S02.E02: Manhunt

[Drogo]

Andrew Cunanan arrives in Miami to stalk Gianni Versace.

[Marley]

I was excited to watch this show but I’m just not liking it. It’s just kind of annoying and meh.

I’ve never really liked Darren Criss as an actor. I don’t like him in this either. He’s always too over the top and he’s not good in this show and is ruining it more.

[Spartan Girl]

Years ago, I would have loved to see Darren dancing around in a little speedo. Be careful what you wish for...

And the scene of him belting out "Gloria" in the car (presumably after another murder)? Yeah, we definitely aren't in Glee anymore.

So Gianni had HIV? Didn't know that.

I still don't like Donatella very much, but I felt for her in the funeral home scene. An ice queen can have a heart.

Had to laugh at Gianni interacting with the Donatella drag queen impersonator. The one lighthearted moment in the whole show.

[Primetimer]

The show goes back in time with two perspectives on sex and death -- and Sarah D. Bunting nerds out on the production design -- in our recap of 'Manhunt.'

View the full article

[Luciano]

5 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

So Gianni had HIV? Didn't know that.

In the book that the series is based on, the author stated that he had HIV, naming a Miami Beach detective as the source. Donatella has always maintained that that is a lie and Gianni's illness was actually ear cancer. 

I'm finding the Cunanan parts boring. The Versace parts, whether Gianni or Donatella, are holding my interest more but since the focus is on the murder and Cunanan's creepiness before and after, those parts seem a lot shorter.

[hoodooznoodooz]

Heartbreaking to watch Gianni observe Donatella's hatred for Antonio.

I'm kind of baffled by the idea of a psychopath talking incessantly about himself, and this is somehow charming to other people.

[vixenbynight]

7 minutes ago, hoodooznoodooz said:

Heartbreaking to watch Gianni observe Donatella's hatred for Antonio.

I'm kind of baffled by the idea of a psychopath talking incessantly about himself, and this is somehow charming to other people.

Agreed on both points.

Both Antonio and Gianni chose to allow others into their home and bed. 

I think that Cununan was able to make some people think and feel like he was sharing something "special" with them about himself, due to how he looked and how he came across to them. Until you spent more time with him and realized that every other word out of his mouth was a lie, he came across as the charming man.

[TheOtherOne]

Fact-checking The Assassination of Gianni Versace: Episode Two, ‘Manhunt’

 

The Assassination of Gianni Versace: Did Versace Really Have AIDS?

[Tenarife60]

Was the Ronnie person real?  I had never heard of Andrew hanging out with anyone in Miami or them sharing a hotel room together. 

[hoodooznoodooz]

That scene with the duct tape and scissors and lobster story really scared me.

[MerBearHou]

11 hours ago, hoodooznoodooz said:

That scene with the duct tape and scissors and lobster story really scared me.

Honestly I had to turn away/take a short break — couldn’t watch how that scene played.  I came back when Andrew was arrogantly dining and lying about his mother bringing lobster for his school lunch, dropping the champagne glass and then the poor elderly man is too ashamed to finish the 911 call.  

Edgar Ramirez’ Versace is so endearing (at least to me, so far) — he has a lovely look in his eyes and sweet smile and such a confident walk when he is out and about.  Ramirez is the Emmy-candidate to me.  

Darren Criss is doing a great job too — I am beyond creeped out by Andrew Cunanan.  How how how did Andrew walk around Miami like that?  Why wasn’t his face plastered everywhere on TV?  

Penelope is just so-so for me, but that’s a tough role to like, no matter who plays Donatella.  TBH, as a sister, I can understand Donatella’s resentment of Antonio if he was bringing pickup men to Gianni’s home (whether or not Gianni wanted him to) — that was playing with fire in many ways.  Gianni was her beloved brother and the genius behind their business — I can embrace her distrust of Antonio, though he does seem to be devoted to Gianni and all that Gianni “is”.

Edited January 25, 2018 by MerBearHou

[Luciano]

40 minutes ago, Tenarife60 said:

Was the Ronnie person real?  I had never heard of Andrew hanging out with anyone in Miami or them sharing a hotel room together. 

Yes. One of the articles linked above mentions the real Ronnie - there's a bit more about him here.

Edited January 25, 2018 by Luciano

[hoodooznoodooz]

1 hour ago, Spartan Girl said:

Had to laugh at Gianni interacting with the Donatella drag queen impersonator. The one lighthearted moment in the whole show.

DQ: I wear Versace.

GV: Versace. Yeah, brava. Baby, big kiss for you. 

 

Hee!

Edited January 25, 2018 by hoodooznoodooz

[AmandaPanda]

I love that they mentioned the America's Most Wanted episode with Cunanan. I remember watching that with my mom and being absolutely terrified Andrew Cunanan was going to come to Missouri and murder me in my sleep. Granted I was a 7-year-old girl at the time and not at all his target, but to this day, I still have that weird fear whenever Cunanan has been mentioned. And then my biggest celebrity crush ends up playing him in the TV show. I'm so loving Darren's performance thus far. 

[WhosThatGirl]

I didn’t know much about Gianna(I was a little bit older than a zygote when he was killed) but he seems like such a nice person or at least how he is being played here.

Andrew is creepy as all hell. This is not Blaine Anderson and yay for Darren for being able to do something complemtly different, I wasn’t sure if he could. The only non Glee thing I had seen him was his brief appearance in AHS Hotel and it was kind of meh.

[numbnut]

So cheesy. And I'm allergic to dairy so this is tough to watch. Most of the dialogue is so "written." I did like Gianni and Donatella bickering over the fashion show. Their sibling dynamic rings true.

Edited January 25, 2018 by numbnut

[RickyB]

When the FBI was sorting out the Miglin murder I found out that I was at the same bar in Chicago at the same time as Cunanan. Wouldn’t remember him, it was crowded. He used a stolen credit card at the bar. At the time it really bothered me, this show is bringing that feeling back. 

[marymon]

1 hour ago, hoodooznoodooz said:

That scene with the duct tape and scissors and lobster story really scared me.

All I could think  about was how was he getting that duct tape off cause it would not work that way at all.

[AgentRXS]

1 hour ago, MerBearHou said:

 How how how did Andrew walk around Miami like that?  Why wasn’t his face plastered everywhere on TV?  

Because the 24 hour news channels were not even a year into existence yet. There is and always has been more than enough news in South FL to fill the evening news, so I would be surprised if his pre-Versace murder spree got more than a slight mention on most nights.

Man, this episode made me miss my childhood! I miss the run-down beach motels on South Beach/Miami Beach . I miss the '90s club music---"A Little Bit of Ecstasy" & "Be My Lover" were my jams back then.I miss seeing people enjoying the beach and conversations with each other without a cell phone in hand. Nowadays, you  would be hard pressed to find one person on the beach at sunset not taking a fucking selfie. If I could go back for just one day....sigh.

Anyway, back to the episode.....did anyone else think DragQueen!Donatella looked more like the real one than Penelope!Donatella or was it just me? 

Also, I think its pretty shitty to imply Versace was positive if there isn't 100% proof that its true.  It was already clear that Donatella and Antonio disliked each other, the HIV stuff added nothing to the story.

Edited January 25, 2018 by AgentRXS

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Say what you want about anything else on this show, but they always choose the perfect music (both in S1 and S2). A Little Bit of Ecstasy by Jocelyn Enriquez and Be My Lover by La Bouche were inescapable in 1997. Fun fact: Joceleyn Enriquez is now married to a pastor!

 

I had to laugh a little bit when they showed Donatella unzipping the garment bag and then a second later, Gianni was magically dressed in a new outfit in his coffin because I was just picturing Donatella manhandling his stiff  dead body by herself to get him into different clothes.

I do not understand how Cunanan put duct tape on the old guy or himself and then removed said duct tape without ripping out eyebrows and every hair on his head.

I had a love/hate relationship with America's Most Wanted. On the one hand, I have always been glad that it existed because it alerted people about various criminals (many of whom have been caught because of the show). But the other part of me got super freaked out every time I tried to watch the show. I would become paranoid that all of these murderers were lurking outside my house. I would be tempted to turn the show off and then I would guilt trip myself into watching (my logic was this - what if I didn't watch it and then I walked right past one of these murderers at the store and then he killed someone else?).

Edited January 25, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Sarah D. Bunting]

Quote

Donatella manhandling his stiff  dead body by herself to get him into different clothes

WITH those nails, too.

[numbnut]

7 hours ago, AgentRXS said:

did anyone else think DragQueen!Donatella looked more like the real one than Penelope!Donatella or was it just me? 

It wasn't just you.

7 hours ago, AgentRXS said:

It was already clear that Donatella and Antonio disliked each other

The scene of Cunanan on the club's dance floor was also redundant. He's a sociopath who enjoys lying about his identity. We get it.

Edited January 25, 2018 by numbnut

[LennieBriscoe]

The dance club scene was also to show how, even when telling the truth---Cunanan first said he was a serial killer---Cunanan could get away with much.

But hey---I've waited since the 1999 Grammys to see Ricky Martin starkers, so I thought this episode was AWESOME!

???

[TeeVee329]

Is Detective Lori Daya from OITNB?

[AgentRXS]

8 minutes ago, TeeVee329 said:

Is Detective Lori Daya from OITNB?

Yup.Her real name is Dascha Polanco

[Lovecat]

1 hour ago, LennieBriscoe said:

But hey---I've waited since the 1999 Grammys to see Ricky Martin starkers, so I thought this episode was AWESOME!

???

Right?  I made some sort of exclamation that the dog took for alarm, and he started barking at the front door, thinking there was an intruder.

9 minutes ago, TeeVee329 said:

Is Detective Lori Daya from OITNB?

Yes.

[Florinaldo]

10 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Years ago, I would have loved to see Darren dancing around in a little speedo. Be careful what you wish for...

It all depends on context doesn't it? ;-)

Since his customer could not see him, AC was performing for himself and his own satisfaction; quite to be expected from someone who comes across as a narcissistic killer and it adds to the creepiness of the character.

 

10 hours ago, Luciano said:

I'm finding the Cunanan parts boring. The Versace parts, whether Gianni or Donatella, are holding my interest more but since the focus is on the murder and Cunanan's creepiness before and after, those parts seem a lot shorter.

For me it's the other way around. The world of high fashion is not that novel on TV (or film), nor interesting in itself to me; it does not help that Donatella is portrayed by a an actress who appears to function in a half-catatonic state and delivers her line in a monotone. On the other hand, the construction and progress of a spree killer holds more potential.

The reality of the character is starting to come together but it does not quite make a whole sense yet; the disjointed narrative may be a factor because we have to wait a whole other week to see the other pieces of the puzzle. Reviewers who got the screeners had the advantage of seeing 8 of the 9 episodes consecutively, which means they were in a position to appreciate the bulk of the performances in one sweep and thus know how all threads come together and how the various pieces of Cunanan fit, with all of his contradictions. For us ordinary viewers, these will probably make most sense retrospectively, both the depiction of the characters and the story itself, perhaps with the help of some rewatching.

 

10 hours ago, hoodooznoodooz said:

I'm kind of baffled by the idea of a psychopath talking incessantly about himself, and this is somehow charming to other people.

People like teller of tales who can spin glamorous fiction; they may know it's a fairy tale, but they enjoy it anyway. Cult members are able to listen rapturously to a speaker drone on and on about himself. You could say it the same about fans at conventions; they know they are beig fed bullshit or PR puffery, but they do not care as long as they feel a rapport with the people on stage.

AC treats his charm as a skill to be honed, hence him rehearsing in front of a mirror, but also as a precious capital that must be used efficiently. When the little girl does not respond to his smile, his switches it off because there's no use to waste that resource. Same with the friend he rebuked in the first episode or during his exchange with Ronnie at the shower on the beach; he does not need anything from them, so no use expending energy. With  Ronnie, he is the one acting as provider because he gets the money for their drug use.

9 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

How how how did Andrew walk around Miami like that?  Why wasn’t his face plastered everywhere on TV?  

Not every person was watching the crime shows like America's Most Wanted. Plus as the episode indicated they did not distribute the Wanted posters before Versace was killed. There was a pointed shot of the pawn shop owner looking up at her board of police flyers and not seeing anything about AC.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

8 hours ago, AgentRXS said:

did anyone else think DragQueen!Donatella looked more like the real one than Penelope!Donatella or was it just me? 

To me, the only thing about Penelope Cruz that looks like the real Donatella is the blonde hair and eyebrows.

[WhosThatGirl]

Yeah.. I mean this series isn’t as cohesive as the OJ crime story but it’s because they’re framed differently I think. And this does kind of bother me a little, I wish it flowed a little better.

All the same, the acting is really good. I’m impressed with DC beyond  belief. 

[Florinaldo]

The interactions between Ronnie and AC were the most affecting sections of this episode. It's a moment AC seems to be on the verge of making true contact with another person, but he knows it is impossible because of the path he has laid for himself and what he has already done. He goes so far as advising Ronnie to deny knowing him, for his own protection I suppose. I thought the two actors did an excellent job in those scenes, establishing the connection between the two but still with some distance.

[kj4ever]

14 minutes ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

To me, the only thing about Penelope Cruz that looks like the real Donatella is the blonde hair and eyebrows.

I never knew Donatella to look anything other than the monstrous freak that she is now.  I grew up listening to my gay Uncle complain about what a nasty bitch she was and how she did Versace's partner wrong, so I am just a bit jaded when it comes to that whatever she is now.

I'm having a hard time getting into this season, but I'll give it one more show.  Comparing it with OJ is apples to oranges, but I really think the talent in this one (except for Edgar Ramirez who is freakin' awesome) is just not as good.  

[vixenbynight]

7 minutes ago, Florinaldo said:

The interactions between Ronnie and AC were the most affecting sections of this episode. It's a moment AC seems to be on the verge of making true contact with another person, but he knows it is impossible because of the path he has laid for himself and what he has already done. He goes so far as advising Ronnie to deny knowing him, for his own protection I suppose. I thought the two actors did an excellent job in those scenes, establishing the connection between the two but still with some distance.

Yes....at this point, there is no turning back for Cununan. It also shows how he needed to have his "friends" view him as a "benefactor" in their friendships with him. When he made reference to "losing his two friends", in his mind, I think he actually saw it in that way.

[Blakeston]

I find Donnatella's treatment of Antonio very unsympathetic.

In that time period, when HIV wasn't seen as a manageable condition the way it is today, I can understand the relative of an HIV-positive person being bitter toward the person who encouraged them to be promiscuous.

But it seems like Donnatella was also just angry that her brother wasn't heteronormative. And she decided it was all Antonio's fault, which was ridiculous.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I didn't recognize Max Greenfield the first few times we saw him in this episode. It wasn't until he started speaking and I recognized his voice that I realized it was Deputy Leo. I knew he was on this season and that we saw him very briefly in the first episode so I wasn't surprised by his presence, just that I didn't recognize him at all. He definitely carried himself differently than he did on Veronica Mars and New Girl.

[MerBearHou]

I know it's not fair to compare the ACS: OJ series to the Versace one, but I can't help it -- this one seems so campy and the music is too intrusive for me.  The OJ series was very, very impressive and this is second-rate in nearly every way.  I will stay with it (probably) just to see it through but I am not enjoying it whereas I was glued to the ACS: OJ series. 

Only Edgar Ramirez is knocking it out of the park in contrast to the stellar performances of the entire cast of the OJ series.

[Negritude]

1 hour ago, MerBearHou said:

I know it's not fair to compare the ACS: OJ series to the Versace one, but I can't help it -- this one seems so campy and the music is too intrusive for me.  The OJ series was very, very impressive and this is second-rate in nearly every way.  I will stay with it (probably) just to see it through but I am not enjoying it whereas I was glued to the ACS: OJ series. 

Only Edgar Ramirez is knocking it out of the park in contrast to the stellar performances of the entire cast of the OJ series.

The OJ series set the bar high and this episode wasn't even as good as episode 1. Still kinda digging it as I graduated high school and started college in 97 and seeing the stories behind these news stories from back then is fascinating.

I was actually really impressed with Max Greenfield as Ronnie. I liked his turn in AHS Hotel and wanted to see more of him there. Never got into New Girl from from the little I saw of that, I can see he's completely different here.

Anybody else think there will be a Sarah Paulson cameo?

[bmoore4026]

Well, pack up the babies and grab the old ladies because this show just earned two Emmys right here for best acting by a lead actor.  And I don't know how so many of you are not liking Penelope Cruz as Donatella, I think she's fine.  I mean, it's hard to divorce any portrayal of Donatella and not immediately think of Maya Rudolph impersonation.  I mean, it would have been awesome if they could have gotten her, but that would have turned this into a comedy and that wouldn't have been good.

I have a couple of gay e-mail buddies who would love to have Darren Criss bound around the room in a Speedo, but I'm fairly certain without the extreme breath control involved.

I can see where Donatella was coming from because those clothes at the fashion show were just so...dumpy looking.  It wasn't the models (who I'm pretty certain where guys in drag), it was the clothes themselves.  They lacked flair and elegance.  Gianni might as well have dumped cloth on them - it would have looked better.

[atlantaloves]

Oh boy, I enjoyed this episode so much more than last week.....kinda kinky, but I agree, Edgar R. is knocking it out of the park, very strong performance. 

[meep.meep]

5 hours ago, kj4ever said:

I never knew Donatella to look anything other than the monstrous freak that she is now.  I grew up listening to my gay Uncle complain about what a nasty bitch she was and how she did Versace's partner wrong, so I am just a bit jaded when it comes to that whatever she is now.

I'm having a hard time getting into this season, but I'll give it one more show.  Comparing it with OJ is apples to oranges, but I really think the talent in this one (except for Edgar Ramirez who is freakin' awesome) is just not as good.  

I agree with you about Donatella.  I think it's hard for Cruz to play her, because they are physically very different.  Donatella is tall, Cruz is short.  So she can't wear the really long hair or she'd be tripping over it.  But the voice is identical - that monotone deep heavily accented drone.

I think the acting is actually pretty good in this.  But the writing and direction is sub par.  You can't tell what's happening when.  But Ramirez, Cruz, Criss, Martin, Greenfield - they were great.

[bosawks]

As a New Jersey resident I admit to being completely distracted by the removal of the back plate only.

What about the front plate Andrew!

[Snow Apple]

I didn't watch the first series about OJ so I'm enjoying this as I have nothing to compare against. I like this episode even better than the first. The only parts that bored me were the cops even though those scenes are necessary.

[MaggieG]

23 hours ago, Florinaldo said:

Not every person was watching the crime shows like America's Most Wanted. Plus as the episode indicated they did not distribute the Wanted posters before Versace was killed. There was a pointed shot of the pawn shop owner looking up at her board of police flyers and not seeing anything about AC.

At least we know the guy in the sub shop was watching :)

I'm enjoying this, Edgar Ramirez is doing a great job. Also, Ricky Martin butt!

[hoodooznoodooz]

Why did the police officers use their sirens when arriving at the deli?

[jnymph]

I'm enjoying this series a lot.   DC is creepy as hell and ER is rocking Versace.   I think Penelope Cruz and Ricky Martin are putting in fine performances as well. 

[CeeBeeGee]

On 1/25/2018 at 12:42 AM, AmandaPanda said:

I love that they mentioned the America's Most Wanted episode with Cunanan. I remember watching that with my mom and being absolutely terrified Andrew Cunanan was going to come to Missouri and murder me in my sleep. Granted I was a 7-year-old girl at the time and not at all his target, but to this day, I still have that weird fear whenever Cunanan has been mentioned. And then my biggest celebrity crush ends up playing him in the TV show. I'm so loving Darren's performance thus far. 

I was only barely aware of the news at the time (the sole reason I got cable was to watch MST3K) but even I had heard of the gay serial killer making his way down the east coast. I had a gay roommate at the time and I remember talking to him about this. 

I think this is riveting--DC and the guy playing Versace (hell, everybody) is fantastic. That poor old guy on the bed! I was riveted even knowing "surely he doesn't die here--Cunanan's at four victims now and the only one left is Versace, right?" I can't even imagine how terrified he was, even leaving out that he was probably closeted (which would've added another level of terror).

[dubbel zout]

2 hours ago, hoodooznoodooz said:

Why did the police officers use their sirens when arriving at the deli?

So they wouldn't scare off Cunanan, but he saw the counterman on the phone and ran anyway.

[Florinaldo]

I just had another look at the submarine shop scene and the editing makes it appear as if the sirens were blaring when the patrol cars got on their way, but were silent when they arrived, probably not to tip off the reported suspect (a precaution TV cops do not always take). And AC kept looking at the backroom so perhaps he suspected that the clerk who served him had disappeared for a reason.

The cinematography has been outstanding so far, very rich and atmospheric. And not only in the Versace mansion with its overdose of lush colours and textures, but in every location, adapting to the seediness or ordinariness of other sites, while remaining clear and crisp.

Edited January 26, 2018 by Florinaldo

[Unclejosh]

On 1/25/2018 at 4:25 PM, meep.meep said:

I agree with you about Donatella.  I think it's hard for Cruz to play her, because they are physically very different.  Donatella is tall, Cruz is short.  So she can't wear the really long hair or she'd be tripping over it.  But the voice is identical - that monotone deep heavily accented drone.

I think the acting is actually pretty good in this.  But the writing and direction is sub par.  You can't tell what's happening when.  But Ramirez, Cruz, Criss, Martin, Greenfield - they were great.

Donatella is actually an inch shorter than Cruz in real life.

[Mountainair]

I am really enjoying this so far! I am only familiar with Ricky Martin, Penelope Cruz and the cop who was on Mad Men. So this is a cast of pretty much unknowns to me where the first season was a cast full of recognizable actors. I went through a True Crime obsession back in the early 00's and for some reason never read about this one so the story is completely new to me too. OJ- I knew like the back of my hand. This season is different in all the good ways for me! 

Andrew Cunanan was one creepy dude. Was he really so cute in real life because I feel all sorts of dirty enjoying him dancing in his speedo! I'm trying not to spoil myself by reading up on this case but I wonder how factual a lot of the private scenes are with Andrew and the old guy, or Andrew and the duct tape in his hotel room, etc... The scene with the old guy and the S&M really freaked me out. 

[bmoore4026]

On 1/25/2018 at 1:24 PM, icemiser69 said:

IMO, "Gloria", is like nails on a chalkboard.  Horribly grating music. 

Bite you tongue, it is not!