What role does Raven Goodwin play in the Grotesquerie series? Character role explored

Grotesquerie is a crime drama series that premiered on FX on September 25, 2024. Created by Ryan Murphy, Jon Robin Baitz, and Joe Baken, the show is produced by Kip Davis Myers, Daniel Portnoy, and Adam Penn. The horror series spans 10 episodes and is directed by Max Winkler, Ryan Murphy, Alexis Martin Woodall, and Elegance Bratton.

Grotesquerie stars Niecy Nash-Betts as Detective Lois Tryon, who investigates a series of horrific crimes in her community. Courtney B. Vance plays her comatose husband, Marshall Tryon, while Raven Goodwin plays the couple's daughter, Merritt Tryon.

Additionally, the cast includes Nicholas Alexander Chavez as Father Charlie Mayhew, Micaela Diamond as Sister Megan Duval, and Lesley Manville as Nurse Redd. The synopsis of Grotesquerie, as per Rotten Tomatoes, reads:

"Detective Lois Tryon feels a series of heinous crimes in her small community are eerily personal, as if someone or something is taunting her.... With no leads and unsure where to turn, she accepts the help of Sister Megan, a nun and journalist with the Catholic Guardian."

It further reads:

"As Lois and Sister Megan string together clues, they find themselves ensnared in a sinister web that only seems to raise more questions than answers."

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A look at Raven Goodwin's character in Grotesquerie

Raven Goodwin plays Merritt Tryon in Grotesquerie (Image via Instagram/@ravengoodwin)

Raven Goodwin appears as Merritt Tryon, the daughter of Detective Lois Tryon and Marshall Tryon, in Grotesquerie. Merritt shared a close relationship with her father before he fell into a coma.

However, it's a different story with her mother. The mother-daughter duo is anything but close. Like Lois, who has a drinking problem, Merritt also struggles with addiction. She has an eating disorder and stuffs herself with food, hoping to get big enough to appear in the fictional reality TV series, Half-Ton Trauma.

Merritt made her first appearance in the show's pilot episode, which aired on September 25, 2024. In episode 6, which aired on October 9, 2024, Merritt spends time with Ed Lachlan, who watches over her in her mother's absence. As Lois is away for a few days due to the investigation, she asks her new friend Eddie to look after Merritt.

Raven described her character in detail during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in October 2024. The actor explained:

"Merritt is more than what meets the eye. She’s a very nuanced person. She’s highly intelligent. She isn’t the typical “woe is me” [character] that people would think she is, but she is self-sabotaging. I think she’s a very confident person."

She continued:

"She just doesn’t have much self-worth at the moment, and she’s trying to figure out what life is supposed to look like for her. And right now, it’s her being on this reality show acting as if she is the person that everyone sees her to be, when she knows she’s not."

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Who is Raven Goodwin?

Raven Goodwin began her career as a child actress with the 2001 comedy film Lovely & Amazing. Two years later, she starred in The Station Agent and earned a SAG award nomination (for ensemble cast). She also appeared in Good Luck Charlie, which aired on Disney from 2010 to 2014. Furthermore, she had a three-episode arc in Ryan Murphy's other hit series, Glee.

In addition, Raven played the leading role in the teen drama series Huge. She was widely praised for her performances in the BET series Being Mary Jane as well as the comedy series, SMILF.

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Viewers can watch the latest episodes of Grotesquerie every Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT) on FX. Additionally, the new episodes can be streamed on Hulu the day after its premiere on FX.