Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.
That was the official name of Bill Clinton’s 1993 policy on how to treat gay people in the US military. While technically outlawing discrimination, the ruling barred anyone in the forces from being openly gay, lesbian or bisexual. Why? Well, because ‘demonstrating a propensity or intent to engage in homosexual acts creates an unacceptable risk to the high standards of morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion that are the essence of military capability.’ Apparently.
That policy, supported by only 23% of American citizens at the time it was introduced, was only formerly scrapped in 2011. Just seven years ago.
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” also happens to be the title of this week’s episode of American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace. And with good reason. The main focus of this fifth episode of ACS series 2 is ostensibly homosexuality in the military. Seem a little strange for a crime drama about the murder of a fashion designer? Well, perhaps. But as we’ve already seen, this is no ordinary crime drama.
The Assassination of Gianni Versace isn’t a police procedural, or even a full examination into the twisted mind of the man who shot Gianni Versace. It’s a show about very real issues. One that, thankfully, can deal with them seriously, sensitively and with the lightest of touches. In the wrong hands, an hour about the difficulties of coming out could seem heavy handed. Gladly, that’s not a problem here.
The focus this week is the juxtaposition between two very different men experiencing the same dilemma. But where we see how difficult Andrew Cunanan’s first victim Jeff Trails finds coming out while serving in the US Navy (and how the process effectively ruins his career), it’s a different story for Signori Versace. Despite his concerns, when he publicly outs himself to Advocate magazine during an interview in Milan, his bravery is celebrated and his career is buoyed.
It seems as though class, wealth, fame and the ability to make fabulous clothes affords you certain privileges when it comes to how people view you.
It’s good to see Édgar Ramírez, Ricky Martin and Penélope Cruz back this week after a couple of episodes away – if for no other reason than Versace’s outrageous collection of rainbow-coloured silk shirts. While it was only a fleeting scene, seeing Versace inviting his long-term partner Antonio onto the sofa to be interviewed alongside him arguably offered the episode’s most touching moment.
Over in Minneapolis, we see Andrew’s arrival and get the background as to just why Jeff and David were so weary of him. Both know his propensity to lie, cheat and steal yet neither know his willingness to pick up a hammer or gun in anger quite yet. The fact that we know what’s coming makes the tone all the more eerie and Cunanan’s behaviour somehow even more reprehensible.
Weirdly, this pre-murder spree Andrew is actually quite a bit more unsettling and jarring than the one we’ve grown used to these past four or so weeks. But, for the first time, we see his charming and charismatic side – the side that made Jeff take to him in the first time. Walking into his first gay bar in San Diego, sailor Jeff quickly changes his mind about being in there and turns to leave, until Andrew introduces himself and, in a weirdly sweet moment, sets about buying him a few drinks and befriending him.
As in episode 3 and episode 4, the main cast is great, but it’s a supporting actor that steals the show. In this fifth episode it’s Finn Wittrock as Jeff. We saw him briefly last week getting his skull caved in, but here we really see a torn and desperate young man. The near-attempted suicide scene is genuinely heartbreaking.
As touching, dramatic and worthy as this week’s instalment of American Crime Story was, unfortunately it did exercise its creative licence quite a lot. Trail’s departure from the Navy wasn’t the way the show outlines here and there’s no record of the vicious attack Trail stopped or the wince-inducing tattoo self-removal incident. We’ve no issue with a little story massaging for dramatic purposes, but this tale hardly seems to need it. The facts are outrageous enough.
We’re now more than halfway through this truly excellent series. We’re seeing Andrew’s personality and motives finally being fleshed out. But will next week’s instalment finally go into just what it is that made him so preoccupied with Gianni Versace…?
Well, as Bill once said – don’t ask, don’t tell.
The Assassination of Gianni Versace episode 5 review – Dead Good
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