Hulu: “Feud: Capote vs. the Swans” starring Naomi Watts

Swans as a species are highly protective of their nests. They will viciously attack anything that they perceive as a threat, including humans.

While there are many breeds of swans, the one under discussion here is the “swans” of Manhattan, a largely extinct breed of stylish, moneyed “ladies who lunch” that thrived in the mid 20th century. These swans drive “Feud; Season 2: Capote vs the Swans.” The term was invented by writer Truman Capote who was taken under their wing in the mid 1950s.

These swans were customarily spouses of rich and accomplished men. They married and divorced as easily and frequently as Americans switched cars. Oblivious to the world of politics, or anyone who wasn’t like them, they were more attuned to the fluffiness of a sorbet and a chilled bottle of Cristal Champagne, invariably enjoyed at a New York restaurant off Fifth Avenue called La Cote Basque. The swans lunched there often, gossiped incessantly, and shared their stories in confidence with Capote.

By the mid-1970s, Capote had lost much of his elan. “In Cold Blood” had drained him, and he turned to alcohol for comfort. Increasingly desperate for content, he wrote a story called “La Cote Basque” for Esquire Magazine, in which he divulged gossip that was meant for his ears only. When it was published, the swans were so outraged, they ostracized him for years—some forever. This banishment from the kingdom, according to the series, further contributed to Capote’s decline. He became the woozy caricature you’d see on late-night TV or on the front page of the tabloids dancing at Studio 54.

This eight-episode series follows Truman’s desperate attempt to be restored to the good graces of the swans, particularly his favorite, Babe Paley (Naomi Watts), one of the fabulous Cushing sisters of Boston who’s married to Bill Paley, CEO of CBS. The series is especially successful, however, when it focuses on the friendship that binds Truman and Babe.

As played by the extraordinary Watts, Babe was the beautiful woman all others aspired to be. Named to the best dressed list time after time, she would never stoop to less-than-perfect behavior. When asked if she would serve soda at a soirée, she gasped, “Root beer? Please! Are we throwing a pizza party?” Nor would Babe ever step outside her door without being perfectly coiffed—even when visiting her oncologist. Small wonder that she, more than any of the swans, was wounded by Truman’s story which suggested her husband was sleeping with Happy Rockefeller, the wife of New York’s governor at the time.

The other anchor of the series is Tom Hollander who portrays Truman. Introduced to many of us in “The White Lotus, Season 2”, he portrays Capote as a pitiful, drunken, Chihuahua of a man who cruises gay baths for rough trade and once hooked up with a beefy air conditioner repairman (Vincent Schnabel) while drying out in Palm Springs. Fortunately Hollander is always hilarious and the quips that come out of his/Truman’s mouth are on point. In one instance, Truman answers the phone in his famous squeaky little voice: “Capote residence, Petunia speaking.”

The actors who play the other swans are no second raters by any means. Diane Lane is clearly having a ball playing Slim Keith, the thrice-married woman who never forgives Truman for his betrayal. Same goes for Calista Flockhart as the arch-bitchy Lee Radziwill, sister of the former First Lady. Molly Ringwald is almost unrecognizable as Joanna Carson, the ex-wife of Johnny Carson. Chloe Sevigny is fine as tweedy horsewoman C. Z. Guest, despite the fact that her hair has been styled to make her look like George Washington.

Two other actors deserve shout-outs: Jessica Lange who is marvelous as Lillie Mae, Truman’s dead mother who remains very much alive in the writer’s imagination, and Demi Moore, who plays Ann Woodward whom Truman accused of murdering her husband in his Cote Basque story (she was acquitted.)

Of the eight episodes, two are standouts. One is Episode 3 which reimagines the notorious Black-and White ball/birthday party Truman threw for Washington Post editor Katharine Graham in 1966. The other is Episode 5, where the writers concoct an imaginary encounter between Truman and writer James Baldwin (Chris Chalk). They spend a day dining and drinking and speaking about what it is like for two gay men looking in on a world they can never really enter.

Unfortunately the rest of the “Capote” does not measure up to the high standards it initially sets. The decline and fall of Truman is repeated ad nauseam, devolving into a finale that is outright boring. Plus, the excessive name-dropping could cause unwanted eye-rolling and teeth-gnashing.

On a positive note, the opening credits of each episode features the most rapturous score (thank you, Thomas Newman and daughter Julia) that I have ever heard on a TV show. So despite some flaws, there’s plenty to enjoy here. But do keep in mind that La Cote Basque restaurant has closed its doors, few if any of us dress for dinner anymore, and in the eerie finale set in 2016, the swans return, dressed to the nines, surveying the modern world ruefully. “Nothing’s a little like New York anymore. Not even New York,” one says. Truer words were never spoken.

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