonderful collaborator. So we worked together on everything from plot considerations to casting to maybe reshaping things after we'd shot something. And it's like, “Wait a minute, that's pointing me in this direction” or “Maybe there's a change we can make here.” What is Lois' alcohol level? Is it plastered? Does she have a hangover? Where is she with her illness? So we were hand in hand and worked together a lot. I love that I'm Ryan's new muse.

DEADLINE: What were some of your favorite hints or Easter eggs that Lois was in a coma before the reveal?

NASH BETS: The two that catch my eye are when my daughter Merritt is filming her video for a television show and you see a male nurse just walking through the frame. It distracts Lois's attention. And then she's like, “Wait, what?” And then when she's at her desk having a conversation with Nurse Megan and the beeping of the printer sounds like the beeping of the machine she was plugged into.

DEADLINE: This series is full of commentary on the current state of the world. How does it feel to have the finale airing just a week before a hugely significant presidential election?

NASH BETS: We touch on many topics. We touch on climate change. We address women's freedom of choice over their own bodies. We address different types of evils that exist in the world. And in many ways I feel like Lois and Kamala (Harris) are one and the same, both trying to save the world from evil.