Just when you thought Darren Criss as Andrew Cunanan couldn’t get any more unsettling, this week’s episode of The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story basically said “hold my beer” to the audience as it gave us more insight into Cunanan’s crazy mind.
While the premiere episode definitely set the tone of the show and what is yet to come, this week’s episode, aptly titled “Manhunt”, completely broke down Criss’ squeaky Glee persona as he solidified his performance as Cunanan, unnerving as it is to watch. Much of the action in the episode took place in the past, which gave us a better understanding of what led Cunanan to murder Versace.
Additionally, a glimpse into Antonio’s and Versace’s relationship was also provided as some light was shed on why Donatella is so antagonistic towards her brother’s partner.
Gather ’round and let’s discuss “Manhunt.”
Back In 1994: The episode started by taking us back to 1994, the year Versace was allegedly diagnosed with HIV (though the Versace family states the famed designer had ear cancer to this day). Versace looked very distraught about his health situation, but was also determined to beat whatever was ailing him (the story about his eldest sister dying and how it made him feel like anything was treatable was a particularly touching moment). Meanwhile, on the other hand, his sister wasn’t feeling as optimistic as the diagnosis brought out Donatella’s true feelings about Antonio, whom she blamed for her brother’s infection. “He wasn’t enough for you,” she said. “You wanted more. More fun, more men.” She also chastised him for not finding a way to give her brother a family, which she claimed Antonio knew he always wanted. “If you had given him anything, I would have given you respect,” she said. “But you gave him nothing.” Those feelings never did change as Antonio and Donatella feigned getting along while in Gianni’s presence but the second he was dead, Donatella flat out told Antonio “there’s no need to pretend.”
Antonio was not the only thing that they disagreed about as the siblings had their moments of fighting in-house when it came to the future of the company. Versace clashed with his sister, who expressed concerns about newer designers stealing attention — and business — away from the company. She wanted to have a more extreme and edgy look to push towards the future while Gianni still wanted his designs and his shows to show off his heart and come from it as well. He also argued that the Versace models were too skinny (which we agree with him). Determined to prove her wrong, and to prove that he wasn’t going to let his recent diagnosis slow him down, he pulled off a crowd-pleasing runway surprise, temporarily silencing Donatella’s concerns.
Despite their disagreements, Donatella did love her brother, as we were taken back to 1997, shortly after Gianni’s death. Donatella arrived to see his body, bringing a suit for him. She tenderly tightened his tie in the coffin and fixed his cufflinks. He looked perfect, almost living, and then he was cremated. All of that beautiful effort was turned to ashes, and put in a gold box to go back to Italy on a plane with Donatella.
In 1997: Andrew Cunanan was arriving in Miami Beach ready to make a name for himself. His first order of business was to secure a room at Miami’s Normandy Plaza, where he came upon a tragic soul named Ronnie, a drug addict afflicted with HIV who seemed very interested in Andrew (or Andy, as he introduced himself to Ronnie). Cunanan either took a liking to or felt pity for Ronnie as he befriends him and offers to help pay for things. Luckily, money wasn’t an issue for the duo, as Andrew’s side business — which mostly involved seducing married men, wrapping their heads in duct tape, then eating room-service entrees, was doing rather well.
Ronnie had high hopes for the pair of them but Andrew did not. After wrapping his own head in duct tape (there was a lot of that this week) and taking a long shower, Andrew walked out of their shared apartment — and Ronnie’s life — for good. Even worse, when Ronnie questioned if Andrew considered him a friend, Andrew chillingly replied, “When someone asks if we’re friends, you’ll say no.” That line takes us back to last week’s premiere when Ronnie was found by the police and asked about Andrew.
This episode also really showed how little interest the police — and even the FBI — had in pursuing a string of gay-related crimes, even one as twisted as Andrew’s killing spree.
Quote of the Night:
“What is Versace without you?” Donatella
“It is you.” Gianni
American Crime Story: Versace Recap: “Manhunt” Provides Insight Into A Killer’s Mind With Some Sex And Duct Tape
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