It was even harder to let go of “ACS: Versace.” The finale was extraordinary, full of pathos, yearning and darkness. We’ll say again, Darren Criss deserves all the awards for his tour de force performance as serial killer Andrew Cunanan. The range of his portrayal is sheer magnificence, particularly in the gutting last two episodes, where Cunanan’s relationship with his fabulist father is revealed, as are his final days trapped on a houseboat eating dog food until he takes his own life. Matt Bomer made his directorial debut with episode eight, which details Cunanan’s relationship with his sexually abusive and emotionally suffocating father.
Judith Light’s performance as Marilyn Miglin, widow of Cunanan’s real estate tycoon victim Lee Miglin, was one of several standout performances by guest stars. The Tony- and Emmy-winning actress took what was a small role and turned it into a template: Her Marilyn Miglin was every woman ever married to a closeted gay man, and through her performance we see the turmoil created by internalized homophobia. She adored her husband. Discovering his sexual orientation in the way she did, through his grisly murder, shattered her world, but she kept it together. Marilyn Miglin provides the coda in the finale.
Other riveting performances include Edgar Ramirez’ Versace, a warm, unprepossessing man with few pretensions, given his fame and wealth. He was always the boy from Calabria, his mother’s son, cutting out patterns in their dining room. Ramirez’ Versace gave voice to the gay 80s and 90s, the complexity of coming out famous and also living with HIV. It was an understated performance that was pitch-perfect and made us love Versace right from the intense opening scene in the first episode to the very end.
Ricky Martin as Versace’s longtime partner Antonio D’Amico felt real and deeply emotional. Martin played D’Amico as the sexy, younger lover of Versace who was nevertheless devoted to the designer. Martin would bring other men home for threesomes that Versace appeared to engage in reluctantly until he finally said no more. Then D’Amico said he would give up all other men because his love for Versace came first.
All of which made the way Donatella (Penelope Cruz) cut D’Amico off both personally and financially after Versace’s murder particularly cruel. When the priest at Versace’s funeral never mentions D’Amico, his pain is palpable. His suicide attempt in the final episode is searing.
Every scene in this lush, rococo tale of a murdering fabulist and his victims is visually sumptuous, whether set indoors or out. The Miami sky is always on the verge of storming by day, while the skyline by night is supersaturated color and incredibly alluring.
“ACS: Versace” was Murphy’s least-watched series, which is hard to fathom. So if you were one of the many who never saw it, binge all nine episodes over a long weekend. It will leave you aching.
The Bay Area Reporter Online | ‘Versace’ finale was full of darkness
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