S02.E01: The Man Who Would Be Vogue

[Drogo]

The murder of Gianni Versace turns the eyes of the world onto Miami Beach.

[Spartan Girl]

And the Emmy goes to Darren Criss.

Seriously, screw Matt Damon and The Talented Mr. Ripley. This sociopath was nothing short of bone-chilling, slipping from persona to persona in the blink of an eye.

Is it wrong that I was upset that one of the poor doves got shot too?

[SimoneS]

I thought that this was disappointing. The casting, writing, and musical score are pedestrian, especially when I compare it to the genius that was The People v.s. OJ Simpson. And I am a huge Penelope Cruz fan. The story is also pure tabloid so far, it lacks the social and political significance of The People v.s. OJ Simpson. I will give it another episode to see if they can step up their game. 

Edited January 18, 2018 by SimoneS

[Primetimer]

American Crime Story returns with a portrait of the assassin as a self-loathing grifter.

View the full article

[mojoween]

Aww I feel badly that the last words Versace’s boyfriend said to him were “ciao bello”.

I do not ever want to speak ill of the departed, but if that was a good representation of Versace’s mansion, hoo boy was it tacky.  Even for 1997.

All the press was so right.  Darren is incredibly unsettling.

[Blakeston]

6 minutes ago, mojoween said:

I do not ever want to speak ill of the departed, but if that was a good representation of Versace’s mansion, hoo boy was it tacky.  Even for 1997.

It appears to be very accurate.

My feeling about the depiction of Cunanan is, aren't sociopaths supposed to be good at hiding that they're sociopaths? Anyone who didn't just fall off the turnip truck should have been able to tell in less than 5 minutes that he was completely full of it.

[AmandaPanda]

They definitely need to tone down the score. It's overpowering in a lot of ways.

As a long-time Darren fan, I am so excited to see him getting such a meaty role. I found myself smiling at how amazing he's doing and simultaneously being disturbed with myself for smiling at this psychopath. 

[mojoween]

Wow.  That mansion sure was something.  I wonder if they got the 100 mil they were asking for it?

I do find myself having a harder time with this depiction than I did during the OJ one.  Like, did we know before Cunanan killed Versace he screamed in the ocean?  That he screamed and laughed inside the pickup truck?  I don’t know why it’s bugging me that it’s all speculation, but it is taking me out of the story when Darren does something no one would have any way of knowing if it’s accurate.

Also Penelope’s Donatella voice is hard to understand sometimes.

[madhacker]

I need to rewatch but yeah I agree Darren's got a good shot at an Emmy nomination if he maintains this quality. This is as far from Blaine as you can get.

[ghertigirl]

Can someone please ID the song playing over the opening credits? Pretty sure it’s from another movie and it’s driving me crazy that I can’t ID it!

Eta: Adagio

Edited January 18, 2018 by ghertigirl
Memory restoration

[TrininisaScorp]

I feel like it isn't necessarily going to live up to People vs. OJ, but I'm IN.  Darren Criss has me.  He's so incredibly unsettling from the jump.  If he maintains it, I agree with you guys:  Give homeboy his Emmy.

That mansion is a great mix of amazing and amazingly tacky.  I feel like there are small parts and pieces that are super pretty and I LOVE the courtyard-style home on Ocean Drive, but, MAN, that decor and the overuse of GOLD was alot on my eyes.  

I maintain that the style of clothing, especially Andrew's, is more late 80s/early 90s that last 90s.  Esp the cut of his pants (the ridiculous yellow and also the red).  

The detectives, Ricky Martin's character, and Donatella aren't solid to me yet.  They seem a little paint by numbers, but I'm willing to give this a few episodes to clean it up.  Clearly, we are going to see some commentary on how society (via the cops) are dealing with the LGBTQ community, who they don't even pretend to understand, and celebrity culture.  

I'm going to struggle with the time jumps.  Not unlike American Psycho, having an unreliable narrator is already going to be confusing enough, so adding in multiple time jumps is going to be, IMO, hard on the narrative.   I did enjoy Cunnanan's consistent bullshitting.  I feel like we all know someone who is THAT person (minus the serial killing bit...hopefully...eep). 

Question:  Are we meant to believe the Cunnanan actually had that date with Versace (I don't remember reading that in the Vanity Fair article), or is it all in Cunnanan's sick little mind?

[marymon]

Criss was ok but I did not find him chilling or charming mostly just find his characterization smug. The other actors were fine didn't have much so far.  It is shot nicely even if Murphy puts in unnecessary imagery aka the dove on the gurney..  I'll keep watching since it is only 8 or so episodes.

[Chaos Theory]

People are going to compare this to People vs OJ which is unnecessary in my mind.  That’s the great thing about these kinds of stories you can like them both the same.  

Glee is one of the only products of Murphy’s I outright hate so seeing Darren Criss play a character so far from Blain is interesting.  I buy him as a psychopath and continuing to buy him as a cunning one will be what makes or breaks this show.

[vixenbynight]

17 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

People are going to compare this to People vs OJ which is unnecessary in my mind.  That’s the great thing about these kinds of stories you can like them both the same.  

Glee is one of the only products of Murphy’s I outright hate so seeing Darren Criss play a character so far from Blain is interesting.  I buy him as a psychopath and continuing to buy him as a cunning one will be what makes or breaks this show.

Agreed. These two stories are so very different that it doesn't make sense to me to compare them at all.

Cunanan was a pathological liar, sociopath, self-hating gay man who had serious issues with his lack of social status.

I have been reading pieces in Vanity Fair and Slate, delving into what actually happened in real life vs. what has been fictionalized for the series and Versace & Cununan may have possibly met each other in SF (according to the FBI and the author of the book the series is based on), but Cunanan made up such lies all the time. 

I am in for this. I want to discover more about Versace and his life before his murder.

[Chaos Theory]

Also apparently there really was a dove found next to the body of Verace.  So saying it’s a little on the nose doesn’t really apply.

What makes this interesting is that although I heard if Versace I don’t no nearly as much about his life or death as I do about PK and his exceptionally infamous trial.  Everyone and his gramma watched that.   This is a blank slate for me.

[darkestboy]

I liked it but the music was distracting as hell in the opening scene.

I think Darren Criss is off to a good start as Andrew Cunanan and the dynamic with him and Edgar Ramirez as Versace was enjoyable enough to watch in this episode alone. I think he could get some award love for this role,

The detectives are generic though and both Ricky Martin and Penelope Cruz could've been a little better as Antonio D'Amico and Donatella but hopefully they'll improve as the show goes along.

It's nicely shot and certainly glamourous like Feud was with the Bette and Joan too, 7/10

[Sarah D. Bunting]

Quote

Also apparently there really was a dove found next to the body of Verace.  So saying it’s a little on the nose doesn’t really apply.

I could have done without the focus-pull shot of both man and bird on the autopsy table, side by side. At least have a character be like "...really?" in the scene to cut the air a little, if that makes sense.

[Guest]

9 hours ago, SimoneS said:

I thought that this was disappointing. The casting, writing, and musical score are pedestrian, especially when I compare it to the genius that was The People v.s. OJ Simpson. And I am a huge Penelope Cruz fan. The story is also pure tabloid so far, it lacks the social and political significance of The People v.s. OJ Simpson. I will give it another episode to see if they can step up their game. 

Absolutely agree with this.  I hope it improves but the music choices combined with how they're telling the story so far didn't do it for me.  

[TheOtherOne]

The Assassination of Gianni Versace: Fact-checking Episode One, ‘The Man Who Would Be Vogue’

The Truth About Gianni Versace and Andrew Cunanan’s Relationship

[Chaos Theory]

Everyone and their pet monkey knows and has an opinion on O.J. and his murder trial but most people will probably not know as much about Versace.  I know I don’t.  I have no idea who he is really.  I didn’t know he was murdered.  I know nothing about the guy who murdered him.  While the O.J. case was looking at characters we already knew in a new way.  This is just.....new.

 

My guess it is already shaping up to be cops more interested in a celebrity’s sex life then solving his murder.  And an important family more interested in protecting  a reputation then getting justice.   Question what is justice?   What is love?   What is success?  What is failure?  Who ultimately decides?

Edited January 18, 2018 by Chaos Theory

[BeatrixK]

11 hours ago, mojoween said:

Aww I feel badly that the last words Versace’s boyfriend said to him were “ciao bello”.

I do not ever want to speak ill of the departed, but if that was a good representation of Versace’s mansion, hoo boy was it tacky.  Even for 1997.

All the press was so right.  Darren is incredibly unsettling.

South Florida checking in here -- and, honestly...for Wealthy SoFlo-stylee décor -- it can get insanely tacky.   But did LOVE the courtyard.  And mosaic pools seem to be a 'thing' if you have the cash down here.

I am honestly surprised he didn't go for a less public place to buy/build the house.  One thing a ton of wealthy people down here do -- they build these insanely huge mansions and build in a ton of yard space between them and the access. (It's almost crazier up in West Palm, where they buy the beach front on the east side of A1A and build 'mini-houses' on the beach that resemble the Uber mansions on the west side of A1A...but I digress.  Granted, Miami beach likely didn't have the opportunity for that kind of space,  Seems surprising he wouldn't have done that.

Also -- nitpick alter -- No WAY are you going to find a South Florida beach that early in the morning, in July, that deserted.  Parking is a nightmare, so people go down by sunrise to get there -- and it's full on tourist season during that time.    I know...creative license and such...but still.  lol

[mojoween]

I know starfuckers can be weird people, but taking the Versace magazine page, that I’m assuming is the one that couple wanted him to sign but he said no, and placing it in his blood is super gross.  Like unbelievably gross.

[vixenbynight]

2 hours ago, Sarah D. Bunting said:

I could have done without the focus-pull shot of both man and bird on the autopsy table, side by side. At least have a character be like "...really?" in the scene to cut the air a little, if that makes sense.

Well, at that point Versace's body and the dead bird were considered to be evidence, so I didn't find it off or needing to cut the air. This man was killed in front of his home, without any sort of cause, other than being the focus of Cununan's deranged mind.

[mojoween]

Ok so that Vulture article linked above does indicate the magazine placed in blood was unlikely in real life. That is good to know.

Also I’m irritated on the pawn shop owner’s behalf that the real lady is Cuban but was cast as a white woman.

[numbnut]

Either I forgot or had know idea that Cunanan was a serial killer. I'd like to see some of the investigations of the other murders but I doubt the show will go that deep. I tuned in to see Ramirez, as he's a solid actor, but they didn't give him much to do in this ep. I agree with the comments about the heavy-handed music and dove symbolism. I don't think Criss is Emmy worthy but we'll see. I thought his performance was camp and soapy. I haven't seen him in anything else.

Edited January 18, 2018 by numbnut

[Sarah D. Bunting]

Quote

the real lady is Cuban but was cast as a white woman

Ugh. Also, Cathy Moriarty was in this week's This Is Us, no? Give the other actors a chance, kid. heh.

 

Unrelated: apologies to listeners of the podcast verzh of the recap; I think I was mispronouncing "Cote." 

[sugarbaker design]

17 minutes ago, numbnut said:

I'd like to see some of the investigations of the other murders but I doubt the show will go that deep.

That's exactly what the show is doing, I hear.  They do have at least 8 episodes to fill.

17 minutes ago, numbnut said:

I don't think Criss is Emmy worthy but we'll see. I thought his performance was camp and soapy.

Same here.

Edited January 18, 2018 by sugarbaker design

[kicotan]

11 hours ago, mojoween said:

Also Penelope’s Donatella voice is hard to understand sometimes.

Maybe it's just me but Penelope's Penelope voice is hard to understand sometimes...?

[mojoween]

One thing I wonder if they are going to get into is Cunanan’s relationship with the blonde woman. She wakes up and he’s fondling himself over her mate and she doesn’t blink?  He says he said “honey if you are Gianni Versace I’m Coco Chanel” and she seems to believe it?  He ends up in her humongous walk-in closet and all she says is “you could have asked”?  It’s all very curious.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Quote

Also Penelope’s Donatella voice is hard to understand sometimes.

I agree. Why did they end up casting her instead of Lady Gaga?

[Spartan Girl]

1 hour ago, mojoween said:

I know starfuckers can be weird people, but taking the Versace magazine page, that I’m assuming is the one that couple wanted him to sign but he said no, and placing it in his blood is super gross.  Like unbelievably gross.

Disgusting, but not shocking.  As was the guy that offered pics of Versace's body to the press.

Penelope's Donatella just comes off as an ice queen so far.  And she was really nasty to Gianni's boyfriend.  Her only real human moment was when she was telling everybody that she would not let "that nobody" murder her brother twice.

I wonder if there will be a scene of her screaming "GET OUT!" a la SNL.  (Couldn't resist)

Edited January 18, 2018 by Spartan Girl

[sugarbaker design]

33 minutes ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

I agree. Why did they end up casting her instead of Lady Gaga?

I admired Gaga's performance in AHS:Hotel, but I do think an actress of a higher caliber would be required to play DV.  I loved PC last night, this was the show's hallmark performance, thought she did a great job of conveying the pain of her loss, the love of her brother and the persistence to keep his legacy (and by extension hers) in tact.

[BeatrixK]

And...in case you had at least $1200 to drop...you could stay at the mansion for a night...

http://vmmiamibeach.com/#

[sugarbaker design]

39 minutes ago, BeatrixK said:

And...in case you had at least $1200 to drop...you could stay at the mansion for a night...

But does it come with a servant standing in the courtyard, holding a tray, with a glass of orange juice on it?

[vixenbynight]

56 minutes ago, BeatrixK said:

And...in case you had at least $1200 to drop...you could stay at the mansion for a night...

http://vmmiamibeach.com/#

Ha...I also looked up the details for the mansion. There is also a restaurant called "Gianni" inside, along with rooms for events.

17 minutes ago, sugarbaker design said:

But does it come with a servant standing in the courtyard, holding a tray, with a glass of orange juice on it?

If you have enough money and request it, you could probably get it.

[HollyG]

15 hours ago, ghertigirl said:

Can someone please ID the song playing over the opening credits? Pretty sure it’s from another movie and it’s driving me crazy that I can’t ID it!

Found this on 'tunefind'. Adagio in G Minor by Albinoni and Giazotto.

It was in Manchester by the Sea last year. Here's a link to the IMDB page.  http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0016846/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

Edited January 18, 2018 by HollyG

[Blakeston]

I think Penelope is nailing Donatella's voice. It's definitely difficult to understand, but a Donatella who's fully comprehensible would feel horribly wrong.

[juliet73]

16 hours ago, mojoween said:

 

Also Penelope’s Donatella voice is hard to understand sometimes.

Penelope's English is sometimes difficult to understand in real life, but I think the real Donatella is even more difficult to understand.  IMO, Penelope is pulling it off because of the combination of the two.

8 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

Also apparently there really was a dove found next to the body of Verace.  So saying it’s a little on the nose doesn’t really apply.

 

I read that the police thought it was a mob hit at first because of the dead bird so it was treated as evidence.  After investigating, they said the bird was killed because it was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

 

3 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Penelope's Donatella just comes off as an ice queen so far.  And she was really nasty to Gianni's boyfriend.  Her only real human moment was when she was telling everybody that she would not let "that nobody" murder her brother twice.

 

I think Donatella is "cold" in real life so I'm not surprised at her portrayal.  However, I do think Penelope was too pretty to play Donatella.

 

I thought the first episode was okay.  I thought the People vs OJ got off to a cheesy start, but after a few episodes, the series greatly improved.  I'm hoping it's going to happen here too.   Who was the rich couple that Andrew was living with? Did I miss something or were they not explained yet? 

I remember hearing about Andrew Cunanan on the news sporadically before he murdered Versace, but after he killed Versace, the story exploded!

[chabelisaywow]

Quote

However, I do think Penelope was too pretty to play Donatella.

Same. Lady Gaga too.

Every time I hear Versace - it reminds me of Showgirls.  "I bought it at Ver-sase."

Even if I could afford to buy - way too over done bordering on tacky for my taste.

[sinkwriter]

Fascinating recap so far, Sarah. I'm especially interested in your take, given your background in true crime stories. Your other podcast with Tara about this topic was great.

One of my best friends is a huge fan of Versace and even had opportunity a few years back to stay in the mansion (I'm not sure for how many days) - edit: actually, looking at his Facebook page, it looks like it was early last year (man... 2017 felt like forever). He's also been inspired to create mosaics based on Versace's style, one of which was highlighted at a local art gallery in Wisconsin. It's very detailed and in-line with the mansion design we see in this episode and in photos of the place. I'll have to ask him if he's planning on watching this; I'm curious what he'd think.

Edited January 18, 2018 by sinkwriter

[SPLAIN]

17 hours ago, TrininisaScorp said:

Question:  Are we meant to believe the Cunnanan actually had that date with Versace (I don't remember reading that in the Vanity Fair article), or is it all in Cunnanan's sick little mind?

At first I was thinking, they are really dramatizing the idea that Cunanan knew Versace and actually met with him. But after reading your comment, I hope it is the idea that Cunanan was just fantasizing and he was dreaming all of this in his head. To me, it is bothersome because there has always been this idea that somehow Cunanan had to have known Versace. As if all murderers always know the people they have killed. That, of course, is not always the case.

Cunanan was shown looking directly at Versace's friend, Lazaro, when pointing the gun at him. However,  he never looked at the guy. He did point the gun at him. The demonstration is shown here:  https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gianni-versace-murder-did-iconic-designer-icon-know-killer-andrew-cunanan/

I am not sure how I will like the rest of the episodes. I will continue to watch out of curiosity.

Edited January 18, 2018 by SPLAIN

[planet17]

Well, I know basically nothing about the assassination of Versage the same way I knew almost nothing about OJ. So everything is new to me. 

"The People Vs OJ Simpson" was fantastic, sure. But I think it's too soon to compare both season. This was only the first episode, now we need to see how things unfold. And every season should have its own tone and style. I just hope "The Assassination Of Gianni Versace" can bring an interesting social commentary to LGBT issues, the same way "The People Vs OJ Simpson" brought to sexism and racism.

By the way: Darren Criss and Penelope Cruz got me hooked. I'm in.

[Florinaldo]

It's a bit paradoxical that an episode in which the character whose name is in the title gets killed felt anticlimactic to me, but that was probably because the murder happened before we get to know more about the characters and witness how they got to that specific moment of violence. I suppose it will gain more significance as we get more and more in the other episodes.

The house does look tacky. A fact that was underscored by the use of Albinoni's Adagio, that much overworked pastiche of baroque music which has been used so many times and whose authenticity has been challenged. As for the house itself I thought that it related, intentionally or not, to Cunanan's remark that Versace made clothes for sluts; it looked like the movie stereotype of a high class bordello.

Were the Miami police really so clueless at that time regarding how wealthy gay couples functioned, even in South Beach? Or perhaps it's supposed to be only that single detective.

Penelope Cruz sounds like she tried to channel an Italian accent by mediating it through her own Spanish accent, but ultimately gave up at squaring that phonetic circle. She does a good job though as the ice queen ready to bulldoze over everyone who does not fit into her plans or agree with her opinions.

I think it's a bit early to be talking about assured Emmy wins; we have not seen the entirety of each performance nor all of the competition actors will face from other shows. I agree though that DC made a very good job of portraying a chameleon who managed to adapt to just about every person's expectations and to easily morph according to circumstances; for example the quick change of strategy as he encountered Versace in the club or when he hovers over his wealthy hosts' bed. I also liked how much came through simply with his eyes and a single look.

19 hours ago, mojoween said:

I do find myself having a harder time with this depiction than I did during the OJ one.  Like, did we know before Cunanan killed Versace he screamed in the ocean?  That he screamed and laughed inside the pickup truck?  I don’t know why it’s bugging me that it’s all speculation, but it is taking me out of the story when Darren does something no one would have any way of knowing if it’s accurate.

With the OJ story, the writers had the benefit of a very detailed public record, including court transcripts and recordings, as well as books published by some of the major players in the case. Here, much of the events leading to the Versace murder and surrounding it have not been recorded and AC did not leave memoirs or a written "testament". It is usual for recreations of such real stories that some sections are conflations of fragments taken here and there in the chronology, are derived from third-party testimony who may not have first-hand knowledge, or are informed speculations as to what could have happened during those unseen and unreported portions. I think it boils down to how plausible or reasonable that speculation is; the behaviour depicted in the scenes mentioned did come across as fitting with the rest of the episode's story.

It is a stragety also used recently by Murphy in Feud, where many private conversations are either recreated or created from what the writers considered to be in the realm of possibiliy or which fitted their narrative agenda. They did invent a few things out of whole cloth, like that sequence where Joan Crawford imagines that some of her old cronies, including Davis, come for an evening party at her NYC apartment as she is nearing death.

I thought that the opera sequence in last night's episode might be a similar fantasy sequence, although it was never made clear. An extended encounter between Versace has not been fully proven, even in Orth's book, and it might be another one of his frequent fabulations. It came across as an idealised vision of how AC would have liked it to happen; is it really credible that they would have been left alone in the theater, with champagne at the ready but without the usual entourage of rabid hanger-ons who attend any opera premiere? As written and performed, it's as if AC was inventing it as he went along, especially the pineapple plantation portion. Perhaps the veracity of this incident will be revisited in future episodes.

A very auspicious beginning, but the next episodes will need to delve into meatier material to sustain interest over 8 more hours.

[howiveaddict]

I am enjoying this so far. I remember either a news program or reading an article about this murder and so far,  the details are accurate.   Didn't Cuanan's  cross country crime spree happen fairly quickly? I remember when Versace was killed, but I don't think I heard about the other murders until his.  But then, the internet was fairly new back then .   Glad they used the actual mansion for  some of the filming.

Darren Criss is doing an excellent job so far.  It was eerie when the woman, at the bar, reacted to the murder by putting her hand over her mouth and Andrew sees this and does the same thing.  A true psychopath.

I also like the job Ricky Martin is doing.  He really looked like crap after the murder happened.  My heart broke a little bit for his character.

[Ailianna]

I think it's interesting that all of the Italian-born characters are played by Spanish-speaking actors.  I couldn't recognize Penelope Cruz and i couldn't remember who was cast, although I know I had seen something about it.  I knew if she had dark hair I would know her, but I couldn't make the transition.  So I kept wondering why her "Italian" accent sounded Spanish to me--and then when I looked up the case and saw who it was, I realized that it wasn't just in my head that she sounded Spanish.  

It's o so far, but I'm not in love.  I'm totally willing to keep watching, but I'm not sure this will have the magic of People v. OJ.  I think the points made above about being familiar with the story and characters (though I didn't know it in enormous detail) and already having some opinions about it made it easier to connect to last season.  I vaguely knew Versace was murdered at his home, but couldn't have told you his first name, or who killed him.  I definitely couldn't have told you anything about his killer.

[txhorns79]

Quote

"The People Vs OJ Simpson" was fantastic, sure. But I think it's too soon to compare both season. This was only the first episode, now we need to see how things unfold. And every season should have its own tone and style. I just hope "The Assassination Of Gianni Versace" can bring an interesting social commentary to LGBT issues, the same way "The People Vs OJ Simpson" brought to sexism and racism.

I think comparison is natural since they are being presented within the same anthology series.   I think it was just easier with OJ because most of the personalities involved were well known from the trial.  I know the general outline of the Andrew Cunanan case, but I couldn't tell you who anyone is within the case itself.   

I did wonder if a Miami-based cop was really going to be all that confused by the idea of two men as partners to the point where he's asking if all the random men being brought into the relationship for sex are all Versace's "partner."  I mean, my understanding is Miami has a decent sized gay population, and I'd have to believe there were probably a lot of long term gay couples there.   

Quote

Well, at that point Versace's body and the dead bird were considered to be evidence, so I didn't find it off or needing to cut the air. This man was killed in front of his home, without any sort of cause, other than being the focus of Cununan's deranged mind.

I doubt you would do any autopsy side by side, that close, much less the autopsy of a human and an animal.  I would think the risk for cross contamination would be high, not to mention you'd probably want someone with expertise in that species doing that particular autopsy. 

Edited January 19, 2018 by txhorns79

[Florinaldo]

On 17/01/2018 at 11:37 PM, Blakeston said:

My feeling about the depiction of Cunanan is, aren't sociopaths supposed to be good at hiding that they're sociopaths? Anyone who didn't just fall off the turnip truck should have been able to tell in less than 5 minutes that he was completely full of it.

So many people do not mind being fooled, despite the obvious signs. They readily accept being deceived (or may even need it) because they want to believe.

Which explains I think the success of so many transparent scammers, so-called "psychics", cult leaders, faith healers, con men and quacks pushing miracle cures, amongst others. So I have no trouble believing that at least a portion of AC's acquaintances desperately wanted to believe the stories he spun, despite the contradictions and enormities of his tall tales, because it brought them a little closer to a glamour they could only dream about.

12 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

I doubt you would do any autopsy side by side, that close, much less the autopsy of a human and an animal. 

I would say that the attraction of the visuals probably trumped believabilty in the eyes of the director.

Edited January 19, 2018 by Florinaldo

[helenamonster]

Everything about this season is going to be so over-the-top, but I think it works. Versace was one of the extraiest people to ever live so it really is a fitting tribute. I too went back and forth between thinking the mansion was absolutely gorgeous and hideously gauche. 

I really like Penelope as Donatella, and I wasn't sure I would. That "I will not allow that man, that nobody, to kill my brother twice" line sealed it. Even though we haven't seen the two interact (and maybe won't, depending on how this show's timelines shake out) I already believe them as very close siblings.

I only skimmed the reviews for this season but didn't some of them say the story would be told backwards? That...doesn't appear to be what's happening. It looks like there will be two timelines: the first starting with the murder and covering the aftermath, and the other showing us Cunanan's origins. I'm expecting the latter to end where the former began.

I'm trying not to make comparisons to People vs. OJ. Even though it's the same anthology series, everything about these seasons is different. Different cast, crew, and creative team, as well as different themes and analyses. Both murders involved famous people but the stories could not be more different.

I really don't know much about this event so I'm looking forward to learning more. I didn't even know Cunanan was a serial killer (spree killer?) until this season was announced and I did some Wikipedia-ing to figure out how they were going to make an entire season out of a murder investigation that was closed within a week.

23 hours ago, mojoween said:

Also Penelope’s Donatella voice is hard to understand sometimes.

Donatella's Donatella voice is hard to understand sometimes, so I think it works lol.

11 hours ago, kicotan said:

Maybe it's just me but Penelope's Penelope voice is hard to understand sometimes...?

This would be a great week for SNL to bring back Kate McKinnon's Penelope Cruz impression, which is, I believe, the first sketch she ever did on the show.

http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/pantene-commercial/n13469?snl=1

Maybe Maya Rudolph could also stop by for a bit.

[AgentRXS]

On 1/18/2018 at 7:37 PM, Florinaldo said:

Were the Miami police really so clueless at that time regarding how wealthy gay couples functioned, even in South Beach? Or perhaps it's supposed to be only that single detective.

 

On 1/18/2018 at 9:17 PM, txhorns79 said:

I did wonder if a Miami-based cop was really going to be all that confused by the idea of two men as partners to the point where he's asking if all the random men being brought into the relationship for sex are all Versace's "partner."  I mean, my understanding is Miami has a decent sized gay population, and I'd have to believe there were probably a lot of long term gay couples there.  

Another native South Floridian checking in here.  I grew up in Miami (definitely not in South Beach lol), but I think I can offer some context here. From what I can remember growing up (I was 14 at the time of Versace's murder), South Beach was full of old retirees and high crime up until about the mid-1990s. 1995/ 1996 was when the revitalization of South Beach really gained momentum and it really  became a heavily LGBT-populated area.  That may have been one of the reasons Versace chose Ocean Dr. as his locale, rather than Star Island or other exclusive enclaves in the area. I could see how an old-timer detective would be uneducated about the gay life-style back then. This was the time period when being "out" publicly was just starting to become mainstream.

Prior to Versaces murder, I'd only heard of him through rappers like Biggie and Tupac name-dropping him in their lyrics. Of course, it was non-stop news coverage down here for months  post-murder.

On 1/18/2018 at 10:45 AM, BeatrixK said:

Also -- nitpick alter -- No WAY are you going to find a South Florida beach that early in the morning, in July, that deserted.  Parking is a nightmare, so people go down by sunrise to get there -- and it's full on tourist season during that time.    I know...creative license and such...but still.  lol

All I could think about in that scene was the horrible traffic/crowding that shooting that scene must have caused. I was also a bit jealous because I've never in my life had Miami Beach to myself at any point in time during the day LOL. The city sure does film beautifully though.

Edited January 20, 2018 by AgentRXS

[willco]

This is another true crime story that I remember well from seeing it all play out on tv, mainly CNN ( I'm guessing, but it was the big one in the 90's). I remember hearing the news about the murder and especially seeing, on live tv, how the end played out. I won't spoil it in case some people don't want to know until the show gets there, but the ending was really intense ( the end for Cunanan, I mean.) It was rather unreal.

 

I'm not as interested in this one as OJ, but since it's shorter, I'll probably stick with it.

 

I'm glad that the magazine-in-blood story is apparently just to jazz up the story, but if it wasn't it wouldn't really surprise me. People have been doing crap like that forever. I just watched a biography of Bonnie and Clyde, and after they were shot up all to hell, a crowd gathered while the cops took inventory of the things in their car ( and the 2 were just laying in the car, dead) and people were taking pieces of clothes, pieces of the car, dipping hankerchiefs in their blood, and the show said one guy was trying to cut off Clyde's trigger finger with his pocket knife. At this point, the cops finally started moving people away. And this happened in the 30's ! People are people, no matter when. On a side note, it's kind of amazing how fast word got out, all they had then was telephone and word of mouth. And it happened out in the country. Guess it just shows how famous they were.