In the fourth episode of Feud: Capote vs. The Swans, the series took us back to 1975, after Truman dropped his article about the scandals of his socialite friends. In this latest episode of the series, we are once again back in 1978, when Truman couldn’t focus on his book and increased his alcohol consumption which gradually damaged his health. Episode 6 is all about Truman trying to give Kate, John O’Shea’s daughter, a bright and secure future while he continues to fall back into his alcoholism. At the end of the episode, Truman, however, wrote some lines for his book, but we know that he wouldn’t be able to continue it.
Spoilers Ahead
What Were Truman’s Plans With Kate Harrington?
Episode 6 opened with Truman going shopping with CZ to buy a gardening hat. He had a brief conversation with CZ, asking about Babe Paley’s health, to which CZ told him about the dire time Babe had been going through; however, Truman remarked something very insulting about Babe, which CZ didn’t like at all. Actually, Truman was out shopping only for his new swan, Kate Harrington, the daughter of John O’Shea. Truman changed her name to Harrington to make it sound more edgy. Truman tried too hard to make Kate look like one of those rich socialites he used to hang out with, even though Kate felt uncomfortable with the look. She was a young woman whom Truman dressed like she belonged to the 60s. However, Truman actually wanted to make her look just like Babe, which was why Kate couldn’t feel confident in the outfit that he forced her to wear. Even when Truman took her to La Cote Basque, she became a subject of mockery for the other elite swans who were present there. Truman ignored them and asked Kate to keep her ears open all the time if she ever wanted to become a writer like him. As Truman simply wanted her to eavesdrop on people sitting at the next table, Kate understood that he didn’t know anything about other people’s privacy. Meanwhile, at La Cote, the usual customers, Slim and Lee, were also present. Although Slim had no desire to talk to Truman anymore, Lee didn’t leave the opportunity to comment on Kate’s overdressed look. Meanwhile, Truman was also in jeopardy because of something he said on a talk show about Gore Vidal behaving inappropriately with Jackie Kennedy. Now, as Gore Vidal wanted to file a lawsuit against Truman, he had to be ready to welcome legal troubles into his life.
Did Rick Leave Truman?
In the midst of everything, Truman went to hide in Palm Springs, California, while Slim knew he went to rehab in order to save his neck from the lawsuit filed against him. Truman wasn’t writing his piece, as we saw him drowning in alcohol and chasing men who never even liked him for who he was. We saw Truman battling with this desire to be and feel young once again. When he realized that over the decades, New York City was also changing and welcoming a modern era, Truman tried to fit into every contemporary style, but he couldn’t realize that his age wouldn’t allow him to be as cool as he wanted to be. Truman tried to go to the disco, dragging CZ along with him, but he found an article on him, making fun of his dance moves, in the next day’s newspaper.
In Palm Springs, Truman was really enjoying his own company, as there was no one to judge him or make fun of him. However, one day, a handsome electrician, Rick, came to Truman’s cottage to fix a machine and caught his attention. Truman began to ask him everything, starting from his upbringing to his love life, and Rick enjoyed his company. However, the interaction soon turned into an intimate encounter between them, and Rick remarked that it was one of the best experiences he ever had. Soon Rick became Truman’s boyfriend, with whom Truman started going out. Truman took him shopping and even to La Cote Basque, where he introduced him to his friends, CZ and Jack, who were a bit uncomfortable with Rick being around. No one even wanted to hear how many air conditioners Rick had fixed and how he fixed them, but all of them had to entertain his elaborate lectures on machines only because they respected Truman. A massive discomfort was evident on CZ’s face showcasing how the elite class had always belittled the working class. CZ didn’t express her discomfort, but her facial expression gave me second-hand embarrassment as a viewer.
However, Rick didn’t last long as Truman’s boyfriend, as he also noticed that he didn’t quite fit in Truman’s circle. So gradually, he started ignoring Truman and maintaining a distance from him. Truman realized that his worst nightmare had finally come true, as he now believed he was out of style. One day, Rick confided in Truman, telling him that he was engaged to a woman, and now he didn’t feel like playing the role of his boyfriend anymore. Truman was shocked that Rick was engaged and had a beautiful fiancée working at a shop. So even though Truman didn’t want to insult Rick, he did and asked him to leave. He gently humiliated the man, but before leaving, Rick told him that he should buy a teddy bear for himself to cuddle to sleep. Truman asked Rick to give him one so that he could remember Rick through his gift. Rick finally left Truman, who was in grave pain, and dealing with his loneliness, but his creativity stemmed from this solitude, which prompted him to write something about it. Truman once again sat down to write and wrote about the meaning of friendship and its importance, which he once overlooked and later regretted. However, it was certain that Truman would not finish the text, as he was unable to keep any of the promises he made to himself. This is why the charm of the show is slowly diminishing as the predictable ending of each episode keeps disappointing us, but let’s hope to see something new in the next episode, which might surprise us a bit.
