This week on The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, the Juice is "absolutely 100% not guilty" and trial preparations get a bit heated. My thoughts on the episode are after the jump.
The show just keeps getting better and better. I am finding this season to be absolutely irresistible. It is becoming the perfect balance of true crime drama and absurd reality television. It is so hard to believe that all of this happened the way that it did, but at the same time it honestly is not.
Marcia Clark's side of the episode provided us with the bulk of the serious topics this week. Seeing her watch the focus group call her so many unspeakable things was very upsetting to me. It perfectly represented the superficial qualities of the typical populace. However, it was the moment when the leader of the group finally suggests to Marcia to "have a softer appearance" and even going so far as to suggest that she needs to change her hair and smile more that it maddened me, but did not surprise me. We also got to see Faye Resnick finally portrayed on the show as she publishes her "tell all" book about Nicole Brown Simpson and how it shook up the trial and its jury selection progress. I could not help but notice the show taking time to explore how women are often represented and viewed through a pop culture lens and how much embedded judgement and hatred there is toward them. In Marcia's case, she is just doing her job as she normally does and she is doing it well and with passion, but now the case has turned into a complete reality show farce and she is being looked at the same way a Kardashian would be on their show today (ironically enough). It is so sad to see her so demeaned and ridiculed and I applaud the show for taking time away from the crazier hijinks to focus on a topic like this.
As for the hijinks, Johnnie Cochran's inclusion into the Dream Team on O.J. side of the court (see what I did there?) is leading to a bunch of really fun scenes with these so-called professionals going at each other like they are in a high school cafeteria. Travolta is slowly growing on me with his performance as Shapiro because he finally gets how trashy this whole story sort of is and he is relishing in it. His small war with Cochran over who is in charge is absolutely ludicrous and the scene with O.J. forced into choosing a side was ripe with humor and awkward tension. The dynamic of these men and the problems they keep creating for themselves as they prepare for each hearing is absolutely great.
The scene that stood out to me the most this week though is Marcia's interaction with Ronald Goldman's father. As much as the show is in love with the crazier aspects of the true story it is telling, it is not failing to acknowledge the fact that this is still about a serious and heartbreaking crime that has occurred. Goldman's father was the show's hidden conscience this week. He is seeing the crazy Looney Toon that this situation is becoming and it is destroying him and his family. He lost his son. and all he is getting is this farce. His pleading to Marcia about how he feels and how good his son was heartbreaking to witness. It brought everything to perspective for just a moment and reminded us that it is not just about the spectacle of the case, but is about loss and the victims it affected. It was a masterful scene to include in the episode and brought a great counter to the proceedings.
The case is about to start next week and I cannot wait. There is sure to be plenty of drama and zaniness to come. This is incredibly well made television and so far it is absolutely sticking its landing.
Grade: A.
The People v O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story airs every Tuesday night on FX.
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