Photo courtesy of FX.
High stakes and high society drama take center stage in Ryan Murphy’s latest anthology series, “Capote vs. the Swans,” which dives into the tension between author Truman Capote and his friendship with an elite circle of women. Among them is the mother of Dallas socialite Cornelia Guest.
With renowned previous works like “In Cold Blood” and “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” Capote was working on an unpublished work, “Answered Prayers,” a scintillating portrayal of his elite female acquaintances, known collectively as the Swans. Serialized in four pasts in Esquire in 1975, the exposé broke Capote’s bond with the society mavens.
The Swans, a coterie comprised of Babe Paley, Slim Keith, Ann Woodward, Lee Radziwill and C.Z. Guest, each famed in their own ways. Among them, Radziwill, the younger sister of former First Lady Jackie Onassis.
According to Vanity Fair’s companion article to the new series, Guest, the sole Swan to extend forgiveness to Capote, was not only a fashion icon but also renowned for her green thumb, social parties and philanthropic endeavors—a gene her daughter Cornelia celebrates. Relocating from the New York social scene to Preston Hollow around the pandemic, Cornelia is focusing on a new chapter of her own, PaperCity reported.
Guest previously worked with Ryan Murphy’s other series American Horror Stories in the season titled “Facelift” in 2022.
The season stars Tom Hollander as the enigmatic Truman Capote and Chloë Sevigny as C.Z Guest. The rest of the series’ ensemble includes Naomi Watts, Diane Lane, Calista Flockhart, Demi Moore and Molly Ringwald.
Of course, we had to give the series a try. A show that endorses high society and literature is one that was already on our watchlist. The pilot establishes Capote in the inner elite circle, first introducing his friendship with Paley and the other Swans. It doesn’t waste time in underlining Capote’s closeness with the women shortly before betraying them. It opens with Hollander’s Capote waltzing into the room to cure a panic onset by Paley, instantly taking control of the room. The first scene ends with Capote promising he would never betray her, something that is ironically bookended later.
The first three episodes of the new season with the Swans premiered on Jan. 31 and are available on Hulu. Episodes premieres every Wednesday at 10 p.m. on FX.
