S02.E03: A Random Killing

[Drogo]

Chicago real estate tycoon Lee Miglin is murdered in what police describe as a random killing.

[bosawks]

Judith Light should be cast in everything.

That is all.

[Spartan Girl]

Fantastic performance by Judith Light. All that focus on her and her husband being a team, trying to compensate for the romantic/sexual love he didn't give her.

Being in the closet is tough, but I tend to have more sympathy for the families the closeted married men are screwing over. Not that the husband deserved to be murdered or anything. 

Andrew is such a bastard. Stalked and killed a random passerby just for a car.

Edited February 1, 2018 by Spartan Girl

[Primetimer]

Sarah D. Bunting's old-school recap would like to avoid 'hamming it up' wordplay here, but as American Crime Story investigates Lee Miglin's demise, it does make some melodramatic choices.

View the full article

[Snow Apple]

Damn. I haven't been able to see past cute little Darren........until this episode. 

And, yes, Judith Light is everything.

[emma675]

That was just brutal and bleak and depressing. Cunanan took so much from so many and for what end? I almost wish this show didn't focus so much on him because I feel he would have reveled in this. But there would be no show without him, so...

[Tenarife60]

Did Andrew and Lee actually know one another in real life?  I thought I had read before that it was never discovered that they knew each other or it was a random killing because Andrew needed a car to escape from his previous murder.  I remember reading the Vanity Fair article years ago but I can't recall everything about the case.

[TobinAlbers]

Someone pointed out the sad parallel of how like Donatella after Gianni's murder, Carolyn had to pick up the pieces in the aftermath and forge ahead. Also both women were fiercely protective of their men to the point of perpetuating a cover story/image in the wake of their deaths to protect their images.

Carolyn and Lee were so tragic. She loved and longed for so much from him and he loved her really in his own way but. It the way she desired. 

Damn, whoever leaked that the FBI were tracking him via the car phone and whoever decided at that radio station to expose how the FBI were tracking Cunanan which led to his ditching the car and murdering an innocent man deserves a kick in the balls. 

Damn. Andrew really was a jealous petty little bitch wasn't he? He wanted to be around greatness but was jealous and resentful of these people and their gifts and their success.

[itsjustme]

After meeting Andrew once why would anyone ever talk him again? 

Anyone else laugh when Darren acted as if the cement bag was heavy?

[Razzberry]

Good episode.  I didn't know anything about his other prey.  Very sad.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Fact checking this week's episode:

Vanity Fair: The Mysterious Murder of Lee Miglin

Chicago Tribune: fact checking the Chicago scenes

Newsweek: fact or fiction?

EW: Judith Light on Marilyn Miglin

New York Time: Death or Disgrace? (this one is more of a review/critique than a fact checking article)

[TheOtherOne]

The Assassination of Gianni Versace: Fact-checking Episode Three, ‘A Random Killing’

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I know that trying to understand the logic of a serial killer can be futile, but he just made no sense here. He went to Chicago to kill this guy for no real reason.

4 hours ago, Tenarife60 said:

Did Andrew and Lee actually know one another in real life?  I thought I had read before that it was never discovered that they knew each other or it was a random killing because Andrew needed a car to escape from his previous murder.  I remember reading the Vanity Fair article years ago but I can't recall everything about the case.

It's unclear. According to the articles I posted above, a neighbor saw Miglin out in public with a dark haired guy wearing a baseball cap (presumed to be Cunanan) the weekend he was murdered. Some sources said that Miglin was closeted but known in the Chicago LGBT community. According to Maureen Orth (who wrote one of the Cunanan books), Cunanan had name dropped Duke (Lee's son) to his friends (so even if Cunanan never actually met any of the Miglins, he knew of them before coming to Chicago). The FBI said it was highly likely that Cunanan and Miglin knew each other somehow because it made no sense that Cunanan picked a random stranger to torture and kill. Duke still says that Lee did not know Cunanan. In 1997, the Chicago police superintendent said that their investigation found no connection between Cunanan and anyone in the Miglin family.

One of the articles above had a link to the FBI files which includes interviews with people who knew Cunanan, credit card receipts (which I found interesting in a creepy way because I lived in SD so I recognized the names of many of the restaurants), and even letters/postcards he wrote to David (which included several of Cunanan's addresses in San Diego).

[vixenbynight]

9 hours ago, emma675 said:

That was just brutal and bleak and depressing. Cunanan took so much from so many and for what end? I almost wish this show didn't focus so much on him because I feel he would have reveled in this. But there would be no show without him, so...

Because he just didn't care about them. It was all about what he felt that he deserved and wanted for his life.

9 hours ago, bosawks said:

Judith Light should be cast in everything.

That is all.

I adore her.

9 hours ago, TobinAlbers said:

Damn. Andrew really was a jealous petty little bitch wasn't he? He wanted to be around greatness but was jealous and resentful of these people and their gifts and their success.

When he was getting at Lee about him "trying to impress him", that who entire rant was about how Andrew behaved to get others impressed in him. He had so much resentment and he took it out on others.

8 hours ago, itsjustme said:

After meeting Andrew once why would anyone ever talk him again? 

Anyone else laugh when Darren acted as if the cement bag was heavy?

By all accounts, when folks initially met him, Cununan was able to keep the charming mask that he worked on for them to not see his true self. 

I didn't find anything funny about that scene, because I can see beyond the actor portraying the role.

[TV Diva Queen]

Wow, what an episode.  I worked for Governor Edgar and was SHOCKED to see him portrayed.  He was much more handsome than the actor who played him.  I was looking behind the scenes for the actress portraying me LOL.....I would have been behind the curtain, however I've been to countless affairs like this, I don't specifically remember if I was at this one.  Lee and Marilyn were always around.  

[itsjustme]

21 minutes ago, vixenbynight said:

 

By all accounts, when folks initially met him, Cununan was able to keep the charming mask that he worked on for them to not see his true self. 

I didn't find anything funny about that scene, because I can see beyond the actor portraying the role.

But he is not being portrayed as charming. And sorry but sometimes things happen that take the viewer out of a scene for a second.   Congrats on your focus though. :)

[hoodooznoodooz]

Hmm... Sarah D. Bunting's recap includes a different version of Andrew's phone call to Lee. I wonder why they changed the broadcast version.

[darkestboy]

This episode was a bit of a break away from the Versace angle, which I didn't expect to be honest.

Great guest performances from both Mike Farrell and Judith Light. I really felt for Lee during his scenes with Andrew, even before he was murdered.

Marilyn herself was fascinating to watch as she struggled with her husband's other life. The scene at the end was pretty effective too.

This wasn't Criss's best performance as Cunanan but he was certainly sinister with his killings this week, 7/10

[kj4ever]

Well I said I'd give it one more episode.  I think the problem I'm having with this season is the actor portraying Cunanan just doesn't have the chops compared to all the other actors in the series.  I realize this guy looks a lot like the real Andrew, but they would have been better off getting an actor that had more talent, charisma, and charm.  

Then you put up someone like that in with these performances from Judith and Mike and his character just falls flat and sticks out like a sore thumb.  I'm going to keep watching just for all these guest actors who are just killing it.   Seeing Judith's scenes were worth all the eye-rolling moments from that joker playing Andrew.

[sugarbaker design]

23 minutes ago, kj4ever said:

I think the problem I'm having with this season is the actor portraying Cunanan just doesn't have the chops compared to all the other actors in the series.

I couldn't agree more.  How do you make a mediocre actor look like a bad actor?  Cast him with Penelope Cruz, Edgar Ramirez, Mike Farrell and Judith Light.

[Madding crowd]

I agree that Criss could be portraying Cunannan with a bit more subtly, but he has the look right. I live in Chicago and the Miglin murder was a big deal at the time. People were scared because the gold coast places had tight security and at the time it was thought that a random stranger just broke in and killed Lee. The tape on the face stuff scares me-I have a phobia about anything on my face since I had some weird spa facial once where they wrapped my face up and I couldn't breathe and had a panic attack.

I do get angry at people like Lee who marry a woman under deceitful terms-if you are gay don't get married to a woman. I think part of the reason why Marilyn was portrayed at so stoic was because she had to live with this lie for so long. Of course, Miglin's family denies the whole thing.

I really want to see Versace again because I enjoy Edgar Ramirez portrayal of him so much. 

[sugarbaker design]

7 minutes ago, Madding crowd said:

I do get angry at people like Lee who marry a woman under deceitful terms-if you are gay don't get married to a woman.

First off, lying is never the right thing to do.  Lee Miglin got married in 1959, there wasn't many options for gays in 1959.  Employment and housing were not protected.  Homosexuality itself was illegal, I don't get angry at gay men for resorting to this sad option, I feel sorry for them.

[SimoneS]

How to make a mediocre tv show better? Cast Judith Light and Mike Farrell. What talented performances, Light especially. Her performance of Marilyn's grief after Lee's death was a master class. Of course, it only makes me roll my eyes every harder at the the actor playing Cunanan and at the overall mediocrity of the show as a whole.  

Edited February 1, 2018 by SimoneS

[Chaos Theory]

15 minutes ago, sugarbaker design said:

First off, lying is never the right thing to do.  Lee Miglin got married in 1959, there wasn't many options for gays in 1959.  Employment and housing were not protected.  Homosexuality itself was illegal, I don't get angry at gay men for resorting to this sad option, I feel sorry for them.

I don’t get as angry at men (or women) for making this choice.  My issue come when after sometimes decades of marriage and a change of public perspective of homosexuality that they leave the marriage. 

1 hour ago, sugarbaker design said:

I couldn't agree more.  How do you make a mediocre actor look like a bad actor?  Cast him with Penelope Cruz, Edgar Ramirez, Mike Farrell and Judith Light.

Darren Criss is hardly a mediocre actor.  I think he is doing a great job any this is coming from someone who hated Glee.   Honestly I think he is more then holding his own.

[dubbel zout]

24 minutes ago, Madding crowd said:

I do get angry at people like Lee who marry a woman under deceitful terms-if you are gay don't get married to a woman. I think part of the reason why Marilyn was portrayed at so stoic was because she had to live with this lie for so long. Of course, Miglin's family denies the whole thing

For one, we don't know if Lee lied to Marilyn about being gay. The family insists the murder was random and they had no connection to Cunanan, but that might be to save themselves from embarrassment, speculation, etc. Whatever the marriage was, Lee and Marilyn clearly had a deep, genuine love for each other and were incredibly supportive partners. Lee being gay doesn't change any of that.

Did anyone else find it incredibly weird that the town house had nothing on its walls? There was the odd mirror, but there were no photos, paintings, or anything else. To me it looked as if they'd recently moved in but never finished decorating. The house had such a cold, sterile feeling. Maybe that was to reinforce what was missing in the relationship?

14 hours ago, bosawks said:

Judith Light should be cast in everything.

That is all.

She's AMAZING.

I found this episode deeply disconcerting. 

[sugarbaker design]

7 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

Did anyone else find it incredibly weird that the town house had nothing on its walls?

And all white or off-white.

7 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

She's AMAZING.

Word.

[Nyc122]

33 minutes ago, Madding crowd said:

I agree that Criss could be portraying Cunannan with a bit more subtly, but he has the look right.

I disagree with everyone saying Criss is bad in the role, honestly I didn't have any opinion about him before this show stared (I haven't watched any of the other shows he has been in) but I am very impressed. Im curious how many people actually read the book this season is based off of or know much about the real life Andrew Cunanan. The thing is he was not subtle at all, and his "charm" is not what people here seem to think it was. People liked Andrew because he was "fun" and "exciting", however after a while he could also become annoying. He had many acquaintances but very few true friends. Usually when people got close to Andrew they realized how insecure and selfish he was. As viewers we see the real Andrew right off the bat, he's not suppose to charm us all that much. IMO Criss acts exactly like what I imagined Andrew to be like after reading the book a while back and watching many documentaries on this case.

[bosawks]

I think this was Darren’s best episode maybe he’s hitting his stride.

But damn did I miss Versace and his grace and heart.

[truthaboutluv]

And this is why sometimes people really hate the media. Why would the news report something like that, knowing the police was still trying to catch Cuananan? There is no way that the public needed to know that information. 

Judith Light was as brilliant as she always is. I couldn't remember for certain if Lee Miglin's family denied the gay angle in his death and this episode confirmed that for me. It's clear his wife didn't want his reputation and legacy tarnished. Darren as Cuananan was definitely more clinical and emotionless this episode. There was no over the top gay caricature and just the cold, angry and calculating murderer. 

Edited February 1, 2018 by truthaboutluv

[Madding crowd]

I guess what I mean is that he comes across as kind of threatening and unstable rather than charming. He isn't terrible in the role. And I stand by my opinion that gay men shouldn't marry women who expect a loving and sexual marriage. Of course it is possible Marilyn knew he was gay, but most women want a partner who wants them. I thought Light played the role of someone who was trying to hold on to something that wasn't really there. Lee saying he only felt alive when he was with Cunanin indicates to me that he was never happy-Marilyn deserved more than that.

I understand the family denies al of this but it doesn't change my opinion. 

[truthaboutluv]

Just now, Madding crowd said:

I guess what I mean is that he comes across as kind of threatening and unstable rather than charming.

Here's the thing though, was it ever a fact that Cuananan was charming? I see this referenced a lot and I wonder if it's one of those things that's been said so much throughout the years when people discuss the case, that it's been taken as fact. We know he was a pathological liar from school, classmates from college said he told outrageous stories, indicating they knew he was lying, then he was basically a hooker to rich gay men, then murdered two people close to him that later spiraled into murdering Lee Miglin, the random guy whose truck he wanted and then Versace. Yes, it's been reported that he was very smart, testing at genius IQ level and that he could change his appearance almost seamlessly. But I honestly don't remember ever reading that Andrew was this super charming guy that fooled so many people. YMMV.

Edited February 1, 2018 by truthaboutluv

[Nyc122]

4 minutes ago, Madding crowd said:

I guess what I mean is that he comes across as kind of threatening and unstable rather than charming. He isn't terrible in the role.

I understand where you are coming from, I just wanted to put my personal opinion out there. I think this show is difficult if you haven't read the book, there is so much detail in the book that when you watch the show without the background it can be confusing at times (such as who certain characters are). Another thing is, towards the end right before the killings the real Andrew was unraveling so I think thats why he seems so unstable, I think we will see more of his "charm" in the last few episodes before he starts his killing spree. 

[Madding crowd]

I don't know-but these wealthy guys could afford any type of escort-would they choose someone with no personality? I get it that some of them are into different things-but most people still want to be with someone who acts affectionate and or pleasant in some way. I don't think Criss is bad, I just think he got away with things for so long that he must have had some level of charm. I will have to read up on it more and I generally like Criss as an actor. 

[dubbel zout]

Cunanan was a master manipulator, and that requires some level of charm, I think. He could quickly figure out where someone's weak spot was and use that as his entry point into their life.

[Nyc122]

5 minutes ago, truthaboutluv said:

Here's the thing though, was it ever a fact that Cuananan was charming?

Yeah, I agree. I think in a way he was "charming" when he was younger, and by "charming" I mean he was very smart and knew how to manipulate people. However he was also very snobby and brash and not afraid to show that side of himself. He knew how to work people and had A LOT of "friends". People liked him because he would tell fun stories (even if they knew it was BS), pay for expensive dinners, give them expensive things and he was just interesting. Older men liked him because he was young and for a time somewhat attractive but also well read and intelligent. He was not the most attractive guy around and so he used other aspects such as his knowledge of various things to compensate for that. For a while that worked very well for him, but towards the end he did start to unravel and he stopped caring, he started acting crazy and I think Darren is playing that Andrew very well.

[Nyc122]

7 minutes ago, Madding crowd said:

I don't know-but these wealthy guys could afford any type of escort-would they choose someone with no personality? I get it that some of them are into different things-but most people still want to be with someone who acts affectionate and or pleasant in some way. I don't think Criss is bad, I just think he got away with things for so long that he must have had some level of charm. I will have to read up on it more and I generally like Criss as an actor. 

I agree, but IMO at this point in his journey Andrew was not trying to win him over anymore, he went there knowing he was going to kill Lee. In that past I don't think he would have acted like that at all, I think that is why Lee is taken aback at his sudden attitude. I feel like he was probably a lot more charming when they first met/in the past. I guess we will see towards the end when they show a younger Andrew, how Darren plays it, I feel like he wont seem as psychotic.

[truthaboutluv]

1 minute ago, icemiser69 said:

For this particular episode, I think this was more of a writing problem than anything else.  The relationship of Cunanan and Miglin should have played out over multiple episodes.  This episode seemed kind of rushed, just to squeeze everything in. 

I see your point and agree with it, but I'm wondering if that was, based on the fact checking articles above, due to no one really knowing the extent of the relationship, if there was one and how it even came about. 

 

Quote

For a while that worked very well for him, but towards the end he did start to unravel and he stopped caring, he started acting crazy and I think Darren is playing that Andrew very well.

ITA. Regarding the "issue" some have about the portrayal of Cuananan and the struggle some have with how anyone believed him about anything, I do think it is important to note that at the point we are with the story, he had already killed multiple people, was clearly spiraling and would take his life only a few short months later. We're essentially, at the point that the show is, seeing Cuananan towards the end of his life. The early years of whoring to rich men had taken its toll and dried up, I may be wrong but from my understanding is that part of the reason he killed his first victims is because they not only saw past his facade but called him out on it and lifted the veil on all his bullshit.

Cuananan by the time he killed Versace was a broke fugitive with virtually nothing. Any charm he may have had at one point was all gone. There's also the fact that I think some see Cuananan as a serial killer in the vein of a Ted Bundy or other serial killers and honestly, based on the sloppiness of his crimes, the quickness with how it escalated and how quickly he was caught (he would have and should have been caught a lot earlier were it not for so many sloppy mistakes by the media and FBI), I don't think of Cuananan as a serial killer, so much as a psychopath who went on a crime spree. 

Edited February 1, 2018 by truthaboutluv

[Ellaria]

1 hour ago, dubbel zout said:

Cunanan was a master manipulator, and that requires some level of charm, I think. He could quickly figure out where someone's weak spot was and use that as his entry point into their life.

I believe that THIS describes Cunanan perfectly. And count me among those that think that Darren Criss is superb in this role.

[Chaos Theory]

I think it might be a mistake watching the progression backwards instead of forward.  We see a madman who has already lost any pretense and the audience wonders how anyone fell for it while the truth is for a long time the guy was exceptionally smart, well read and charming but also a snob, conceitful and lazy.   Smart and beautiful enough to accomplish anything but too lazy to go about it and he resented the fact that everyone didn’t give him what he wanted.

 

He was also a pathological liar. 

Edited February 1, 2018 by Chaos Theory

[dubbel zout]

5 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

I think it might be a mistake watching the progression backwards instead of forward.

I might agree. I get why they started with the Versace murder, as that's the most famous, and it's the culmination of Cunanan's sociopathy. But it also takes away the momentum of how he got to that terrible moment.

[ratgirlagogo]

3 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

But it also takes away the momentum of how he got to that terrible moment.

So far, I disagree with this.  Everybody knows, inevitably,  about his last murder, that of a famous person.  If you DON'T start with that, on some level everyone is looking at their watches as the weeks go by leading up to the Big Kill.   I like the way this reverse approach keeps unpeeling the different layers of the Cunanan onion.   

Edited February 1, 2018 by ratgirlagogo

[caracas1914]

From what I’ve read where the book/articles differ from the series  is that they relate that  in real life, Cunanan’s youthful looks were starting to fade and he was putting on weight.   As an acquaintance told me, “in some of those party circuit  spheres  that’s like death”.  Cunanan was never some drop dead gorgeous Adonis to begin , one article quoted one of his friends saying he couldn’t compete with the physically attractive buff guys within his own age group, was too lazy to work out at gyms, etc. Again within the subgroups that he mingled in, looks and attractiveness hold a lot of sway; so that at least in part would have given one possible shading for his sudden violent spiral.

 

While it was an interesting attempt, I also think the narrative time frame is something the series (so far) struggles with.

The problem is from the getgo he oozes sleaziness and comes across as a  creep.  It’s hard to believe anyone would stand to be around him from more than an initial conversation.   That is the construct of the series, so it’s separate from the book or articles. 

[CeeBeeGee]

I found this episode deeply upsetting, tremendously sad. I almost wish I hadn't watched it, I thought it was so disturbing. That poor man. I can't even imagine his terror.  I mean, it seems a little obvious to say a murderer is a terrible person--but the didn't just torture and kill Lee, he let him die knowing his lifelong secret would be exposed.  That he and his family would be humiliated. Jesus, what a monster. 

Casting Mike Farrell, well-known for his portrayal of the happily married faithful husband BJ on M.A.S.H., was brilliant. Judith Light was excellent as always. I also think Criss is fantastic.

[SarahPrtr]

3 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

I think it might be a mistake watching the progression backwards instead of forward.  We see a madman who has already lost any pretense and the audience wonders how anyone fell for it while the truth is for a long time the guy was exceptionally smart, well read and charming but also a snob, conceitful and lazy.   Smart and beautiful enough to accomplish anything but too lazy to go about it and he resented the fact that everyone didn’t give him what he wanted.

 

He was also a pathological liar. 

He's a perfect example of what happens to people who have an excessive sense of entitlement.  He wanted it all, but never wanted to work for it.  It doesn't matter how smart you are, you still have to work!  He was extremely jealous of anyone who was born wealthy and never really had to earn the wealth they would inherit.  That's what he wanted.  He was given too many nice things from an early age without having to earn them.  He thought that whatever qualities he had was enough to get him whatever he wanted. Good looks and intelligence will only get you so far.  Maybe it'll get your foot in the door, but you still have to prove your worth by putting in the hours.  AC never could be bothered to do all that.

[bmoore4026]

Wow.  Without the Versace stuff, the show is a lot more interesting.

[vixenbynight]

3 hours ago, ratgirlagogo said:

I like the way this reverse approach keeps unpeeling the different layers of the Cunanan onion.   

Agreed. In this particular episode, we see how truly angry, bitter, resentful and the depths of his hate over another person's success.

1 hour ago, CeeBeeGee said:

I found this episode deeply upsetting, tremendously sad. I almost wish I hadn't watched it, I thought it was so disturbing. That poor man. I can't even imagine his terror.  I mean, it seems a little obvious to say a murderer is a terrible person--but the didn't just torture and kill Lee, he let him die knowing his lifelong secret would be exposed. That he and his family would be humiliated. Jesus, what a monster.

He truly wanted Miglin to experience a whole different level of shame and disgrace that was beyond belief. He did not have to kill that man (or any of his other victims). He just wanted to do it. 

[Emmeline]

Let me suffice by saying I have not read all the comments yet on here, however, I am pleased that they are dedicating this episode to the murder of Lee Miglin.  His was the most gruesome of the five murders and needed to be addressed.  While they make Marylin Miglin to look like a cold “B” who tried to cover-up everything (and her son as well) she seemed to have loved her husband.  We will never know the truth about Lee’s relationship with Andrew, but I think there was something.

[pigs-in-space]

25 minutes ago, Emmeline said:

Let me suffice by saying I have not read all the comments yet on here, however, I am pleased that they are dedicating this episode to the murder of Lee Miglin.  His was the most gruesome of the five murders and needed to be addressed.  While they make Marylin Miglin to look like a cold “B” who tried to cover-up everything (and her son as well) she seemed to have loved her husband.  We will never know the truth about Lee’s relationship with Andrew, but I think there was something.

I didn't think they made her look like a bitch at all! In fact, I thought it was a very sympathetic portrayal. YMMV.

[April Bloodgate]

9 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

Darren Criss is hardly a mediocre actor.  I think he is doing a great job any this is coming from someone who hated Glee.   Honestly I think he is more then holding his own.

I agree. I was never a huge Glee person, and I haven't seen him in anything else. But I think he's doing a fantastic job in this. That said, after really enjoying the first two episodes, I just hated this one. So over the top. And unlike, Gianni, they gave me no reason to connect with/care about Lee, so I was just kind of bored watching his story. And I really don't care about his cosmetics tycoon wife, however good an actress Judith Light may be. 

[bmoore4026]

10 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

 

Darren Criss is hardly a mediocre actor.  I think he is doing a great job any this is coming from someone who hated Glee.   Honestly I think he is more then holding his own.

Count me in, too, as one who hopes Mr. Criss gets recognition for this.  I've seen him in those Starkid Harry Potter musicals, so I know he can do comedy real well.  But, seeing him as this is amazing.

What also amazes me is that the Home Shopping Club keeps archives of its past shows.

Lastly, just give all the awards to Judith Light right now.  All.  Maybe not the People's Choice, but the rest most assuredly.