S03:E06 Man Handled

[txhorns79]

Quote

The Office of the Independent Counsel ensnares Monica Lewinsky, holding her for 12 traumatizing hours in a hotel room.

 

[SailorGirl]

Pretty much all I can say is wow.  Even just a tv re-telling of what happened that day was surreal. The way those scumbag agents backtracked  -- no, she wasn't detained; no we never told her she couldn't call her lawyer, etc. . . disgusting doesn't even begin to describe it. I have to say . . . I kind of love that her mother made them all wait because she had to take the train rather than fly. They deserved every second of that wait.

For someone so "young and naive," she managed to hold her own that day. I'm sure she didn't see it that way, and it wasn't intentional, but she really did. From the interviews I've read and her HBO doc, this seems to be a pretty good reenactment of what happened that day. 

Here's a fact-check on the episode: 

https://slate.com/culture/2021/10/impeachment-accuracy-episode-6-monica-lewinsky-interrogation.html

 

Edited October 13, 2021 by SailorGirl

[LADreamr]

3 minutes ago, SailorGirl said:

I kind of love that her mother made them all wait because she had to take the train rather than fly. They deserved every second of that wait.

Yeah, but she also made Monica wait. For hours, alone, in a terrifying situation, with no idea what was going on in the interim.  If that was my kid, I don't care how much I hated to fly, I would have held on to the plane's wing to get there as fast as possible, rather than make her wait there with them, for one unnecessary minute longer.

I probably shouldn't have been surprised that Linda turned in Monica, and then went shopping, but that was a WTF moment, anyway.

 

[txhorns79]

I kind of guessed that Jackie Bennett's approach to interrogating Monica was going to backfire.  She was never going to respond well to being screamed at by some overbearing oaf.  I tend to think that if they had approached Monica in a gentler way, perhaps with an older female prosecutor, who looked nothing like Linda, Monica probably would have opened up.

[DanaK]

Never should have happened to Monica for, I think it was Monica who said, a personal affair and lying in a civil trial. Ken Starr and company clearly were reaching when they couldn’t get the Clintons with the rest of his investigation

[SailorGirl]

12 minutes ago, LADreamr said:

Yeah, but she also made Monica wait. For hours, alone, in a terrifying situation, with no idea what was going on in the interim.  If that was my kid, I don't care how much I hated to fly, I would have held on to the plane's wing to get there as fast as possible, rather than make her wait there with them, for one unnecessary minute longer.

True, but at least she knew someone on her side was coming -- that had to be some mental relief for her. I'm sure Monica wanted her there as soon as possible, but rich white ladies gonna rich white lady, even when it involves the Feds. 

Edited October 13, 2021 by SailorGirl

[KaveDweller]

That must have been terrible to go through. Awful that they denied her access to a lawyer. I did kind of love that as soon as her mom got there she told Monica to cooperate and start thinking about herself though.

I also kept wondering why they needed a typewriter or a computer to put her deal in writing. Just write it on paper! They don't even need to fax it to the lawyer, at least offer to write it and give it to Monica. Why should anyone believe a "promise" from those guys?

It's sad thinking that Monica was right when she said no one would ever marry her and her life was over. Maybe she changed her mind about marriage, but after reading how in real life she was never able to get a job or move past the scandal makes me think not. But I guess she's probably at least getting a bunch of money for being involved in this show.

[DanaK]

The guy playing attorney William Ginsburg was awesome in his few scenes

The scene with Coulter and friends going through the tapes and being annoyed by it was funny

Lewinsky really did well holding out on those guys in the hours they were holding her. She was a mess but managed to be smart and crafty as well

[LADreamr]

1 minute ago, DanaK said:

The scene with Coulter and friends going through the tapes and being annoyed by it was funny

I loved that they had to sit through so much of those inane conversations, after being so bloodthirsty about it.  I got a nice dose of schadenfreude watching their schadenfreude backfire like that.

[xhoipolloix]

15 minutes ago, DanaK said:

The guy playing attorney William Ginsburg was awesome in his few scenes

I loved the attorney William Ginsburg. The entire time they were waiting for Monica's mother and after she arrived I kept shouting at the tv where is that lawyer??!! He'll tell them to fuck off. Poor Monica. Her inner strength is amazing.

[DanaK]

1 minute ago, xhoipolloix said:

I loved the attorney William Ginsburg. The entire time they were waiting for Monica's mother and after she arrived I kept shouting at the tv where is that lawyer??!! He'll tell them to fuck off. Poor Monica. Her inner strength is amazing.

I guess I wasn’t paying enough attention early on because I thought he was Monica’s regular attorney. It was only when his name was said when Monica and the agent were talking to him that I realized I was confused. I definitely remember him as Lewinsky’s attorney once the scandal blew up though not all the details

[Ms Blue Jay]

I don't like this portrayal of Ann Coulter as this cool, boss woman who makes all the men do what she wants and they all act thankful for it.  Is it even accurate?  

35 minutes ago, KaveDweller said:

I also kept wondering why they needed a typewriter or a computer to put her deal in writing. Just write it on paper! They don't even need to fax it to the lawyer, at least offer to write it and give it to Monica. Why should anyone believe a "promise" from those guys?

Right, they were just stalling.

[choclatechip45]

Jackie Bennett is an ass. No idea how he hasn't been disbarred. 

[CeeBeeGee]

1 hour ago, SailorGirl said:

Pretty much all I can say is wow.  Even just a tv re-telling of what happened that day was surreal. The way those scumbag agents backtracked  -- no, she wasn't detained; no we never told her she couldn't call her lawyer, etc. . . disgusting doesn't even begin to describe it. I have to say . . . I kind of love that her mother made them all wait because she had to take the train rather than fly. They deserved every second of that wait.

For someone so "young and naive," she managed to hold her own that day. I'm sure she didn't see it that way, and it wasn't intentional, but she really did. From the interviews I've read and her HBO doc, this seems to be a pretty good reenactment of what happened that day. 

Here's a fact-check on the episode: 

https://slate.com/culture/2021/10/impeachment-accuracy-episode-6-monica-lewinsky-interrogation.html

 

I was wildly impressed with how she managed to hold her own even though she was obviously terrified. Good for you, Monica! Loved the oh-so-'90s mall moments--the agents desultorily following Monica through Pentagon City (a mall every DC-er knows well ;) ), even down to dining at what looks like TGI Fridays but what according to the Slate article was actually American Grill! And the "et tu, Brute?" moment of Monica spotting Linda after having shopped at--dun dun dun--The Body Shop. I kind of miss malls.

 

45 minutes ago, txhorns79 said:

I kind of guessed that Jackie Bennett's approach to interrogating Monica was going to backfire.  She was never going to respond well to being screamed at by some overbearing oaf.  I tend to think that if they had approached Monica in a gentler way, perhaps with an older female prosecutor, who looked nothing like Linda, Monica probably would have opened up.

Oh God, what an obnoxious blowhard. What a flaming, bullying asshole. Emmick was doing so much better with her. But yes, a woman agent who wasn't an asshole would've done better.

When Ginsburg got on the phone and was deploying profanities left, right and center, I kind of loved him. And when he was giving hard, good, caring advice to Monica (especially when he was calling her "sweetheart" after 11 hours of being sequestered by these assholes)--I wanted to marry him. Good for you, Ginsburg.

[xhoipolloix]

2 minutes ago, CeeBeeGee said:

Oh God, what an obnoxious blowhard. What a flaming, bullying asshole. Emmick was doing so much better with her. But yes, a woman agent who wasn't an asshole would've done better.

They were all a bunch of misogynist assholes, with Jackie Bennett being the worst. None of those people wanted to help Paula Jones or Monica Lewinsky. They just wanted to use them and discard them.

[TobinAlbers]

Mama Lewinsky breathlessly hauling ass, phone in one hand and her jewels in another while yelling ‘The Feds got Monica!’ into the phone made me chortle and cheer her on at the same time. 

Linda doing shopping in the same damn mall after leaving Monica to the wolves was so odd it has to be true. That woman knows how to compartmentalize. Cold.blooded. 

Funny parallel of Linda’s self-justifying rambling trying the patience of the lawyers until she shows and tells them the name of the book with disgusted certainty- giving them what they want with Monica playing the long stall game with the Feds and then bouncing after a hellish 11 hours leaving them with dust. Both women were the object/pawns but held power in the info they could provide- one flipped and the other didn’t.

As sad as it was I was a teensy bit impressed that Monica didn’t want to do to Betty and Vernon what had been done to her and was so desperate to try to warn Clinton. She wasn’t a snitch and loyal to her peeps. Seriously, if Monica had been able to simply say to Betty or Bill that the Feds have her and they know (about them) history would’ve been so different. 

William Ginsburg was my hero tonight (after Mama Lewinsky). The way he flipped from his calming, clear handling of Monica to unleashing filthy fury hell on the Feds was beautiful. Oh the irony at their pearl clutching at how Ginsburg talked to them after the way they scornfully and nastily manipulated and intimidated Monica was laughable. The only way that scene would’ve been better is if Monica had said it herself - that’s the way they were acting already. Monica referring to him as her Dad’s malpractice lawyer made the Feds think they could handle him and he let them know quickly that he had their asses. He probably ate the rest of that burger he had just chomped into when the phone rang like a beast. 

Edited October 13, 2021 by TobinAlbers

[Glade]

William Ginsburg absolutely spoke for us, and it was wonderful.  I only wish some of it had gone directly to Bennet.  This whole episode was horrifying, but I'm very glad Monica was able to stall long enough to think things through and get enough support to free herself from this extra-legal B.S.

Oh yeah Linda, Reagan wore a three-piece suit every day while deliberately allowing 89,343 Americans to die of HIV/AIDS because he hated gay people.  How classy...  

[Spartan Girl]

Jesus Christ, poor Monica. She did not deserve to interrogated and threatened with jail just to be used as a political pawn. Everything those assholes used in their tactics was completely unethical.

Also calling it “Prom Night” because of “30 minutes alone with a woman in a hotel room”?!!  Fuck. You.

”LINDA, WHAT DID YOU DO?!?” I have to give her props for not physically attacking Linda once she knew everything she did to her.

William Ginsburg is the greatest. I cheered when he finally clued Monica in that she was in no threat of prison. He’s definitely the kind of lawyer I’d want in a jam.

It killed me that after all that they did to her, Monica still felt obligated to thank them for everything. We’re always brought up to be “nice girls” no matter what, aren’t we?

Edited October 13, 2021 by Spartan Girl

[cardigirl]

I dunno, all I could think about during this episode was that Monica had lied on her deposition, and had asked someone else to do so for her, and if she wasn't  a rich white girl, she probably would have been in jail. The rich are different. 

[AntFTW]

1) When Monica ran into Linda in the mall after making her phone call and seeing that Linda just went about her business, I was yelling at my TV “F*CK. HER. UP!”

2) I’ve never seen “SHUT THE F*CK UP, YOU MOTHERF*CKING C*CKSUCKER!” look so dramatic that it makes me gasp and clutch my pearls… and laugh my ass off at the same time.

Edited October 13, 2021 by AntFTW

[lovinbob]

I need a William Ginsburg in my life. 

[NoReally]

2 hours ago, cardigirl said:

I dunno, all I could think about during this episode was that Monica had lied on her deposition, and had asked someone else to do so for her, and if she wasn't  a rich white girl, she probably would have been in jail. The rich are different. 

True (especially the rich white girl part). But Ginsburg pointed out to Monica's father that no one ever went to jail about lying in a deposition about a personal affair.

Either way, he seemed certain that he could handle the situation -- which he did.

[chick binewski]

 

2 hours ago, cardigirl said:

I dunno, all I could think about during this episode was that Monica had lied on her deposition, and had asked someone else to do so for her, and if she wasn't  a rich white girl, she probably would have been in jail. The rich are different. 

One opinion of the scandal I've held consistently over the years is feeling terribly for Lewinsky and her family about what was depicted during last night's show. But yeah, I don't know many 24 year olds who have two lawyers at their disposal. 

In present day, Lewinsky has stated Clinton should want to apologize to her. I get that the POTUS influenced her to lie, but maybe this many years later Monica may want to - if not apologize to Paula Jones - consider how her actions impacted the bigger picture.

[chick binewski]

10 minutes ago, NoReally said:

True (especially the rich white girl part). But Ginsburg pointed out to Monica's father that no one ever went to jail about lying in a deposition about a personal affair.

Either way, he seemed certain that he could handle the situation -- which he did.

The thing is the purpose of Monica's lie wasn't simply to keep the encounters private  - it was to avoid being deposed and that the Prwsident indirectly asked Monica to tell the lie. It wasnt clear last night how much Ginsburg knew at the time (but also if I was Monica I would have been scared sh*tless).

[LADreamr]

8 minutes ago, chick binewski said:

In present day, Lewinsky has stated Clinton should want to apologize to her. I get that the POTUS influenced her to lie, but maybe this many years later Monica may want to - if not apologize to Paula Jones - consider how her actions impacted the bigger picture.

But she does.  Since the beginning, she has owned the parts that were her fault.  She has always been more mature in that sense than he ever was.  She's consistent about not letting herself off the hook.  Even with scenes that weren't going to be included, she insisted they were put back, in order to hold herself accountable.  Everyone around him has paid more dearly, and suffered more consequences, than he has.

[chick binewski]

5 minutes ago, LADreamr said:

But she does.  Since the beginning, she has owned the parts that were her fault.  She has always been more mature in that sense than he ever was.  She's consistent about not letting herself off the hook.  Even with scenes that weren't going to be included, she insisted they were put back, in order to hold herself accountable.  Everyone around him has paid more dearly, and suffered more consequences, than he has.

I completely agree re the price Lewinsky and others have had to pay vs Clinton. And I find present-day Monica sincere in some ways. But in the past she's appeared to be almost dismissive of Jones (who is not happy withi her portrayal on ACS) and other Clinton accusers.

I know Lewinsky can only tell her story, which may be part of my problem with this series. 

[hoodooznoodooz]

I wonder if that’s accurate: Linda being such a b- - - - to her daughter, who was only showing concern.

[cardigirl]

5 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

William Ginsburg is the greatest. I cheered when he finally clued Monica in that she was in no threat of prison. He’s definitely the kind of lawyer I’d want in a jam.

I'll be interested to see how he's portrayed going forward. Monica didn't care for him and he doesn't stay on her team for very long. 

[WearyTraveler]

1 hour ago, chick binewski said:

but also if I was Monica I would have been scared sh*tless

When I was a business consultant, I had the chance to see the FBI pull up to a government office to execute a warrant and to take some people into custody. It wasn't related to the project I was working on, but it was in the same building.

Later, in a totally unrelated matter, my ex-boyfriend had to go through a security clearance check for a job and the company hired to do that had ex-FBI agents doing the job. One of them asked me for an interview and even though it was in an informal setting (coffee shop), it felt really intimidating. 

It does something to you when you see/interact with these guys. My friends call me goody-two-shoes because I am such a stickler for following the rules and respecting the law, and even I felt apprehensive in the presence of the FBI

[DanaK]

This isn't the article I saw initially that was interviewing Beanie or Monica, but they took 23 days to film this episode, which is an almost unheard of length for a TV episode that's not a pilot https://decider.com/2021/08/20/impeachment-american-crime-story-tca-2021/

[ifionlyknew]

When Monica and Linda saw each other at the mall there seemed to be for just one quick moment a flicker of something (remorse? sadness?) come across Linda's face and then it was gone and the angry smug look came back.

[Ms Blue Jay]

I know that when the police want to question you you can ask for a lawyer but are there any different rules when it's the FBI?  Poor Monica, if I was 24 I would have no idea what my rights are.  We don't even have the FBI in my country but we have a likewise organization.  

[TattleTeeny]

11 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

 

Right, they were just stalling.

I took it as the opposite -- they were rushing. They wanted this done with ASAP (that night, IIRC) and were attempting to sway her with that lame "no typewriter" excuse, which would also allow them to not put their "deal" terms in writing at all.

[Ms Blue Jay]

I meant stalling giving her anything in writing.  I meant, they were bullshitting/lying/using it as an excuse.

[Ohiopirate02]

13 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I know that when the police want to question you you can ask for a lawyer but are there any different rules when it's the FBI?  Poor Monica, if I was 24 I would have no idea what my rights are.  We don't even have the FBI in my country but we have a likewise organization.  

It's the same for the FBI.  You are entitled to a lawyer and asking for one should be commonplace.  I say should because unscrupulous law enforcement agents at all levels have been known to dissuade people from calling lawyers during interrogations.  Asking for a lawyer is your right under the US Constitution and is not an admission of guilt.

[AntFTW]

11 hours ago, xhoipolloix said:

They were all a bunch of misogynist assholes, with Jackie Bennett being the worst. None of those people wanted to help Paula Jones or Monica Lewinsky. They just wanted to use them and discard them.

Right! These people were just pawns for other people's agenda. It's disgusting to watch. They didn't care whose lives were ruined in their thirst to achieve their goal.

[TheGreenKnight]

Linda's eyes looked as crazy as she sounded when she was going on that rant about Reagan and Bush, Sr. radiating class and elegance (GMAB). Nice touch on Paulson's part.

I feel sorry that Monica's affair was outed against her will. Despite how the affair is characterized by those with their own motives, it was always consensual on her part and she clearly had genuine feelings enough for Clinton not to want it all to be in the headlines. If only she could've got hold of the secretary.

[AntFTW]

10 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I know that when the police want to question you you can ask for a lawyer but are there any different rules when it's the FBI?  Poor Monica, if I was 24 I would have no idea what my rights are.  We don't even have the FBI in my country but we have a likewise organization.  

As @Ohiopirate02 said, it's the same for the FBI. The rule is the same for any and all law enforcement entities, from local police to the FBI. If someone asks for a lawyer, they are entitled to one.

Unscrupulous law enforcement officers and prosecutors would tell you that you can call a lawyer and also try to convince you that when if you call that lawyer, things will get worse for you.

Edited October 14, 2021 by AntFTW

[TattleTeeny]

Seriously, if I had children, I would drill into their heads to say nothing but "I want a lawyer" to law enforcement!

[Spartan Girl]

6 hours ago, cardigirl said:

I dunno, all I could think about during this episode was that Monica had lied on her deposition, and had asked someone else to do so for her, and if she wasn't  a rich white girl, she probably would have been in jail. The rich are different. 

 

3 hours ago, NoReally said:

True (especially the rich white girl part). But Ginsburg pointed out to Monica's father that no one ever went to jail about lying in a deposition about a personal affair.

Either way, he seemed certain that he could handle the situation -- which he did.

It’s possible to acknowledge that privilege while still sympathizing for the situation she was in. C’mon, wouldn’t any of us be scared if the FBI told us we could go to prison for what seemed like a little thing. I’d be crying and asking for my mom too.

Plus, even though Monica was wrong to ask Linda to lie for her, she still had no idea that Linda had been planning to sell her out from day one. I could feel her horror and betrayal they showed her the tapes of what she assumed were private conservations.

37 minutes ago, AntFTW said:

Right! These people were just pawns for other people's agenda. It's disgusting to watch. They didn't care whose lives were ruined in their thirst to achieve their goal.

This. I’d rant more, but politics.

Edited October 13, 2021 by Spartan Girl

[AntFTW]

9 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

It’s possible to acknowledge that privilege while still sympathizing for the situation she was in. C’mon, wouldn’t any of us be scared if the FBI told us we could go to prison for what seemed like a little thing. I’d be crying and asking for my mom too.

I’d like to think I have pretty thick skin. I had the unfortunate privilege of working around a bunch of lawyers at my very first job that I held for 4 years. I would spend a lot of that time picking their brains about the law. I learned how to read legal jargon, court orders and so on and picked up on many things. They taught me so much (some stuff I probably forgot) and to say that I learned a lot from the lawyers I worked with would be an understatement. From that experience, I would probably be a tough cookie to crack.

For someone who knows nothing about the law, when a prosecutor speaking criminal law to a layperson while surrounding them with a bunch of suits, it’s completely understandable that they would breakdown, cry and ask for their mom. I’m thinking if I’m Monica and I don’t know anything, and someone is threatening 20+ years of prison and it looks like it really might happen, I’m #TeamSnitch all day. I’m not going to prison for ANYBODY, especially over something this stupid.
 

Also, I almost get the feeling that Monica would almost rather go to prison than to let this part of her life get out to the public.

Edited October 14, 2021 by AntFTW

[cardigirl]

3 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

It’s possible to acknowledge that privilege while still sympathizing for the situation she was in. C’mon, wouldn’t any of us be scared if the FBI told us we could go to prison for what seemed like a little thing. I’d be crying and asking for my mom too.

Plus, even though Monica was wrong to ask Linda to lie for her, she still had no idea that Linda had been planning to sell her out from day one. I could feel her horror and betrayal they showed her the tapes of what she assumed were private conservations.

This. I’d rant more, but politics.

I think Monica knew it wasn't a "little" thing though. She was aware of the implications during the entire affair (not just the moral implications of an affair with a married man) through scandal.  While she was flattered by being in a relationship with THEPRESIDENTOFTHEUNITEDSTATES she was also terrified of being found out. Time and again she said "No one can ever know." And that is why, when she was asked to give a deposition, she lied about having a relationship with him.  She asked Linda to lie too, because she knew she had exposed herself by being open with Linda. If Linda was deposed, and refused to lie for her, well that was trouble. And she didn't want to cause Him trouble either.  She still thought that it was love between them and that she owed him loyalty. She thought more of him than of herself, martyr all the way. 

It's a complicated thing, and I didn't like the way the FBI acted with her either, but I think they would have acted that way with anyone (male or female) to get them to comply. 

What I found really interesting was that she was screaming at Linda "what did you do?" when she had done it to herself. And then she immediately thinks of suicide, as a way of getting out of it.  Sheesh. Of course, she was scared at that point, because she thought she would end Clinton's presidency, but he did that to himself, by being addicted to risky behavior.

 

 

 

[SailorGirl]

One element I thought was very well-done last night was how they showed that, even though she was the cause of the drama, Linda was still essentially on the outside and dimissed as soon as she was no longer useful. 

Her desperate quest to be seen as SOMEONE triggered all of this. Yet, as soon as they had Monica in the room, it was, okay, thanks, there's the door. You are no longer a factor here. Buh-Bye.

Same with the Jones lawyers who came to her house late that evening -- she was all about, "oh look at all these things that show you how important I am" and they were just all about -- what gifts did Clinton give to Monica, what was the book title. 

And what I thought was the most well-done aspect of it all was Linda's hubris in a single comment (which we don't know for sure she said but does sum up this character so well): "its only a matter of time before the President knows what I've done," as though there's some twisted sense of pride in that -- that its about her and that the president will finally know that LINDA TRIPP is SOMEBODY. 

I found her "I am you" press conference online. Man, she was a piece of work. "Imagine how you'd feel if . . . " yeah, Linda, really? Talk about victim mentality! She made it seem like it was all about her. . . "imagine how you'd feel if THIS happened to YOU." "What I did was never politically motivated."  She makes it sound like she was just minding her own business and all of these things just fell in front of her.

https://www.c-span.org/video/?109489-1/presidential-investigation

The reporter at the very end is a hero. He knew she was full of shit. 

Edited October 13, 2021 by SailorGirl

[hoodooznoodooz]

15 hours ago, SailorGirl said:

Here's a fact-check on the episode: 

https://slate.com/culture/2021/10/impeachment-accuracy-episode-6-monica-lewinsky-interrogation.html

 

Interesting. It says that at the time the FBI questioned Monica, they had not yet filed her affidavit with the court in Little Rock.

[AntFTW]

36 minutes ago, SailorGirl said:

One element I thought was very well-done last night was how they showed that, even though she was the cause of the drama, Linda was still essentially on the outside and dimissed as soon as she was no longer useful. 

I love me some Sarah Paulson. She played this role well. Linda looked so heartbroken when she was dismissed. Linda wanted to be so involved in this until the very end.

[AntFTW]

39 minutes ago, SailorGirl said:

And what I thought was the most well-done aspect of it all was Linda's hubris in a single comment (which we don't know for sure she said but does sum up this character so well): "its only a matter of time before the President knows what I've done," as though there's some twisted sense of pride in that -- that its about her and that the president will finally know that LINDA TRIPP is SOMEBODY. 

You are spot on. Linda will even take the bad parts of the scandal if that means she’ll be seen. The president will send his Democratic hitmen after ME for what I, ME, LINDA TRIPP did. That’s a perp walk Linda would gladly take.

[LADreamr]

53 minutes ago, SailorGirl said:

I found her "I am you" press conference online. Man, she was a piece of work.

I remember that happening at the time, and the chorus of "the hell you are," that followed.  

I found an old interview with her online, some years after everything happened.  She had lost about 30 lbs and had plastic surgery and a makeover, saying she didn't realize how ugly she was (her words) until she saw all that coverage of her.  But the way she talked was still so nasty, like there had been no hindsight in that time.  No revelations about anything.  All that coverage, everything that happened, and knowing what she had done to Monica (which she still maintained was for Monica), and her thought was, basically, "I need a better haircut."  I just thought - just like with Ann Coulter - your looks were never the ugly part, Linda.

[Feline Goddess]

12 minutes ago, LADreamr said:

I remember that happening at the time, and the chorus of "the hell you are," that followed.  

I found an old interview with her online, some years after everything happened.  She had lost about 30 lbs and had plastic surgery and a makeover, saying she didn't realize how ugly she was (her words) until she saw all that coverage of her.  But the way she talked was still so nasty, like there had been no hindsight in that time.  No revelations about anything.  All that coverage, everything that happened, and knowing what she had done to Monica (which she still maintained was for Monica), and her thought was, basically, "I need a better haircut."  I just thought - just like with Ann Coulter - your looks were never the ugly part, Linda.

Here's a link to that interview. 

 

[CountryGirl]

This was the strongest episode of the series.

That the scenes took place in the span of a day and mostly in a hotel just added to the feeling trapped effect. It honestly made me claustrophobic watching some of it, which I'm sure is exactly how Monica felt. 

I loved Mama Bear Lewinsky and Mira Sorvino was perfect in the role.

Everyone should have a Ginsberg in their life. 

Linda blithely shopping afterwards is so Linda. But the encounter with Monica was chef's kiss. 

[ifionlyknew]

3 hours ago, AntFTW said:

These people were just pawns for other people's agenda. It's disgusting to watch. They didn't care whose lives were ruined in their thirst to achieve their goal.

And Monica knew that. She said it to her mother.  She didn't want to be the person to bring down a president.  

1 hour ago, SailorGirl said:

And what I thought was the most well-done aspect of it all was Linda's hubris in a single comment (which we don't know for sure she said but does sum up this character so well): "its only a matter of time before the President knows what I've done," as though there's some twisted sense of pride in that -- that its about her and that the president will finally know that LINDA TRIPP is SOMEBODY. 

This woman clearly had issues and instead of seeing a therapist she decided to find a way to put herself in the history books.