S01.E02: The Run Of His Life

[Maharincess]

I think that they were absolutely right to do so. The Bronco chase was the event that caused the whole nation to pay attention to the trial in a way they had not been doing before. It went on forever and jumpstarted the debate on network tv.

I don't get the outrage over the brief mentions and appearance of the K children, maybe because I don't watch reality tv and don't pay attention to them so they don't get on my nerves like they do others here.

I haven't seen any "outrage" at all, just people being annoyed over their name being dropped in so many scenes, we all get it, the K family knew OJ. There's no need for them to keep mentioning it.

That's it, no outrage, just understandable annoyance.

A person doesn't have to watch reality TV to be annoyed by these people.

I do agree that the bronco chase was worthy of its own episode though. Its a pretty iconic vision of the whole thing.

The killer sure did get allowances that I bet most other killers don't get.

[Kromm]

I don't remember what that was about.

"I see OJ, man, and he looks scared!"

 

Done in a really bad, racist "black" voice.

Okay, that doesn't really convey it.

 

In a nutshell it was some Howard Stern Show fan, pulling a prank on  national live TV on Canadian Peter Jennings (who was totally fooled). 

It was massively racist, if we're being honest. It's not admirable, it's more notorious.

 

[Epeolatrix]

Likely reason AC was not charged for his role in the Bronco chase:

"For one thing, a prosecution could stymie their efforts to gain access to Mr. Cowlings -- who can legally refuse to testify in any trial as long as he is a potential criminal defendant. A Cowlings prosecution also would take time and energy from prosecutors already racing to meet a speedy trial deadline in the Simpson case, and could give Mr. Simpson's defense lawyers access to discovery material and testimony that they might not otherwise be able to get in preparation for the Simpson trial, legal experts said."

-http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1994-07-15/news/1994196155_1_cowlings-simpson-district-attorney

[VCRTracking]

"Kardashian? How do you spell that?"

 

Okay that and the cutaways to the kids made me laugh.

[Racj82]

I would have thought the K kids would have been a little young to watch the car chase. I'd think that would have been pretty upsetting. If it actually happened.

I don't remember any kid being upset over the chase. Mainly, because I don't think any kid actually got the gravity of what they were watching. They heard their names and saw their dad on TV. That's all they needed. I'm sure some would just see the birth of famewhores but a lot of kids would have reacted the same way.

In regards to seeing them at all, their dad is directly related to the events. Seeing their childlike reaction to the events was just another viewpoint towards the events.

Man, Vance has become Cochran.

I hope Cuba gets a ton of awards for this. He's giving it everything he has.

[beavis93]

I can't believe they spent a whole episode on The Chase. 

I think that they were absolutely right to do so. 

 

I am certainly not advocating a longer episode, or a second episode, but this one hour really did not come close to expressing the true magnitude of the events of the day, culminating in the White Bronco Chase. Perhaps no re-enactment can. The murder happened on Sunday night, was reported on Monday, as the week progressed the initial evidence seemed to be mounting against OJ, yet by Friday people were still not really ready to accept that OJ Simpson was going to be arrested for double murder. And then, somehow, he couldn't be found by all of LAPD. When he finally was found, the chase took _hours_ and the slow-motion aspect (I believe they were only driving 30mph or less on the empty freeway) just seemed to extend it further. Plus all of America knew he had a gun to his head, amping up the drama further. Even when he finally arrived home, it took 30-40 more minutes before he got out of the car. Breaking into, and ultimately overtaking, the NBA Finals game telecast was a bizarre type of validation of the newsworthiness (more than just a celebrity or crime or sports story) of the event, as it was impossible to ignore that night. The entire thing was absolutely exhausting, infuriating, unfathomable, and yet incredibly riveting. Deserving of an entire episode of this particular mini-series? Without a doubt, yes.

 

Someone above mentioned the ESPN documentary simply titled "June 17, 1994" which is entirely composed of TV coverage of the events of this day, I strongly second that recommendation.

[rho]

The infamous chase. I remember me and my parents watching it on TV. That's when my father turned to us and said he killed them. Just imagine if Twitter was around during the O.J Bronco chase.

 

That's the most striking thing about this show, to me. Today with Tumblr and Reddit, I think there would be a list of every domestic abuse 911 call Nicole made in a matter of seconds available. Buzzfeed would post some dumbass listicle of OJ's greatest accomplishments or 10 Perms That Look Worse than Marcia Cross's. There would be a million Facebook posts popping up to debate Oj's guilt/innocence. It's crazy to think this was only 20 years ago and so much has changed.

 

I can't get a feel for what tone this series is aiming to set.  At times, it's a straight drama, at other times it's campy and cutesy (overload of Kardashian 'winks' - which, spelling it out and chanting the name...really, show?  OJ asking for OJ, etc.), and yet at other times it's a sharp, satirical commentary (Shapiro's 'everyone will blame ME and talking himself up at the press conference, 'he's being chased by the cops...he's black now...', 'news, entertainment, and sports...OJ gets the big box!', etc.). 

 

I dunno - I wish they would've stayed the drama / biting satire path, because the campy stuff just feels out of place.  I get that it was a circus, and I think (and wish) that aspect was addressed in a way that had more gravitas and bite.  It just feels a little too fluffy for such a brutal double homicide and a racially divided event, and the overall tone just feels uneven to me.  Still watching, for sure - lots of good stuff here - I just think it could be so much better.

 

Welcome to the world of Ryan Murphy, where you can't tell if something is intentionally campy or totally missing the mark on high-brow. I could do without the ECUs too.

 

I'm also not fond of dropping the K-word kids in every scene. I think it's equal parts playing to a major pop culture niche but also pandering to the new kids who were barely cognizant at the time. I'm roughly the same age as the K sisters but I don't need to be reminded that we all sported dark bobs and argyle sweaters back then. They were totally unnecessary in this episode, especially when Nicole's own children get .02 seconds of screen time.

[RedheadZombie]

I feel like the tone was really off in the scene where Jason runs up to the Bronco. There was obviously no sound in the clip that was shown from the helicopter, but I thought that Jason seemed absolutely furious with OJ. I never got the impression he was begging him to give up. I think he was more likely screaming at him for creating the man hunt, and putting his family through hell.

I'm irritated that the K kids are constantly referenced. Kris was tangentially involved (and testified, I believe), but the kids are absolutely unnecessary and superfluous to the story. I'm beginning to think we need to prepare for a future season - "American Crime Story: The Kim Kardashian Sex Tape Conspiracy."

[VCRTracking]

Checking what the kids looked like in 1994 and yep, the one with the lines sitting up front and leading her siblings in the chant was supposed to be Kim. She had the short center parted bob haircut back then.

 

Reliving the whole case through the show makes me remember Columbo episodes or other mystery shows where the murderer turns out to be a famous celebrity and thinking in real life that would be SUCH a bigger deal than it's been depicted.

Edited February 10, 2016 by VCRTracking

[Umbelina]

Am I forgetting scenes?  The K kids were at the funeral (which they were) in the first episode.  Today they were watching TV while the Bronco chase and their dad was on (which they probably were, it was on all major channels and had 95 million TV sets tuned in.)

[beavis93]

That's the most striking thing about this show, to me. Today with Tumblr and Reddit, I think there would be a list of every domestic abuse 911 call Nicole made in a matter of seconds available. Buzzfeed would post some dumbass listicle of OJ's greatest accomplishments or 10 Perms That Look Worse than Marcia Cross's. There would be a million Facebook posts popping up to debate Oj's guilt/innocence. It's crazy to think this was only 20 years ago and so much has changed.

Ehhh, things really haven't changed. All the things you mentioned did happen, just via a different medium. Evidence of domestic violence and 911 calls were revealed in the week prior to the Bronco Chase, and much more came out afterwards. The National Enquirer, surprisingly, did real journalism and uncovered scoops that would eventually make it into the trials (they, not the lawyers, found photographic evidence of Simpson wearing the famous Bruno Magli's, for instance). Meanwhile, the Enquirer and all the other tabloids (Globe, Star, etc) had plenty of snark-worthy gossip about Clark, Darden, Resnick, Kaelin, Brown's sister, the list goes on. I don't see how Twitter or Facebook could contribute to this, just seems it would add tons more idiotic commentary with very little added substance (full disclosure, I consider Twitter and FB to be 1% signal 99% noise on a normal day)

 

The trial itself was televised live on E! (that's their exclamation point, not mine) and there was plenty of discussion, everywhere you went, about the case every day, it just wasn't recorded forever (likely a good thing) on some social media platform.

[VCRTracking]

From Time.com. The writers Larry Karszewki and Scott Alexander of the episode on why they included the Kardashian kids in it:
 

In this episode, we get our first real moments with the Kardashian children. Robert Kardashian (played by David Schwimmer) reads O.J.’s apparent suicide note on national television. When reporters ask how Kardashian’s name is pronounced the children chant at the TV: “Kar-dash-i-an.” How did you decide how much they would figure into the story?

Larry Karaszewski: The girls themselves are really only in, say, five minutes of the 10 hour miniseries. Robert Kardashian, their father, is a major, major character. He was O.J.’s best friend. He’s really at the heart of it. He’s one of the few people involved in the case who is involved for all the right reasons, in a sense. He’s a loyal friend. He’s a very religious man and O.J.’s his best pal, and O.J. looks at him and says he didn’t do it. He chooses to believe his friend and remain loyal to him. Part of the show is how he winds up being very conflicted over that.

 

In terms of the Kardashian empire, we also see one of the themes being the birth of 24 hour media and reality television. Certainly someone like Kato Kaelin or Faye Resnick—these are sort of the seeds of what reality television contains. People who became famous for no particular reason. Kato becoming that celebrity house guest and showing up on sitcoms and hosting Talk Soup.

We didn’t want to dwell on the Kardashian children but to leave them out of it, I think, would have been wrong as well. They were around for this case. To be a young child in the middle of this media circus, of turning on the TV and having your father’s initial appearance to the American public be during the Bronco chase where 90 million people were watching. Seeing the effect that had on their lives and their household, you can’t help but feel that maybe the germ of the Kardashian empire was planted at that moment. That growing up in this circus allowed them to navigate the circus that is currently happening in their TV show now.

 

Scott Alexander: We couldn’t avoid the ridiculous irony that Robert Kardashian’s introduction to the American public was when he read a suicide note on television, which is, really, not the flashiest way to become a celebrity. They’re so famous now, but we have to make sure to show [the] Kardashian family was not famous, that no one knew who this guy was. The whole time during the trial it was the Dream Team and they would list all these famous lawyers. The Dream Team was almost like a Marvel Comics of lawyers. Alan Dershowitz (Evan Handler), F. Lee Bailey (Nathan Lane), Robert Shapiro, Johnnie Cochran (Courtney B. Vance)—oh, and Robert Kardashian. He was sort of like a B figure.

 

Edited February 10, 2016 by VCRTracking

[SFoster21]

That's the most striking thing about this show, to me. Today with Tumblr and Reddit, I think there would be a list of every domestic abuse 911 call Nicole made in a matter of seconds available. Buzzfeed would post some dumbass listicle of OJ's greatest accomplishments or 10 Perms That Look Worse than Marcia Cross's. There would be a million Facebook posts popping up to debate Oj's guilt/innocence. It's crazy to think this was only 20 years ago and so much has changed.

Welcome to the world of Ryan Murphy, where you can't tell if something is intentionally campy or totally missing the mark on high-brow. I could do without the ECUs too.

I'm also not fond of dropping the K-word kids in every scene. I think it's equal parts playing to a major pop culture niche but also pandering to the new kids who were barely cognizant at the time. I'm roughly the same age as the K sisters but I don't need to be reminded that we all sported dark bobs and argyle sweaters back then. They were totally unnecessary in this episode, especially when Nicole's own children get .02 seconds of screen time.

The commentary and interviews have stressed that the victims of the crime will not be highlighted. My understanding is that the show creators wanted to avoid having the Simpsons' and the Goldmans' grief exploited.

(can't isolate portions of post on my phone.)

[loki567]

 

Welcome to the world of Ryan Murphy, where you can't tell if something is intentionally campy or totally missing the mark on high-brow. I could do without the ECUs too.

 

I don't see where people are getting "camp." There was a five second appearance of the Kardashian kids and that's to make a point about fame and celebrity. Everything else was pretty stone cold serious. I think people are letting their negative opinions of Ryan Murphy color their perceptions of the show. I get it to some extent, I had to make sure he had nothing to do with the writing before I was willing to watch. But these two episodes have in no way resembled his other shows, he had no impact on the scripts. I'm seeing zero camp. 

 

I'm a little more nervous about next season as apparently the writers are gone and he'll have more influence on the writers' room, but we'll deal with that when we come to it. 

[Ina123]

Anyone else notice that one of the photographers at Nicole's grave had a man-bun?

[elzin]

 pulling a prank on  national live TV on Canadian Peter Jennings (who was totally fooled). 

 

Who is also dead now.

 

I cannot stand the Kardashians of the 2010s. But their inclusion in these two episodes doesn't bother me much because it's such a short nod. We saw Shapiro's wife, Darden's father, Marcia's kids. They're just Bob's kids and it's kind of like a very small origin story. And while a lot of us who were old enough to follow this back in '94 know how they Kardashian name started its notoriety, I don't know why someone under the age of 25 would, so it spells it out for a younger viewer who doesn't have their own memories of the case.

[FakingIt]

The Kardashian kids are NOT being constantly referenced nor are they in every scene.  They were in one brief scene of a 60 minute episode.  The hyperbole doesn't change that fact.

 

I agree that showing the K family is part of the story. As has been pointed out already Kris was friends with Faye and Nicole.  And yes, showing the Kardashian family is analogous to showing the Darden family.  It gives more depth to the people involved, and like it or not the Kardashians were involved.  Heavily.  If seeing a very brief scene of little girl actors is so upsetting, maybe this isn't the show for you.  ETA: or what elzin said.

 

On to the chase.  I remember seeing this when it happened. First hearing that OJ was in a chase, then going to the TV and being surprised at how slow it was, and then  how long it took.  I didn't stay riveted to the screen.  I rolled my eyes and went on with other things, but when I kept hearing that it was still going on I'd check back in. I kept wondering why the police didn't just overtake the vehicle.  They were going so slow, the freeway was empty, they could have easily done so.

Edited February 10, 2016 by Faker-1-1

[FormerMod-a1]

Yeah, I'm not seeing any camp or cheese here either.  I am enjoying this way more than I thought I would.  It does make it feel like this was all yesterday, the memories are strong and this is bringing them all to the forefront.

[FuriousStyles]

But we already got the point that Kardashian wasnt famous at the time, because the reporters were messing up the pronunciation and asking him to spell his name. As a poster upthread said, why are the Kardashians getting more time (so far) than Nicole's own children. What THEY were going through is far more interesting and directly related to this event.

I have no problem with Darden's father and his neighbors because those scenes provided context to Darden's state of mind/opinion of OJ, and celebrities in general and it was a nice neat way to recognize Arnold Palmer's last major which I had no clue was on the same day. Everyone pretty much talks about the chase interrupting the basketball game.

Maybe if we actually saw RK or Kris *with* the kids it would make more sense as to why the producers insist on including them. Speaking of, while the kids were all gathered around watching uncle OJ on tv, where *was* Kris? Too busy at the spa getting a mani pedi?

Edited February 10, 2016 by FuriousStyles

[ghoulina]

It's so interesting to watch this show for me, because I was only 15/16 when all this happened. I remember the basic outline of events, but I was so busy with school and friends that I wasn't paying attention to all the details. I remember the Bronco chase, peripherally, I remember it going on AND on. I had no idea that OJ wasn't alone in the vehicle, and that he had a gun to his head. I thought it was just him, alone, fleeing the cops. 

 

FLOVED that "Sabotage" was playing during the early part of his run. I was a big Beastie Boy fan in the mid-90s. "I can't stand it, I know you planned it". Perfect! 

 

I do think that since the chase was such a huge thing, it makes sense that it got an entire episode. I'm fine with that. But by the end I was definitely ready to move on and get back to the specifics of the case. 

 

I was impressed with Schwimmer tonight. I still am seeing Ross, but as others have pointed out - maybe Ross's personality is a good fit with RK's. My knowledge is too limited to have an opinion on that, but there were some moments of grief tonight that I thought he really nailed. It came across as understated and genuine. 

 

Cuba Gooding JR. on the other hand, sigh....I know this isn't a popular opinion, but I've just never liked him, especially when he gets emotional. Whenever CGjr cries on screen, I just want to roll my eyes and turn it off. I don't know what it is. I just always feel like I'm watching an actor, not the character. 

 

I don't care if the Kardashian scenes are 5 seconds, they're just annoying. It's not the fact that they're shown at all, it's the fact that I feel like we're being beaten over the head with WHO they are. The chanting of their name. We get it, you're Kardashians. Let's move on. 

 

 

My favorite moment of the episode is when they're reading the ridiculous "suicide note", where OJ has the nerve to refer to himself as the battered one (or maybe he used another word, I can't remember) and Hodgman says, "Well, you know, he cut his hand while killing her". That about sums up the narcissism of Simpson!

[BBDi]

I don't mean to beat a dead horse, but the prob with the references to the K kids for me is that these allusions take me out of the moment a bit. They feel somewhat imposed because they are ftered through our current day knowledge of the Klan.

With that said, the interview with the writers/show runners linked to earlier explains where they are trying to go with this fame motif pretty well.

[laurakaye]

I don't mean to beat a dead horse, but the prob with the references to the K kids for me is that these allusions take me out of the moment a bit. They feel somewhat imposed because they are filtered through our current day knowledge of the Klan.

With that said, the interview with the writers/show runners linked to earlier explains where they are trying to go with this fame motif pretty well.

Exactly.  People posting here who don't keep up with the Kardashians (sorry) don't have as much of a problem with the kids being shown as people who are familiar with them.  I think they are somewhat integral to the story, because Robert Kardashian is integral, as was the eventual division between him and his ex, Kris Jenner, as to OJ's guilt or innocence.  However, I have read a couple of articles stating that no one asked RK who he was or how to spell his last name during the press conference, so a shot of the four K kids shouting, "Hey, there's daddy!" probably would've been enough.

 

Did OJ really sign his suicide note with a smiley face? 

 

I teared up just a little when OJ was talking to his mama on the phone, simply because I was imagining what she might be saying to him.  Despite everything, he was still her child.  I can't imagine what she went through.

 

And when Robert Shapiro was driving in his car, I kind of chuckled at the cheesy elevator music he was playing on his radio, until I recognized the song and thought, "Hey - I loved that song!"  Thankfully I did not delete this episode from my DVR yet, because it's going to drive me bonkers until I can recall the name of the song and the singer.

Edited February 10, 2016 by laurakaye

[Eolivet]

My Bronco chase story is I was babysitting and I'd put the kids to bed, came down to the kitchen and turned on the TV. I remember flipping channels and finding the same seemingly slow-motion chase. I found it boring because I had no real idea what it meant -- only that it preempted TGIF, which I was looking forward to watching.

 

Still enjoying Travolta and the self-centered Shapiro (that press conference was something else -- I have only the vaguest memory of that!), but I keep waiting for Schwimmer to be less Ross. I, too, wonder how Kardashian and Shaprio just assumed Simpson was dead when he took off like that. I guess they thought he left to kill himself and had no idea about the Bronco chase at first. Malcolm Jamal Warner really worked for me in this episode, too. And even a little Courtney B. Vance is just an absolute treat.

 

This is just so good -- my current favorite drama on TV right now!

[Constantinople]

From Time.com. The writers Larry Karszewki and Scott Alexander of the episode on why they included the Kardashian kids in it:

 

In this episode, we get our first real moments with the Kardashian children. Robert Kardashian (played by David Schwimmer) reads O.J.’s apparent suicide note on national television. When reporters ask how Kardashian’s name is pronounced the children chant at the TV: “Kar-dash-i-an.” How did you decide how much they would figure into the story?

 

Scott Alexander: We couldn’t avoid the ridiculous irony that Robert Kardashian’s introduction to the American public was when he read a suicide note on television, which is, really, not the flashiest way to become a celebrity. They’re so famous now, but we have to make sure to show [the] Kardashian family was not famous, that no one knew who this guy was.

What complete horseshit, for the reasons stated by FuriousStyles

 

 

But we already got the point that Kardashian wasnt famous at the time, because the reporters were messing up the pronunciation and asking him to spell his name. As a poster upthread said, why are the Kardashians getting more time (so far) than Nicole's own children. What THEY were going through is far more interesting and directly related to this event.

I have no problem with Darden's father and his neighbors because those scenes provided context to Darden's state of mind/opinion of OJ, and celebrities in general and it was a nice neat way to recognize Arnold Palmer's last major which I had no clue was on the same day. Everyone pretty much talks about the chase interrupting the basketball game.

Maybe if we actually saw RK or Kris *with* the kids it would make more sense as to why the producers insist on including them. Speaking of, while the kids were all gathered around watching uncle OJ on tv, where *was* Kris? Too busy at the spa getting a mani pedi?

If the writers truly wanted to emphasize how unknown the Kardashian name was at the time, the scene would have ended with David Schwimmer spelling out Kardashian.

Nor, as FuriousStyles noted, is it comparable to when we see other characters such as Christopher Darden or Robert Shapiro interact with their family. That gives us insight into what those characters are thinking. The K Kid scenes have done nothing to provide any insight into the case.

[mytmo]

Maybe because I just watched on A&E OJ Speaks the story of the Civil trial which I highly recommend but a whole episode on the Broncos chase?

I was in my early 20s visiting my sister who lived in N Michigan at the time and we watched equal parts of the Broncos chase and a herd(?) of wild turkeys walking down the middle of M119.

[laurakaye]

Loved the shot of the pizza place running out of cheese.  At first I thought, ???  Then I realized - ain't no one got time for cooking dinner during the Bronco chase.  If I recall, I think we had pizza at my house that night, too.

 

All told, how long were AC and OJ in the Bronco?  How did they not run out of gas, or have to stop for restroom breaks?  Did they really pass right by the cemetery unnoticed?  In my mind, that chase went on for hours and hours.

 

EDIT: just found the link in this thread to OJ's car chase.  I have so many tabs up to read later, I am teetering right on the edge of the rabbit hole.

Edited February 10, 2016 by laurakaye

[FormerMod-a1]

I remember the "chase" being a really long time, too.  I also wondered about gas stations or bathroom breaks.

 

If you can really call a slow speed tailing a chase, that is.  They could have so easily overtook the Bronco.  I learned later that the LAPD doesn't do high speed chases and take downs (wrong terminology, I know) that other cities do due to safety concerns.  Someone correct me if I'm wrong as I'm fuzzy on this.  But the episode didn't really show why they didn't overtake the vehicle did they?  Other than not wanting to shoot him, which they wouldn't have to do to stop the vehicle.

[itainttippithebird]

Can't help but note the irony between the anger at giving any attention to the Kardashian sisters in the show and the preoccupation with talking about them in this thread! :P

One of the weirdest things about watching this is how it's unlocking some dusty old memory bank from the time. I was 14 then, and if you'd asked me at the beginning of the show what I remember, it would be in broad strokes, but as the show unfolds, I keep remembering a lot of the little details with sudden clarity.

But the best and most fascinating aspect of watching is realizing how in 1994, as a white barely-teenager, I really didn't fully or accurately understand the racial contours of the whole thing. It's been a bit of a retroactive revelation to really think through those elements and piece them together with conversations in my high school halls, at the dinner table, on late night TV, etc. While I still identify with Marcia Clarke's anger and frustration with the case (and I do assume he was guilty), I understand OJ's sympathizers in a completely new light now. Never thought Ryan Goddamn Murphy would be a source of enlightenment and reflection for me, but here we are.

[SFoster21]

It was also famously used (the whole trio arrangement) in the Kubrick film Barry Lyndon. I've never actually seen Barry Lyndon, but I know that because...well, "famously."

Well, there are at least two of us! It made me wish I had watched the 30 for 30 again instead.

You know, Barry Lyndon (which I love) was playing against this show on TCM. That music is used in the love scene.

[poeticlicensed]

Did anyone else hear a mention of the wig, face mustache and money in the car? I thought that the Bronco chase was about OJ allegedly being suicidal, but also about him allegedly trying to escape to Mexico. Granted I was only half paying attention, but was it ever mentioned that perhaps OJ was trying to flee, and the  suicidal thing came about when he knew there was no way to flee the country? I mean when 10 police cars are behind you  and news helicopters are overhead, it makes it kind of hard to escape. 

Edited February 10, 2016 by poeticlicensed

[laurakaye]

During the slow-speed chase, what reasons, if any, were given as to why the officers were not told to just shoot out his tires to disable the car?  I think it was touched on during the episode - was it because the powers that be feared OJ shooting himself on live television?

 

I vividly remember seeing the people congregating on the highway overpasses, holding up signs and cheering him on.  Seeing it on tv, I had to remind myself that it really did happen that way.

[RemoteControlFreak]

That's the most striking thing about this show, to me. Today with Tumblr and Reddit, I think there would be a list of every domestic abuse 911 call Nicole made in a matter of seconds available. Buzzfeed would post some dumbass listicle of OJ's greatest accomplishments or 10 Perms That Look Worse than Marcia Cross's. There would be a million Facebook posts popping up to debate Oj's guilt/innocence. It's crazy to think this was only 20 years ago and so much has changed.

The whole crime and attempted punishment would have been different, starting with the fact that Nicole would likely have security cameras outside her house to capture what happened, and the ubiquitousness of private and public video surveillance would have captured much of OJ's, Nicole's and Ron's movements through the city from the day of the murder through the Bronco chase.

 

As for tonight's episode, while the Bronco chase was a key part of the Simpson story, it seemed too drawn out.  The cut-aways to an enraged Clark and conflicted Darden weren't enough to break up the action.  The mini-Kardashian scene is typical Ryan Murphy pandering to current pop culture.

 

And, yes, the style of Kardashian's glasses was wrong for 1994. 

Edited February 10, 2016 by RemoteControlFreak

[RemoteControlFreak]

During the slow-speed chase, what reasons, if any, were given as to why the officers were not told to just shoot out his tires to disable the car?  I think it was touched on during the episode - was it because the powers that be feared OJ shooting himself on live television?

The goal was to keep OJ alive so he could be prosecuted.  DA's never want a suspect dead. They want the presumed bad guys brought to trial.  So, yes, the kid gloves treatment was a way to keep OJ alive. I don't think it mattered if he killed himself on live TV or in private, they just wanted him alive.

Edited February 10, 2016 by RemoteControlFreak

[itainttippithebird]

Thinking about it, I'm realizing I have a totally different take on Cochran than many of the reactions upthread and that I've read elsewhere - I'm reading (this telling of) him as being genuinely frustrated and angered that the LAPD's racist brutality and misconduct is going completely ignored by the DA's office/elsewhere (as in the Taylor case he discussed with Darden) and seeing the OJ case as an opportunity to bring those injustices to light. Might not have been the right case to pick, but I don't see it as grandstanding or (ugh) "pulling the race card" at all. The dazed woundedness Vance puts in his voice when he says, "they don't want us to see" (as the police turn off the spotlight on the Bronco) read to me as coming from pain and anger, not some grandiose sense of self-importance.

[xyzzy]

I don't really care about the Kardashian Kid inserts. If this seemed to be some super cereal attempt to tell the unvarnished truth and reveal Deep Thoughts about the state of America, racism, the justice system, and class privilege, I'd be more ticked, but the acting and costuming is so incredibly hammy and corny that I can't take anything about this show seriously. Instead I will just be continuously mesmerized by Travolta's eyebrows and reminisce about the 30 days my dad took off from work to consume the trial in the comfort of his own home.

[Racj82]

At this point, I would just like the Kardashians removed so I don't have to hear about it. I feel like its taking up way too much thought for what amounts to not even one minute of screen time over only two hours of TV.

I think this is a truly gripping drama. There is a bit of camp but I think it just comes more from the performers and the actors playing the characters than the writing. But, I see nothing wrong with a little lightness added to the proceeding because the material can be do dark.

But, its also easy to forget how many clowns were involved in this trial and how surreal the coverage of this was.

[TV Diva Queen]

The Kardashian kids are NOT being constantly referenced nor are they in every scene.  They were in one brief scene of a 60 minute episode.  The hyperbole doesn't change that fact.

 

I agree that showing the K family is part of the story. As has been pointed out already Kris was friends with Faye and Nicole.  And yes, showing the Kardashian family is analogous to showing the Darden family.  It gives more depth to the people involved, and like it or not the Kardashians were involved.  Heavily.  If seeing a very brief scene of little girl actors is so upsetting, maybe this isn't the show for you.  ETA: or what elzin said.

 

On to the chase.  I remember seeing this when it happened. First hearing that OJ was in a chase, then going to the TV and being surprised at how slow it was, and then  how long it took.  I didn't stay riveted to the screen.  I rolled my eyes and went on with other things, but when I kept hearing that it was still going on I'd check back in. I kept wondering why the police didn't just overtake the vehicle.  They were going so slow, the freeway was empty, they could have easily done so.

All of THIS^^^^  

Was I the only person wishing that Shapiro was listening to the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack when he pulled into his driveway?  Or at the very least....Grease.  I think "You're the One that I Want" would have been fitting.  

Edited February 10, 2016 by TV Diva Queen

[theajw]

 

It was massively racist, if we're being honest. It's not admirable, it's more notorious.

 

Agreed on all accounts.  The mythology of the case, though, is so centered on race and notoriety, and the craziness of that night when a prankster was able to get through on national television says a lot about the chaos. Still probably too obscure a reference for the show, unlike the Kardashian kids.  

 

I know he was a minor character (compared to Shapiro, Cochran, Clark et al.), but I think that Bruce Greenwood is great as Gil Garcetti.  I've always thought that Greenwood was an underrated actor, and I've been following his career since his days on St. Elsewhere.

[ghoulina]

Nor, as FuriousStyles noted, is it comparable to when we see other characters such as Christopher Darden or Robert Shapiro interact with their family. That gives us insight into what those characters are thinking. The K Kid scenes have done nothing to provide any insight into the case.

 

Exactly. Plus, both times we've seen them, their names have been mentioned. I have no clue what Shapiro or Cochran's wife's name is. They are there to interact with the more central characters. No one would have cared about the names of RK's kids at that time, but because they're so well known now, I feel like the powers that be are making sure we hear those names. It's obnoxious. 

Was I the only person wishing that Shapiro was listening to the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack when he pulled into his driveway?  Or at the very least....Grease.  I think "You're the One that I Want" would have been fitting.

 

I was hoping for Berry's, "You Never Can Tell". Hehe

[SoSueMe]

Am I forgetting scenes?  The K kids were at the funeral (which they were) in the first episode.  Today they were watching TV while the Bronco chase and their dad was on (which they probably were, it was on all major channels and had 95 million TV sets tuned in.)

It will be interesting to see if Kris and the K kids continue to show up in subsequent episodes. At this point my patience is already wearing thin.

Edited February 10, 2016 by SoSueMe

[GHScorpiosRule]

Seeing the Kardashian kids doesn't really bother me; but at the same time, I do find seeing them obnoxious. Does that make sense? I know how Kim got "famous" and I have never, ever watched their reality shows, so there's that. I do know that now, today, you can't go anywhere without hearing about them. I loathe them. But I did get a laugh when one of the reporters pronounced Robert's name as "KarTRASHian" when asking what his last name was. 
 
That said, yes, Vance is doing an incredible job, but I remember seeing and watching Cochran, and not a sincere bone in his body did he reveal. Then there's his "Gotcha!" to Kim and Fred Goldman after OJ was acquited. And even though he came across as gracious and charming when he was at the book signing I mentioned in the first episode thread, I still didn't like him. Even sleaze can put on the charm or be charismatic.
 
I think I read how the Goldmans aren't happy about this show, but I do want to see who is playing Fred and Kim Goldman.  I already know that Jordana Brewster Skeletor is playing Denise Brown.  I hope whoever plays Fred, is able to capture his rage and grief at what was done to his son, Ron.
 
And yes, I also remember all those people on the bridge, urging OJ to run, chanting "Juice!" and "Run OJ!" but I don't recall the people grappling, shouting their "love" for OJ,  and trying to get into the Bronco when it returned to Brentwood. That's why I was wondering if that was one of the creative licenses the writers took. Like with the reporters.

 

 

 

 

It will be interesting to see if Kris and the K kids continue to show up in consequent episodes. At this point my patience is already wearing thin.

 

Well, Kris certainly will. Since I've read and heard that Robert and Kris were divided and fought over OJ's guilt.

Edited February 10, 2016 by GHScorpiosRule

[drivethroo]

Kardashian Kids:  Kourtney & Kim would've been teenagers (13-15) at the time, so they wouldn't have been too young to see the chase.  Rob & Khloe, maybe, but not Kim & Kourtney. 

 

The only unnecessary K Kid reference was the one last night while they were chanting.  They've only been mentioned 3 times.

 

Nicole & OJ's kids:  Sidney & Justin aren't really that important to the story; they were only 6 & 8 years old at the time & the Brown family kept them out of the limelight.  They will probably show up when they have scenes of the Brown family coping.

 

Kris Kardashian Jenner:  If Kris Jenner was very good friends with Nicole Brown, her family close with the Simpson family AND her ex-husband defending OJ I don't see how Kris Jenner could be erased from the story.  I believe she testified and was in the courtroom with Bruce during the trial.

 

If Robert Kardashian was JUST OJ's lawyer, there would be no need for any Kardashian references.  But Robert Kardashian & Kris Jenner were friends with OJ Simpson & Nicole Brown Simpson, their families were close so I don't see how ANY reference to Kris & the K Kids could be avoided.  As long as the show doesn't have anymore K Kid Chants, it will be fine.

Edited February 10, 2016 by drivethroo

[Milk-Eyed Mender]

Cuba Gooding JR. on the other hand, sigh....I know this isn't a popular opinion, but I've just never liked him, especially when he gets emotional. Whenever CGjr cries on screen, I just want to roll my eyes and turn it off. I don't know what it is. I just always feel like I'm watching an actor, not the character. 

I am sighing with you. I don't have strong feelings about Gooding one way or another, but still find him completely unsuited to this particular role. Simpson was a physically imposing, tremendously charismatic man who dominated a room and anyone in his orbit. For me, Gooding simply doesn't have the heft, the presence, the gravitas to convey this giant of a personality. To be blunt, sometimes I think he veers pretty close to a Steve Urkel interpretation of Simpson. That said, perhaps OJ really was a sniveling, pathetic puddle of emotions in the Bronco and if so, I think Gooding captured that rather well.

I kind of love how some posters are annoyed that the annoying Kardashians are annoying other posters. :)

[cpcathy]

When I watch Cuba play OJ, it's like watching him play dress up, like he knows he's putting us on. I can't tell if it's an acting choice or if it's because Cuba is not qualified for the role. I don't see OJ at all when I see him.  Everyone else is doing a great--if not stellar--job. I surprise myself by saying that I don't see Ross Gellar when Schwimmer is onscreen, I think he's really good as Kardashian.

 

Overall, I watch this but I can't put my finger on what is wrong with it yet. Maybe because we know everything that's going to happen?

[VCRTracking]

If they show Robert and Kris having an argument and she says something like "Bruce is twice the man you are!" then we've reached camp territory. So far though I haven't heard of Bruce being depicted in the series or an actor playing him, which I think they would have before he announced he was transitioning into a woman(or she was becoming her true self.

 

 

When I watch Cuba play OJ, it's like watching him play dress up, like he knows he's putting us on. I can't tell if it's an acting choice or if it's because Cuba is not qualified for the role. I don't see OJ at all when I see him.

 

Maybe that's a good thing? Ever since 1995 I can't see OJ's face and voice without seeing a cold blooded murderer so maybe an actor who looked and sounded like him would have also elicited the same response. With Cuba Gooding Jr I can separate my own feelings about him and believe his extreme distress during the chase. I can buy him apologizing to the police for ruining their day and being concerned for the safety of people on the freeway.

Edited February 10, 2016 by VCRTracking

[toodywoody]

I know they aren't gping to show it but I would have loved to see the Goldmans reactions to the Bronco chase. I can just hear Fred Goldman asking wtf is he doing

[ghoulina]

Well, Kris certainly will. Since I've read and heard that Robert and Kris were divided and fought over OJ's guilt.

 

And I don't mind seeing her. She was Nicole's friend and she was obviously very passionate about the case. Plus, even though we've only seen snippets of her so far, Blair is killing it as Kris. So I look forward to more of her, actually. 

[Canada]

I've officially given up on this show, after two episodes, because of:

 

• John Travolta's fucked up face.
• Anything related to the Kardashians being on my TV, including the portrayal of Robert by the irritating David Schwimmer.
• Johnny fucking Cochrane; the real one or just a portrayal, the guy is annoying and a hypocrite when he complain about Robert Shapiro being all about himself.  Like you don't love the limelight too, Johnny!  And defending a murderer because he's black and it's obviously all a stitch-up?  Fuck you.
• The idea that OJ deserves more attention; he doesn't.

[Aethera]

I think we've said all there is to say about the appearance of the Kardashian children in this episode. There are no new opinions to have on their little scene, and it's bogging down the thread. Let's move on, please. A slow-driving Bronco is more interesting than a dead horse!

[Catherinewriter]

Somewhat, but not totally off topic, but does anyone know why there is not court tv station anymore, in a society that's as litigious as ours. Wouldn't someone with the cash be interested in starting such a channel. Anyone have any ideas?

 

They're taking some awful liberties with the inside of the car, no? Do we know for sure, apart from the short phone calls, what was really said by both OJ and AC?