ACS: Gianni Versace "Ascent"

by Jorge Molina

Because of the backwards narrative style, the entire second season of American Crime Story has been one big origin story for Andrew Cunanan, his relationships, and the motives that eventually led to his string of murders. The seventh episode, titled “Ascent”, was the episode that we’ve been leading up to all along to fully get a changing point in Andrew’s life.

Last week’s episode (titled “Descent”, in parallels that were evident throughout) was about Andrew losing everything he built for himself. This week we get a peek into how he started putting it together...

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ACS: Gianni Versace: "Descent"

by Jorge Molina

For the first time in a month's worth of episodes about his victims, American Crime Story returns to an Andrew-centric episode. We're going further back into the narrative, to the events and actions that led to his string of murders.  And as it has been teased all throughout the series, all it takes for a delusional man whose entire identity is built on a bubble of lies to break down, is to pop that bubble...

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ACS: Gianni Versace: "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

Jorge Molina continues his review of American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace

Season two of American Crime Story has taken a more thematic approach to its narrative than the heavily plotted season one. Each episode has been a miniature exploration of an issue revolving around the oppression of the gay community, but you could say that the main thesis has been the different ways in which being in the closet can hurt people: by isolating those around you (Lee Miglin), by taking away your way to keep fighting (David Madsen), by threatening your business and public image (as Donatella fears with Gianni). In the latest episode, framed around Jeff Trail (played by Finn Wittrock), it's how the closet prevents you from living the only life you want to be living.

Episode 5: “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” 

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ACS: ...Gianni Versace: "A House by the Lake"

by Jorge Molina

The greatest strength of the second season of American Crime Story has become the amount of care, attention, and empathy devoted to Andrew’s other victims. For the second week in a row, the show steps away from the titular Versace case to tell a self-contained story about the humanity of one of them. This week we focus on David Madson, a boy that Andrew was infatuated with...

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ACS: Gianni Versace - "A Random Killing"

by Jorge Molina

The third episode of American Crime Story opens with Judith Light selling perfume in a home shopping commercial.

And what initially seems like a campy an even playful image, slowly devolves into one of the most chilling and disturbing episodes of television (and the best one in this season so far), anchored by outstanding guest performances, strong thematic elements, and as yet another reminder that Darren Criss is miles away from the gelled Warbler of Glee...

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