Catching Up With...The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story

When I first heard that O.J. Simpson was suspected in the deaths of his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman, I was shocked. Not O.J.! He had been the fun-loving, charismatic football player from my youth, who did commercials and movies. He seemed like such a nice guy. Surely not he.

But then the 911 recording was released, and it was quite clear that Nicole was a battered wife, and O.J. her batterer. It made me sad, but as a social worker, I was more than aware that a battered wife's life is never more in danger than after she leaves her abuser. I had made up my mind that O.J. was more than likely guilty, and moved on with my life.

So I was more than a little bemused when I discovered that America did not move on. All the channels switched to the helicopter following the white Bronco as Simpson pondered suicide (I presumed). I was extremely annoyed. They had interrupted Raymond Burr's last performance as Perry Mason for this (granted, the television movie was not very good, but still!)! I turned the television off in disgust.

I watched from afar, not because I was more than passively interested in the case, as eventually O.J. was brought to trial, but because there was no avoiding it. The news was consumed with the case, talking heads pontificated about it, people gossiped about it. And I couldn't figure out why. I didn't like football, I knew none of the parties involved, and I lived no where near California. Why would anyone care so much? The verdict came and I was again disgusted, because, obviously I thought he was guilty, I was again bemused, because Americans responded along color lines, whites were disappointed, blacks were jubilant (the only exception I observed were the mentally ill adults I worked with as a social worker - almost all of them, regardless of color, were happy he was exonerated).

Decades passed. I moved across the country, met the love of my life and entered a new profession. O.J. and his trial were millions of miles and years away. Except, suddenly, he was back. And not just Simpson, but the trial. What was going on? There was O.J.: Made in America, a documentary about race and celebrity, and Ryan Murphy's limited series, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story. I refused to watch either.

I was bemused at all the critical attention that arose from the series, and the number of Emmy nominations and wins it earned. Critics I respect loved the series. Finally, my husband said, we should watch it. So we did.

The first thing that impressed me was the quality of the acting. Sarah Paulson as Marcia Clark, Sterling K. Brown as Chris Darden, Courtney B. Vance as Johnnie Cochran, John Travolta as Robert Shapiro, and Nathan Lane as F. Lee Bailey were all excellent (and how depressing that I knew the names of the characters they played so well). I had no issues with Cuba Gooding, Jr.'s performance. Granted, he didn't look a thing like Simpson, but he carried himself with the swagger and narcissism that I associated with O.J. And I did think that David Schwimmer's Robert Kardashian had a lot of Ross Gellar in him, but I thought that was as much due to the character he was playing as to Schwimmer's skill (or lack thereof) as an actor.

What also impressed me was what a human story it was. Clark and Cochran were both extremely confident and cocky about their trial skills and the rightness of their cause. Darden and Kardashian were outsiders, who served as the moral center of the piece. Shapiro quickly realized he was out of his league, so he quickly brought Cochran on, only to lose control of his big case. And the air went out of me as I watched Marcia Marcia Marcia, in which Clark was humiliated from beginning to end. None of these characters were left unscathed by the trial, with perhaps only Cochran and some of the minor characters (lawyers) coming out better than they started. Even Simpson, the man who was exonerated, found himself a pariah following the verdict.

It was worth revisiting this trial, both from an artistic perspective, but also from a personal one. The show made clear the animosity that existed between the L.A. police force and the African American community. For many African Americans, the trial represented more than just the trial of a man accused of brutally murdering his ex-wife and her friend. I feel like I understand that now, even though I still feel that Simpson was guilty and should not have been exonerated. What I still don't understand is why white Americans care so much. Even today, people are still litigating in comments sections both the murder trial and his subsequent imprisonment for another crime. And not just in an academic way, but in a personal, passionate way, much the way we now argue about politics. At least politics are actually related to our lives. Whether Simpson gets out on parole really doesn't affect me at all (though I guess you could get into a philosophical argument about how the unjust imprisonment of a person diminishes our society and makes us all a little less free from abusive police power, but I'm not going to with O.J. Simpson. Just ain't gonna happen).

It took me longer to decide what to write about for this week. I have not kept up with Orphan Black, and I've one episode to go to finish Orange is the New Black. And Game of Thrones has just started, and I'm not sure I want to contribute to the apparently thousands of articles about the show (though we all know I will). I'm including a picture of Kit Harrington however, because I suspect that just about every blog post would be improved by his image.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip fan alert: Sarah Paulson starred as Harriet Hayes, Aaron Sorkin's conservative voice for the show. I really wanted to like this show, but the episodes following the premiere were slogs, partially because Sorkin decided that Harriet would be more interesting as a conservative scold than as a fully fledged character. She was not.

Army Wives and Person of Interest fan alert: I'm so happy that Sterling K. Brown is doing so well for himself. He was one of the main characters in this Lifetime drama. Yes, I watched it. Get over it. He also played a love interest to Carter on Person of Interest, only to be tragically murdered. He can now be seen in This is Us.

Law and Order: Criminal Intent fan alert: Courtney B. Vance's role as the prosecutor left him sorely underused.

Friends fan alert: David Schwimmer was Ross. I never watched the show consistently, but he was in it. I preferred Matthew Perry's character.

I could add Welcome Back Kotter fan alert for John Travolta, but I think he's more famous for other things now.

No One Expected Them to Be Nominated, But They Should Have Been

It's that time of year, when the Emmy Nominations are announced. And while everyone agrees that the voting process is better than it was, it still results in some very foolish choices (how did Michael McKean not get nominated? And The Americans should be nominated for best series every.single.year. And Shannon Purser's Barb was nominated?).

Each year there is a list of surprises, a list of people and shows who you thought would be nominated but were not and a list of people and shows who were nominated but really don't deserve it.

Well, this list doesn't truck with that. No, I want to look at the people no one thought would be nominated. The people who provide finely tuned performances, who make it all look easy, who let the "stars" shine. This is for them.

Adrienne C. Moore, Black Cindy on Orange is the New Black, Supporting Role in a Drama

A lot of actors have been awarded through the years for their performances on Orange is the New Black. Danielle Brooks and Adrienne C. Moore have both been nominated by the NAACP Image Awards. If Brooks had been nominated for an Emmy, it would be a pleasant surprise, but not nearly as surprising as it would be had Moore been nominated.

Why would I nominate Moore? Because Black Cindy kills it, every single time she's on the screen. Black Cindy has lived her life as essentially one big joke, and is probably in federal prison for her constant stealing while a TSA officer in an airport. But as with most of the characters on this show, there's more to her than that. When she first declared she was Jewish, it was because she heard the kosher meals were better than the slop the prison was forced to serve. Kosher meals were more expensive than slop, so Cindy had to prove she was Jewish to continue receiving them. At first it was all for laughs, but it soon turned out her conversion was sincere, much to the surprise of the rabbi and the Jewish inmate who was helping her. Moore has managed to make all these changes organic and a natural part of who Black Cindy is, all with wit and as much grace as Cindy can muster.

Oh, and if you are ever in Litchfield and need some truth, Black Cindy's the one to see. While it won't be sugar coated, it will be on target and hilarious.

Ms. Moore, thanks for your work.

Jordan Gavaris, Felix Dawkins on Orphan Black, Best Supporting Actor in a Drama

Tatiana Maslany sucks out all of the energy awards-wise from Orphan Black, which, while she deserves all the accolades she has received (and more), is a shame, because Jordan Gavaris is doing excellent work as her foster brother who loves his family but just wants to live his life too.

First, the flawless accent. Apparently, even the European actors from Game of Thrones were surprised to learn that Gavaris was not British - he's actually Canadian. But as the linked article says, his performance is flawless as well. He's funny, he's poignant, and like Black Cindy, he's usually right. And his relationships with each clone is unique and endearing (my favorite mix is Felix and Alison). The clones would be lost without Felix, and Orphan Black would be much less of a show than it is. Gavaris bring a great deal of humor and humanity to his role, bringing nuance to what could been just a stock "gay best male friend" character.

Mr. Gavaris, please keep it up!

Finn Wolfhard, Mike Wheeler on Stranger Things, Best Actor in a Drama

Everybody knew that Millie Bobbie Brown would get nominated for her role as Eleven, and I will not begrudge her that. She was spectacular. But I would argue the harder role in Stranger Things was that of Mike Wheeler. When Will Byers disappeared after playing Dungeons and Dragons at Mike's house, Mike and his friends decide to look for him. It is their search that leads them to Eleven, requiring Mike to navigate his growing feelings for her, conflict with his friends and finding Will, all while keeping Eleven hidden from his family (which he almost achieves). He's out of his league, he knows it, but he keeps doing what he thinks is best. And Mr. Wolfhard plays it all authentically. He doesn't play Mike precociously, but as a normal boy with a big heart.

You'll note that I nominate Mr. Wolfhard for Best Actor, not Supporting Actor. That was on purpose. Yes, yes, both David Harbour and Winona Ryder are the adult leads, but I'd argue that both Mike and Eleven were the real leads.

Mr. Wolfhard, looking forward to seeing you in season two.

Yvonne Strahovski, Serena Joy Waterford on The Handmaid's Tale, Best Supporting Actress in a Drama

No one is surprised that Elisabeth Moss, Samira Wiley and Ann Down are all nominated for their work on The Handmaid's Tale. But I sure wish that Yvonne Strahovski had been recognized too.

It's not easy being a woman in Gilead, and while the Wives certainly have it better than say, 99.9% of the other women caught within its borders, Strahovski manages to show that Gilead is a prison for Serena Joy, too. Of course, it is partially her fault. She even wrote the book on it, a work on domestic feminism called "A Woman's Place". She helped orchestrate the revolution that allowed Gilead to take over the United States. It seems she did not anticipate that she would not be allowed to read her own book, participate in the leadership of the country or even have sex with her husband.

In this unnatural role, she has charge only over the domestic realm in her own home, forced to participate in the "ceremony" where her husband rapes a handmaid in the hopes the woman will conceive. Unfortunately for the handmaids, all named Offred after Serena Joy's husband Fred (Of-Fred), Serena Joy has not found contentment with her lot. She needs a baby and she needs it now, and knowing that her husband is probably infertile, arranges for Offred to copulate with another man. When Serena Joy learns that her husband has been taking Offred to a clandestine pleasure palace, she threatens Offred's daughter. 

While we may feel sorry for Serena Joy, her abuse of the power she has over Offred ultimately makes her unsympathetic. And Strahovski absolutely nails that dynamic, as the brittle, angry woman trapped by the society she created.

Ms. Strahovski, you absolutely scare me. Thank you for that!

Joel de la Fuente as Chief Inspector Takeshi Kido in Man in the High Castle, Best Supporting Actor in a Drama

I had actually written an entire piece on the wonderfulness of Rufus Sewell's performance in Man in the High Castle, praising it as the highlight of the show, when I realized that was wrong and that there are two highlights: the Japanese in San Francisco are riveting.  And while I love Sewell, and I love Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa's Nobusuke Tagomi, the character that holds my attention the most is Chief Inspector Takeshi Kido, played by Joel de la Fuente. 

Kido is chief of the Kenpeitai in Japanese San Francisco, and as such, he slithers throughout the action. He is a cold and calculating man who will do everything in his power to protect Japanese interests. Called upon to investigate when the Crown Prince is shot, he nearly commits seppuku for his failure to find the culprit in a specified time. Fortunately, clues are found, and Kido survived to make everyone else uncomfortable.

Season 2 ended with Kido flying to Germany to give John Smith a film showing our America (I guess) doing nuclear bomb testing. He knew what he had, and knew it was the only way to stop war. Smith offered Kido a place to stay, but Kido demurred - if he had to die, let it be on Japanese soil, or in this case, the Japanese embassy.

Kido is not a nice man. He killed Frank Frink's sister and her two children while trying to coerce Frink into turning his girlfriend in. Yet de la Fuente is so charismatic in the role that I still root for him.  He has taken what could have been a one-note character and embraced the nuances that make Kido an interesting man. 

So, Mr. de la Fuente, you are even scarier than Yvonne Strahovski. Thanks.

Aden Young as Daniel Holden in Rectify, Best Actor in a Drama

The fact that none of the actors in Rectify, especially Aden Young, and the show itself were never even nominated for an Emmy tells you everything you need to know about the awards system. It's stupid. I'm sure that all the actors that were nominated were fine, but none of them put in nearly as subtle or refined a performance as Young.

Daniel Holden was on Death Row for 19 years after confessing to raping and killing his girlfriend, Hannah Dean, during a drug-fueled night. He was released, but not exonerated, when DNA testing found someone else's DNA. Rectify covers those first few months following Daniel's release, and its effect on his family and his community. There are no easy answers; it is hard, it is slow, and it is beautiful.

Young hails from Australia, not Georgia.  But his accent is spot on, as are his facial expressions. Holden grew up not that far from where I did, and while not many were as good looking as he is, many sounded like him and moved like him. Young showed us the childlike wonder of being free and experiencing nature, as well as the fear and uncertainty of picking up a life that has been so horribly interrupted. 

Had Aden Young an ice cube's chance in hell of being nominated, the other actor from his show I would have selected is Clayne Crawford, for his role as Teddy Jr. 

Oh, Teddy, you were such an asshole that first season. I do not use that epithet lightly. It fits. But by the end of the series, Teddy broke my heart as much as Daniel did.

Clayne Crawford's from Alabama, and is experiencing a career high right now. He's playing Martin Riggs in the Lethal Weapon television series that was renewed for a second season. 

But since Aden Young had no chance to get nominated, proving the Emmy system is stupid, I'll give my hat's up to him. 

I don't think Aden Young ever smiles,

Chuck Fan Alert and Dexter Fan Alert: Yvonne Strahovski will always be Sarah Walker. Do you think she ever remembered Chuck? She also played some character in Dexter, but I never watched that show. I loved her character in Chuck, but never in a million years did I think she could pull off such an unlikeable role.

What about you? Anyone you wish had been recognized?

A Memorial and A Look Around

So, I'm back. I've been thinking of you for a while now, wondering what you are watching, wondering if you are watching what I'm watching. I'm wondering if now is really the time for yet another television blog. But I just spent a weekend celebrating the life of one who died too young, a writer, a man of many passions, a great husband and father, a brilliant friend. I have no idea if Tudor ever read my blog, and it's okay if he didn't. But this post is dedicated to you man. 

Scroll down for a picture of Tudor.

I don't plan to post more often than one time per week. I will eventually return to the Buffy Rewatch, but it will be revamped. I didn't enjoy writing the recaps and I don't think that people enjoyed reading them.  I'll probably still add obituaries, because when an actor I love dies, it hurts. And I'll try to be timely with my posts about shows. Oh, and I will also have to write an update on my relationship with spoilers. Spoiler alert: it's complicated.

Since I last posted regularly, a television executive declared this to be the time of peak television. And it is certainly true. How ironic for me that there is so much terrific television out there, and I get to watch about an hour a day. No binge watching for me. Unless I'm sick. It's hard to keep up, and even harder to watch shows I missed when they first aired. And streaming television makes it even harder to keep up. I just can't.

Here's a few shows what I've been watching. This list is in no particular order. Curious to see what's on you've been watching!

Orange is the New Black

Taystee Washington is one of the greatest characters ever.

This series follows women in a federal prison that was taken over by private company. The show excels in creating and portraying the many types of women who might find themselves in prison. The plots may be overstretched at times, but I don't care. There's Red, Poussey (RIP), Suzanne, Sophia, Gloria, Nicki, and most specially Taystee. I love them all dearly, and I love watching them. I'll never stop. No matter how long it airs.

Orphan Black

One actress, many roles. How does she do it?

Tatiana Maslany is the best actress of her generation. There, I've said it. No one beats her. In Orphan Black, Maslany plays a number of young women who discover they are clones. Being clones, of course, means that they all look like her. But despite that, these women all so clearly have their own personalities. I still do not see how the same actress who plays hothead Sarah Manning also plays tightly wound Alison Hendrix. And all hail to Felix, as well, the best little brother ever, although I have to fault the show for not giving him enough of his own storyline.

Sense8

Capheus, Wolfgang, Nomi, Sun, Riley, Kala, Lito, and Will

Sense8 is the brainchild of the Wachowski siblings and J. Michael Straczynski, and depicts eight persons around the globe who, thanks to Daryl Hannah, are psychically connected. Yes, the orgies and the karaokes are fun, and the fight scenes are amazing, but the show wouldn't work without great characterization and acting. You would think that with eight main characters, there would be one or two that I just wouldn't love as much as others, and at first that was true. But the show didn't leave it alone, and managed to show aspects of each. I love them all. This was an extremely expensive show to produce, as they filmed in the location of each character. I was a little surprised when the show was renewed for a second season, but I was still devastated when it was canceled after the second. I wasn't alone, and after a protracted plea from fans, we were granted a two hour movie to wrap up the loose ends. I hope that Lito tells Hernando and Daniela about the sensates (they really deserve to know), and that we figure out where Jonas stands. But most importantly, #freeWolfgang.

Game of Thrones

Jon Snow and hair.

I've written about Game of Thrones prior to my disappearance from the blogging stage, but it's coming back and it dominates. If you read anything about television, you will see article upon article about the show, with teasers, pictures, and theories galore.  Apparently no one can talk about anything else these days. It is with Game of Thrones that my relationship with spoilers became even more complicated, as the Red Wedding was spoiled for me. Oops. I've never read the books, and, despite my love for fantasy, I doubt I ever will. But that's okay, because I have the series, and it is worthy of every accolade it has received. Spoiler alert - if you love a character, they'll probably die. And nothing is fair. Ever. The show has thirteen episodes left to show us who wins the Iron Throne and who's left when the Night's King crosses the Wall. I have no idea how they'll do it, but I know I'll be enjoying it. Game of Thrones returns tomorrow, so I'm sure I'll be writing a bit about it.

Other shows I'm sure I'll write about at some time: Person of Interest, Preacher, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Transparent, Man in the High Castle, Fargo, Stranger Things, Legion, Big Little Lies, The Americans, The Handmaid's Tale, Outlander, Search Party, Marvel's Agents of Shield, Black Mirror, The 100 and many more I'm sure I'm forgetting. And that doesn't even include the list of shows on my wish list!

Star Trek Voyager Fan Alert: Up until now, Kate Mulgrew would be best known for her role as the first female captain on Star Trek. And while that particular first will never change, I suspect she will be most famous outside of genre nerds like myself for her role as Red in Orange is the New Black.

His hair is back! 

Lost Fan Alert: I'll not lie. Naveen Andrews is one of the reasons why I started watching Sense8 in the first place. I hope that we find out if Jonas Maliki is a good guy, just because I really love Mr. Andrews.

Black Mirror Fan Alert: Tuppence Middleton plays Riley Blue in Sense8, while Jerome Flynn plays the sell-sword Bronn in Game of Thrones; both had memorable roles in different episodes of Black Mirror.

Here is a picture of Tudor.