S01.E05: The Race Card

[Tara Ariano]

The trial begins and Christopher Darden and Johnnie Cochran face off in court. Also: the jury visits the crime scene.

[CeeBeeGee]

"This case is about an obSESion to WIN at any cost."

 

You said it, asshole. What an absolute POS Cochrane was. He treated Darden disgracefully. And for what purpose? The jury couldn't see those press conferences. He was just grandstanding. I can't even imagine how enraged Darden must've been, being smeared like that, having his accomplishments dismissed that way.

 

Can someone please explain to me how Cochrane was allowed to "redecorate" a crime scene? Even the murderer hated it.

 

I kind of wish Darden had refused to get off the bench--have the jury see the real OJ. Not that they would've convicted anyway.

 

"A neighborhood where you don't have people coming over the wall.."--no, just skulking up the walkway, knife in hand.

 

ETA: As soon as Fuhrman said "World War II memorabilia," I thought--is that code language for Nazi memorabilia?

Edited March 2, 2016 by CeeBeeGee

[mojoween]

Sterling Brown absolutely breaks my heart.

[VanillaBeanne]

Another dramatic episode. Loved it. Wonder how much of it actually happened? Did Ito really have a side bar with Dunne? Did OJ flip out about Darden sitting on his bench? Did Darden stand up when Cochran called him out in court? Did Furhman collect Nazi crosses? (Is he going to sue if that's not true. Cuz damn. )

Marcia did not come across well this episode. Impaneling a predominantly black jury could be chalked up to a good faith belief in humanity, but totally disregarding Darden's insights about Fuhrman. What was the point of bringing Darden on the team if she wasn't going to listen to his perspective as a black person? Other than to put a black face on the prosecution's weakest points. But, I guess OJ doesn't really get black people either so you can't really come down hard on Marcia because of that.

Loved the scene with Cliff and Claire in the bedroom about to get it on...oh, wait. Wrong show.

Vance is so exciting to watch. This clearly was a Cochran-focused episode and he hit it out the park.

Edited March 2, 2016 by VanillaBeanne

[elzin]

I burst into tears when Dunne showed up. His scenes were right out of his book, for the most part.

[SimoneS]

Courtney B. Vance was outstanding in every scene, especially with Cuba. Vance is taking over the series. I enjoyed Johnny's interactions with his daughters and then it all goes wrong. I did like him telling them not to talk to the police and call their lawyers. Johnny getting pulled over the cop shows yet again not much has changed when it comes to police abuse of minorities. I was shocked that he totally redecorated O.J.'s mansion before the jury's visit. Shouldn't the cops have had the mansion sealed?

 

How could Darden be so naive? What did he expect? The prosecutors were using him, but it was his job anyway. He should taken Johnny's advice. Fuhrman was such scum, a racist and a fool too. How could Marcia be so naive? She blundered all the way ignoring good advice from the focus group about jury selection, her style and attitude, and now about Fuhrman.

 

I did not follow the trial closely so I had no idea that all this drama was occurring; the debate about the mention of the N-word in the pretrial hearing and the prosecutor having a heart attack at the start of the trial. 

 

Could Shapiro be more petulant? Bwah. I continue to enjoy the tensions among the  defendant attorneys.

 

The casting of the actor playing Dunne was very good. I had to laugh as his gossip and trial insights enthralled his wealthy white friends, but kept silent when the black servants served the meal. Talk about dynamics of race/ethnicity and class intersecting.

 

Ito was such a publicity seeking hound.

Edited March 2, 2016 by SimoneS

[ShadowHunter]

Courtney continues to be amazing but watching Johnnie Cochran redecorate the house made me sad.  He sadly knew what he was doing.

 

"These aren't even my kids"  Damn.

 

Mark Fuhrman on the stand I remember how talked about that was. A horrible mistake that ended up being.

[Spartan Girl]

And so a murder trial becomes a racial pissing match.

The first five minutes of the episode actually made me like Cochran. Needless to say, it didn't last long. How the FUCK was he allowed to refurbish OJ's house to appeal to black culture?! That was fucking low. Moreover, how the hell was OJ allowed to be in the house at the same time as the jury!?

Marcia did come off as dumb and a bit cruel, but I think she was more ignorant and naive than racist. But she should have listened to Darden.

Fuhrman....UGH.

[Primetimer]

...Literally; that's the episode title. Who has a winning hand and who busts out?

Read the story

[toodywoody]

MC not listening time after time. Breaks my heart that she just wouldn't listen.

Johnny Cochran was very smart and outsmarted them all. He was the right man for the job. He was always one to three steps ahead of Darden and Clark. Yes he was a douche but smart.

Best line, so that makes you Jesus.

Ito continues to be starstruck from the beginning and I didn't realize the things that happened during Johnny Cochran opening statement.

I do not think the trip to OJ'S house was a good idea. They should have just driven by. But it did give the jurors a glimpse of his crazy side with his comment to Darden.

[wanderingstar]

I felt so much for Chris Darden in this ep. He was very tortured. Sterling K. Brown broke my heart. And Marcia's cluelessness is painful. Her dismissing Darden's concerns about Furhman made me cringe. 

 

I had a little twinge of sympathy for Carl Douglass. He's at work late at night, poring over files, while Johnnie's chillin' with his wife at home. Then Johnnie tells him he's got to fall on his sword for the good of the client!

 

I LOVED the sinister music they were playing during the jury visit to OJ's house.

Edited March 2, 2016 by Gillian Rosh

[Eolivet]

"The type of guy who thinks being polite will cover how he really feels" (paraphrased). Seriously powerful moment.

 

The contrast between Clark's preparation for the trial (boxes of files) with Cochran's preparation for the trial (rehearsing a performance) seemed to completely sum up their two approaches: facts vs. emotion. Loved the subtlety of those two scenes.

 

As others have said, I can't get over the things that actually happened: the prosecutor had a heart attack? Simpson's house was redecorated? Brown's house was cleared out? Arsenio Hall sent Ito an autographed picture? I don't even care if it's not all accurate, because it's so entertaining. You can see the appeal of Cochran's approach vs. Clark's approach in this very show.

 

Anyone else notice during...what could only be described as Dominick Dunne's Downton Abbey-type dinner party that the servers were African-American and he stopped discussing the trial when they were serving the food? Again, just loving these subtle touches -- very effective.

[mattie0808]

Marcia Clark has been driving me crazy this whole series. She just refuses to listen. Period. I don't think that's a "good" or "tough" trait. If you bring Darden on board even in part because he's black, LISTEN TO HIM BECAUSE HE'S BLACK. I don't feel like Marcia's just on the side of the angels here and is just so not racist at all that she can't comprehend what she's been told almost since the very beginning of the case. I think she just wants to prove herself right. That there's no way SHE'S what anyone else says...she doesn't need to care who OJ is or why people won't shoot him or his tires out during the Bronco case, she doesn't need to be concerned with the complete non-reality of pursuing the death penalty, she can ignore the focus groups, Chris is the one whose judgement is compromised because of his personal circumstances...and she is just the paragon of everything, rising above it all, and can't (and shouldn't!) understand why everyone else isn't on her level. She so desperately needed to get over herself or have Garcetti rein her in. If one believes the jury was just 1,000% determined to acquit, none of this matters. But I don't believe that, and boy did the prosecution just thoroughly and repeatedly screw up their "slam dunk" case. I'm not putting everything in this series on the real life Marcia (the same goes for Darden, because I don't know if he was this clear with Marcia while not putting his foot down; I feel very sorry for the Darden on the show, but that's not some direct translation to real life). But for the show? Good grief.

[LakeGal]

This show is just becoming more and more depressing for me. I lived through it and I don't really enjoy reliving it.

[wanderingstar]

I had to Google to see if Bill Hodgman actually had a heart attack during the trial. He did, but not during actual court proceedings, and doctors said it wasn't really a heart attack.

[FuriousStyles]

Why did the cop who pulled over Cochran say he was an assistant DA? I thought Cochran had been a defense attorney for several years/decades before OJ's case.

This episode is why I wanted to watch this series so badly. I wanted to see the "behind the scenes" stuff. I loved the back and forth between to the sides as they formed their case/defense.

So what exactly was Marcia and co. reasoning for making Darden prep Fuhrman? Was it to make Fuhrman more comfortable around black people or something? I didnt get it.

This was probably the first time where Marcia didnt come out looking good for me. I could forgive the other blunders in previous episodes because without the benefit of hindsight I can see why she made the decisions she made. But if the conversation she had with Darden early in this episode is even remotely real, then my God. What adult doesnt know that just because someone "acts" polite doesnt mean they really are. And then to accuse Darden of having preconceived notions of Fuhrman's bigotry. WTF?

And was the pre-trial motion televised live? Did Bill really pass out in the middle of opening statements? I cant imagine the show would make something like that up but after a quick google search I didnt really find anything about it.

If the prosecution didnt think shit was real before, that smackdown Cochran gave Darden should have been their first clue. The music and the whole production was soooo freaking dramatic. I loved it! But tell me Cochran didnt really turn to Darden and say "n**** please". Like no, I know Cochran had some balls, but come on. LMAO. And then the shot of Marcia just rubbing her forehead. I was like yeah, y'all in trouble.

And someone with some legal background explain HOW the defense was allowed access to a crime scene that the jurors were scheduled to see? Where they could take and replace things from the house.

[helenamonster]

Bert Cooper!

 

My favorite on this show changes every week, and this week it has to go to Sterling K. Brown (although Courtney B. Vance just squeaks in at second). Damn, I just felt for him every single time he was onscreen. He is trying to do what he thinks is right and what he thinks will work, but he's getting shut down from all sides and Brown is playing the frustration beautifully.

 

Vance did an amazing job too (that first scene was really powerful) but shut the fuck up, Johnnie Cochran. You're the one who put the race card on the table in the first place. I can't fault him for that, especially since it ended up working, but don't get mad that the prosecution is trying to play along with it. "They deliberately picked a black man to appeal to the black jury." Yeah well you deliberately picked a black jury to exonerate the black man! Shit happens, Johnnie!

 

The redecorating of OJ's house was...beyond. Holy shit. I'm surprised people fell for it, wasn't it well known that he hadn't really given back to his community? A painting of Ruby Bridges? She's an inspiring woman but how many black people have a painting of her in their house? I really can't believe that people weren't able to smell the bullshit on that one. And the fact that the kids in the pictures weren't OJ's was really harsh. Then compare that to Nicole's house being completely empty. Just ugh.

 

I love all the bickering amongst the defense team, everyone's delivery was glorious.

 

Marcia, Marcia, Marcia. Girl. Get your SHIT together. Paulson did another great job this episode too.

[ridethemaverick]

Marcia Clark, bless her heart. Colorblind ideology is bullshit and her portrayal on this show is providing wonderful evidence of that fact. Seeing racial/ethnic/cultural differences doesn't make you racist. Assigning hierarchical values to them makes you racist. All she had to do was listen. That's it. And she refused. In the annals of history, she will go down as the woman who didn't see color. Yay?

This show continues to be awesome.

[helenamonster]

Also, the lack of understanding (I suppose on purpose, since it was coming from Shapiro) regarding domestic violence in this case just irks to no end. What was the line, something about "it wasn't domestic violence, it was murder"? I almost threw my phone across the room. The worst part is that we haven't exactly come that much farther in terms of engendering a greater collective understanding of it today, but if this case had been tried now at least there would be more studies and statistics and Law and Order: Special Victims Unit reruns to make the concept more palatable.

 

Cuz that's what this case was. It was a domestic dispute that an unaffiliated third party walked in on. Fucking Mark Fuhrman just had to be racist.

[Dejana]

Good to see Robert Morse as Dominick Dunne. Here's the Vanity Fair archive of his OJ trial coverage.

 

According to this biography, Johnnie Cochran began his career as a deputy prosecutor in LA in the 1960s, and also returned to the DA's office in 1978 (presumably the era when the episode flashback took place), though he spent the bulk of his career as a defense attorney.

Edited March 2, 2016 by Dejana

[SimoneS]

I keep repeating this after every episode, but the score for this series is stellar. I must find out who the  musical director is. The person captures the decade, the drama, and the emotion of every moment in the selected songs.

Edited March 2, 2016 by SimoneS

[TobinAlbers]

If this article from ew.com is to believed Cochran did indeed say that to Darden after obliterating him.

http://www.ew.com/recap/the-people-v-oj-simpson-american-crime-story-episode-5

Bill didn't collapse in court but later in Garcetti's office complained of chest pains, was sent to the hospital where he was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat and benched. He of the the three prosecutors is the only one still prosecuting today.

It is also confirmed that Fuhrman loved him some Nazi symbols so yeah.....you really couldn't make this stuff up.

Darden's dad telling him to stop griping and nut up was hilarious. He told his son to steer clear of this case so he's probably not having any of his whining, LOL. I mean sure, Cochran was playing mind games and yet his advice about leaving Fuhrman to Marcia was a heads up. Either way Darden was screwed.

[Racj82]

I feel sorry for anyone that goes against Courtney B Vance for a miniseries best actor Emmy. The man is slaughtering his role.

[luckyroll3]

Just realized tonight that Johnny's associate, Douglass, is from the Mikey Mouse Club.

[ketose]

The only reason I can stand watching the Cochran stuff is because he's dead now and OJ's in jail.

[Armchair Critic]

I love Dominick Dunne's books, his columns in Vanity Fair, always enjoyed his interviews, and even his slightly cheesy tv show. I am loving his portrayal and I think he would have gotten a kick out of it.

[SimoneS]

Just realized tonight that Johnny's associate, Douglass, is from the Mikey Mouse Club.

 

i think that the actor playing Johnny's associate is very good. I am enjoying his performances. Douglass' frustration with Shapiro's petulance was palatable.

[FuriousStyles]

If I were ever in trouble and had money, Johnnie Cochran woulda been the first person I'd call. He did whatever it took to get his client off....but the prosecutors definitely teed some off for him.

I'm rooting for Darden (as if I dont already know the outcome) but sitting on my couch I didnt care for his speech about the use of the n-word in court and the jurors being unable to control their emotions and whatever else. Not having ever heard that exchange before, I found myself actually agreeing with Cochran. Of all people, black people dont need to be coddled when it comes to that word. That was a misstep on Darden's part. But involving Fuhrman at all was a misstep.

[Umbelina]

This show is just becoming more and more depressing for me. I lived through it and I don't really enjoy reliving it.

I'm right there with you.

 

I'm into stomach churning territory now.  Everything about this trial makes me sick.

 

I feel sorry for anyone that goes against Courtney B Vance for a miniseries best actor Emmy. The man is slaughtering his role.

Yeah, but he lucked into a character role of a man who chewed scenery for a living.  He's wonderful, but I'm kind of preferring Sterling K Brown's more subtle performance.  He won't win, but he's making my heart break.  I don't know WHERE I heard or read Cochran saying "n*'ger please" to Darden, but I've heard/read about it before.

 

I love Dominick Dunne's books, his columns in Vanity Fair, always enjoyed his interviews, and even his slightly cheesy tv show. I am loving his portrayal and I think he would have gotten a kick out of it.

Me too.  I miss his columns in Vanity Fair.

 

Marcia didn't annoy me during the trial, but damn, this characterization is annoying the fuck out of me.  I don't think she was quite THIS tone deaf and stubborn. 

 

To this day I can't believe they let them clean out Nicole's house, and redecorate OJ's.  I mean, who was asleep at the wheel there?  Just...damn.

Edited March 2, 2016 by Umbelina

[SimoneS]

Yeah, but he lucked into a character role of a man who chewed scenery for a living.  He's wonderful, but I'm kind of preferring Sterling K Brown's more subtle performance. 

 

Not only did Vance's talent rightly earn him this role, he is playing Cochrane with a subtly and finesse that would be lacking if played by a less talented actor. 

[ShadowHunter]

Look I got an autograph from Arsenio Hall. The look Dominick Dunne gives him was good. Speaking of Dunne always  said to hear the topic of what happened with his daughter. Poltergeist is still a favorite movie of mine.  The line about hoping this case would have a better outcome was depressing. 

[Umbelina]

Not only did Vance's talent rightly earn him this role, he is playing Cochrane with a subtly and finesse that would be lacking if played by a less talented actor. 

Oh I think he's wonderful and amazing in the role. 

 

That opening scene tonight just crushed my heart.  I'm just saying, this role would be a blast for an actor.  Bottom line.  Ha.

[suomi]

Guessing I can post this here, since a dinner guests vis a vis the hired help scenario aired tonight.

 

Dominick Dunne got into an elevator in the courthouse one day with Jason Simpson. After a long silence between them Jason asked Nick how he liked the  _ _ _ _ _  that was served the other night at a dinner party Nick attended.

 

"How the hell do you know what was served for dinner?"

 

"I was in the kitchen, cooking."

 

And obviously heard Nick and the other guests discussing his father all evening. Only in Dominick Dunne's world did things like that happen. That man led one incredible life. RIP, sir.

[Umbelina]

Wow.  Worlds collide, Hollywood really was a small town.  To bad they missed that one for the show, no one would have believed it.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Oh Jeebus Cripes, my heart was in my throat during this episode=as if I don't know how it's going to end.

 

I'm glad that I saw those documentaries, and Clark's interview last month on The View, so I knew what Cochran did--switching out OJ's stuff, and replacing it with art, and pictures of Black people, so he would appear more like the people the jury would "identify" with, and it's infuriating that Ito, that incompetent, star-struck boob allowed it to happen/didn't sanction Cochran for messing with the crime scenes.

 

Okay, just a bit of confusion, but I notice that the credits will show the names of the actors whose characters appear on that specific episode--I saw Jordana Brewster's name, but didn't see Denise at all. Or was she in the courtroom and it was a blink and you missed it? I did see Fred Goldman.

 

And I can't help it, but, the opening scene? I wasn't seeing Johnnie Cochran, but ADA Ron Carver, the character Vance played on Law & Order: Criminal Intent.  Except for the times where I could see, Holy Shit! Oh no he di'n't! shit that the real life Cochran did, tonight, all other times? I saw Ron Carver. I guess because the few times I did see the real Cochran in action, he was so much more...flamboyant? I dunno.

 

And like others here, Sterling K. Brown just broke my heart tonight. Absolutely.  And I can't believe that Marcia Clark could possibly be this tone deaf.  She ain't no Pollyanna, so what was her excuse? I've never read any of her books she's written about this case, so I'm literally rolling my eyes and scratching my head.

 

I don't know if Fuhrman should have tried for a career in acting or not.  The portrayal here, and what I've read tells me one thing, the interview with Oprah, in 2010, gives me an image of someone the opposite of the person I saw tonight.

 

I knew about Hodgman as well, and also knew, the minute he started palpitating in the courtroom, that that part was made up.  I can't imagine someone nearly losing their shit because the named witnesses Cochran was throwing out, wasn't given to the prosecution.  Not to the extent that Clemenson's Hodgman was doing.

 

And I will not lie, I laughed when I read the poster's (sorry for not quoting or remembering--it's late and I'm tired) at referring to Cochran and his wife getting ready to have some Nookie, to Claire and Cliff Huxtable! Because I thought the same when I got a load of Cochran's pajamas, not to mention how his wife was teasing and advising him.  

 

And now I'm going to bed.

Edited March 2, 2016 by GHScorpiosRule

[Mittengirl]

When they were in Nicole's home Marcia, I think, said some thing about why did "they" clean it out. I presume "they" was the Brown family. Why didn't someone tell them not to, if it was so important? It couldn't have been Clark's first time having a jury visit a crime scene.

Were OJ's family members living in his house during the trial?

Question for the legal minds - if Nicole's home was an apartment, I.e. a rental, would the state have been responsible for paying the rent for as long as may have been needed for the trial?

Why would the jury even have gone in Nicole's home; what evidence was there inside? The crime occurred outside and no one suggested either Ron or OJ had been inside.

[DivaLasVegas82]

When they were in Nicole's home Marcia, I think, said some thing about why did "they" clean it out. I presume "they" was the Brown family. Why didn't someone tell them not to, if it was so important? It couldn't have been Clark's first time having a jury visit a crime scene.

Were OJ's family members living in his house during the trial?

Question for the legal minds - if Nicole's home was an apartment, I.e. a rental, would the state have been responsible for paying the rent for as long as may have been needed for the trial?

Why would the jury even have gone in Nicole's home; what evidence was there inside? The crime occurred outside and no one suggested either Ron or OJ had been inside.

 

Not a legal mind, but I doubt the state would have been on the hook for paying the rent on it. The Bundy condo sat empty for years, I read, and it was later redesigned so people wouldn't associate it so much with the brutal murders.

 

I too wondered why the jury went to Nicole's home. She and Ron were killed OUTSIDE the Bundy condo. What they saw inside wasn't going to influence their opinion on OJ's guilt or innocent one way or another.

[MsJamieDornan]

I think when a crime scene is "released" you can do what you want with it. But, Cochran is still a piece of crap for doing what he did.

[BW Manilowe]

I keep repeating this after every episode, but the score for this series is stellar. I must find out who the musical director is. The person captures the decade, the drama, and the emotion of every moment in the selected songs.

IMDb.com says the music was done by a guy named Mac Quayle.

http://m.imdb.com/title/tt2788432/fullcredits/composer?ref_=m_ttfc_5

[DivaLasVegas82]

This site has a fact vs. fiction list of everything that happened in tonight's episode.

 

http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2016/03/people-v-oj-simpson-episode-5-fact-check?utm_campaign=popculturetw&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social

I think when a crime scene is "released" you can do what you want with it. But, Cochran is still a piece of crap for doing what he did.

 

I did not agree with what he did, but it was a very smart move on his part IMO. It made OJ more identifiable with the jury, which was the whole point. But if I were on the jury, I'd be questioning how a black man who lived in a predominantly white neighborhood, had mostly white friends, and dated only white women would have pro-black art work and pictures. And I don't see how the jury didn't find it strange that there were no pictures of his children with Nicole.

[Umbelina]

When they were in Nicole's home Marcia, I think, said some thing about why did "they" clean it out. I presume "they" was the Brown family. Why didn't someone tell them not to, if it was so important? It couldn't have been Clark's first time having a jury visit a crime scene.

Were OJ's family members living in his house during the trial?

Question for the legal minds - if Nicole's home was an apartment, I.e. a rental, would the state have been responsible for paying the rent for as long as may have been needed for the trial?

Why would the jury even have gone in Nicole's home; what evidence was there inside? The crime occurred outside and no one suggested either Ron or OJ had been inside.

Why go see OJ's Heisman?  It personalized them.

 

I remember Nicole's family cleaning out the house (at someone's request?) very soon after the murders, and even washing off the rest of the blood around the house.  Where was that?  I think it was in testimony at the civil trial. 

 

Yes, it was a rental.  She owned one, but was telling the IRS she was renting it out because she was pretty damn broke, and OJ turned her in or threatened to, to send her to jail and get custody of the kids, so she had to quickly move out of there and rent it out.  

 

What is with prosecution not having any idea it was empty, let alone what the did to OJ's?  They should have toured it first without the jury, and had Ito issue a ruling to leave it as is.  Then again, what normal person would expect the defense to completely redecorate the place, with fake photos of black people OJ didn't even know?  I mean, that is beyond the fucking pale to me, how can that even be ethical? 

Edited March 2, 2016 by Umbelina

[DivaLasVegas82]

If I were ever in trouble and had money, Johnnie Cochran woulda been the first person I'd call. He did whatever it took to get his client off....but the prosecutors definitely teed some off for him.

I'm rooting for Darden (as if I dont already know the outcome) but sitting on my couch I didnt care for his speech about the use of the n-word in court and the jurors being unable to control their emotions and whatever else. Not having ever heard that exchange before, I found myself actually agreeing with Cochran. Of all people, black people dont need to be coddled when it comes to that word. That was a misstep on Darden's part. But involving Fuhrman at all was a misstep.

 

I definitely think that as soon as the jury heard Fuhrman on those tapes using the n-word, they made up their minds that they were going to acquit OJ. Hearing Fuhrman using the n-word cemented their belief that OJ was framed by a racist cop, so I definitely think Darden had a point. A lot of people use racially insensitive language--both black and white--but that doesn't necessarily mean they are incapable of doing their jobs. Fuhrman is a racist POS, no doubt. But I have a hard time believing that he or any other member of the LAPD would frame a black man as high profile as OJ was. If OJ were poor and not famous, then I would definitely be inclined to believe it.  Plus, OJ was friends with many LAPD officers before the murders. That's how he was able to get away with beating Nicole for so many years.

[Umbelina]

In the Glove don't fit thread there is a great video of how Vincent Bugliosi would have handled the Fuhrman situation.  He did pretty well.  Basically listing the myriad of people, many unknown to each other, who would have to conspire to fake this evidence, AND the timeline that made it impossible.  For example, they didn't even have OJ's blood when they collected at Bundy and at Rockingham. 

 

We aren't there yet in the show, summation and how Marcia handled the Fuhman issue.

Edited March 3, 2016 by Umbelina

[VCRTracking]

Holy shit Robert Morse as Dominick Dunne was perfect casting! When I saw his name in the credits I was like "Whoa Bert Cooper is in this who's he playing?"

 

Ito getting excited by that autographed picture from Arsenio Hall was hilarious.

 

That final scene was chilling. Bravo John Singleton.

Edited March 2, 2016 by VCRTracking

[rho]

Why did the cop who pulled over Cochran say he was an assistant DA? I thought Cochran had been a defense attorney for several years/decades before OJ's case.

 

I looked it up because that confused me too. Cochran was an ADA from 1978-1984 so he had been a private defense attorney for about ten years before the OJ trial. I guess it was more of a courtesy title or just a way to regurgitate facts for the story.

[Kromm]

Man, Ito is taking it in the face, figuratively I mean, in this.

I looked it up because that confused me too. Cochran was an ADA from 1978-1984 so he had been a private defense attorney for about ten years before the OJ trial. I guess it was more of a courtesy title or just a way to regurgitate facts for the story.

It was also a flashback, not concurrent with the timeline of the rest of the episode.

"This case is about an obSESion to WIN at any cost."

 

You said it, asshole. What an absolute POS Cochrane was. He treated Darden disgracefully. And for what purpose? The jury couldn't see those press conferences. He was just grandstanding. I can't even imagine how enraged Darden must've been, being smeared like that, having his accomplishments dismissed that way.

And yet the show is arguably taking his side/showing him as the hero by prefacing this with him being pulled over. It's linking a horrible fact of life for black people (even still) with how he later evolved in life and acting as if that incident was always his motivation for everything he did. It didn't leave room for him to be selfish, power hungry, or dirty. It was kind of a reductionist way to show him.

Edited March 2, 2016 by Kromm

[Kromm]

I had to Google to see if Bill Hodgman actually had a heart attack during the trial. He did, but not during actual court proceedings, and doctors said it wasn't really a heart attack.

Wait. You mean the writers made it up?  Nah! They wouldn't make stuff up, right?

I burst into tears when Dunne showed up. His scenes were right out of his book, for the most part.

A bunch of Super-White folks around a dinner table saying "OJ" and gasping at the "Great Storyteller's words" was high comedy.

[Umbelina]

This is a dramatization, not a documentary.  You can watch the actual trial on the web if you really want to, most of it's up, but it's boring as hell. 

 

The guy did have a heart episode that day, it was just in chambers or something, and it demonstrated his anger and shock well.  I'm pretty meh about things like that, it doesn't bug me one bit.  I expect them to make a dramatic show here, the documentaries out there already.

[Kromm]

So dramatizations of true events are inherently supposed to lie?

[suomi]

Nicole always tossed her gate key in a planter near the front gate when she went running. Three days before she died she told Cora Fischman that her key went missing. Her gate key was found in his getaway bag in the Bronco after he surrendered at Rockingham. His explanation was that her family gave the key to AC so he could get stuff from the condo for the kids and then AC gave the key to him. The investigators, of course, thought otherwise.

 

The housing thing is complicated. Nicole received $470,000 cash and a condo in San Francisco as her divorce settlement. She rented on Gretna Green at $5000 per month for about a year. There was a pool, and a guest house that Kato lived in while paying a little rent and providing child care for Sydney and Justin. That's the house where Simpson watched through the front window while Nicole and Keith Zlomsowich were enjoying each other on the couch. The next day he walked in like he owned the place and went off because Keith was giving Nicole a back rub while they watched the kids in the pool.

 

Nicole began to realize that paying rent wasn't practical so she sold the SF condo and used that money and most of her settlement cash to buy the Bundy condo, leaving her with about 90k. The SF condo was a rental and if she put the proceeds from selling it into another rental there was no tax liability. They were reconciling off and on for a couple of years after the divorce and she never stopped using Rockingham as her legal address, and she had told the IRS that Bundy was being used as a rental. She planned for Kato to live in the guest room at Bundy and that's when Simpson offered Kato free rent in the guest house at Rockingham.

 

The very last reconciliation was Nicole's idea and it didn't last long. He was very angry that she lured him back and then dumped him again, about three weeks before the murders. That's when/why he sent the letter threatening her with the IRS. Her tax liability equaled the last of her money so she could have paid it but then would be flat broke with no education and no work experience. So, after living on Bundy for six months she called the broker who had handled the purchase and told her to list it again. They found a $5000 rental in Malibu for Nicole to live in until the Bundy condo sold, and that was going to be her next move. Toward the end of this three-week period is when Nicole called the battered women's shelter and spoke about being stalked by her ex. The For Sale sign was in the broker's car and she was planning to place it the night of the murders after leaving a party, but she changed her mind at a nearby intersection and drove home instead. (So there might have been a third victim, or there might have been an eyewitness who got away in time. Eerie sometimes, the threads of life.)