There is a lot to love about the second season of American Crime Story. The performances are fantastic. It has a fun, pop soundtrack, which comments on gay culture as Judy Berman writes about for Pitchfork. It has a chilling and tragic true story of a serial killer. All of these aspects that make the show great are overshadowed by the way it is shot. How we see the story has a lot to do with how we interpret it, which could be damning for the show if not handled right.
The show flashes between the aftereffects of the killing of legendary fashion designer Gianni Versace and what came before with his killer Andrew Cunanan. Even though the scenes are dramatized in a fictional way, the underlying story is true. Andrew did kill several men before finally murdering Versace on his doorstep, and he got away with every single one. This true story is why many of us are watching the show, so it is an important element to consider when making it.
However, the style of this show doesn’t reflect the kind of filmmaking we associate with true stories. Far away from a documentary style, the show uses a style that pulls us out of the reality of the story and makes us feel like it is like any other fictional show we watch. This could benefit the entertainment aspect of the show, but when it is done in excess, it makes the show cheap.
This dramatic style of camerawork includes an overload of wide shots, overheads, dolly shots, and lens flares. Many scenes begin in overhead, birdseye views of settings or characters. Even in rather serious scenes like one where Andrew murders someone, the lens flares in the sun, giving beauty to the shot that feels out of place with the tone.
Versace was shot in Gianni’s real Florida mansion, where he was murdered. The home is enormous, and the camerawork constantly reminds you of this, panning out in large rooms or staying wide while actors are talking or giving emotional performances. There’s one way to make use of the space of a location, and then there’s letting it drown out the story.
The constant movement of the camera doesn’t just give the story a fictional feel; it takes away from the remarkable performances by an incredible cast, including Ricky Martin and Penélope Cruz. When so much of a scene is in a wide shot or panning all over the place, it’s hard to focus on the actor. Darren Criss plays Andrew Cunanan so well; it’s hard to imagine he came from a show like Glee. He’s serious, charming, emotional and in an instant, he can switch between the three. He’s a terrifying character and one that is so interesting to the viewer since this show is really about him.
Much of the season so far has been about Andrew and what he did even long before he met Versace. The main question everyone is drawn to is Why did he do this? The best way to try to understand this would be to give us a sense of Andrew’s interior. We need to be close to him, literately close to him with the camera, to appreciate the emotion coming across his face and interpret it ourselves. We hardly get this throughout the show since so much emphasis is put on the settings or ridiculous shots. A good example of the overload of movement by the camera is in the clip below.
In the scene, Andrew is about to trick the motel owner to think he’s from France and get a motel room where he makes plans to murder Versace. The shitty, run down hotel is introduced with a wide, panning shot that makes it look glamorous. The only close and static shots we get are in the brief conversation Andrew has with the owner. Not only does this scene give us a good sense of Andrew’s character, but it also sets up the most important act of the show– the murder of Versace. Instead, the focus is on the camera movement, like so much of the show.
If you think this style is familiar, you’re not mistaken. Cinematographer for the first two episodes Nelson Cragg has worked with the producer of American Crime Story Ryan Murphy one several of his projects before this. Each of Murphy’s other dramas Feud: Bette & Joan and American Horror Story employ much of the same dramatic camerawork by Cragg that is as gaudy as the plotlines. The influence is not entirely on Cragg, since he has experience that is not as overdone as his work with Murphy, including Breaking Bad and Homeland. This style is very much Murphy-esque, but it doesn’t fit with this show like his other dramas that rely heavily on cheap stories. American Crime Story: The People vs. OJ Simpson wasn’t popular for the camerawork. It was the writing and performances that won big during awards season.
This show holds the Murphy style when it shouldn’t. It needs a simple and serious tone that reflects the nature of this story. This story is about sexual repression, mental illness, and violent murders at the hands of a deeply troubled man. It’s about the loss of a true legend, by a man he may have befriended. It’s a sad story, full of gruesome violence that’s unsettling. The style of the show shouldn’t glamorize these events by focusing on the material settings and the artificial beauty of the era, but the true pain Andrew Cunanan caused so many families and himself. The show holds true potential for a successful follow-up to the first season if the rest of the season focuses on the story rather than the spectacle of cinematography.
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (10/9c, FX): OK, this may not be the happiest way to spend an hour of Valentine’s Day night, but you won’t find a series more gripping than Ryan Murphy’s disturbing psychological portrait of murderer Andrew Cunanan (a stunning Darren Criss). As the storyline continues to go back in time, this week’s episode contrasts the proud coming out of designer Gianni Versace (Edgar Ramirez) in the pages of The Advocate in 1995 with the sad history of one of Cunanan’s other victims: closeted Naval officer Jeffrey Trail (a heartbreaking Finn Wittrock).
Since the end of the last season of American Crime Story, I’m looking forward to seeing new episodes. Film producer of Nip/Tuck, Glee and American Horror Story, Ryan Murphy, had dedicated his first season to the widely publicised O.J Simpson’s murder case by exploring the racial discrimination against Afro-American people. The second season focusing on striking another American story: the assassination of Italian fashion designer, Gianni Versace, murdered in 1997 in front of his villa in Miami.
From the very beginning, the series is taking us under the Florida sun of 1997 and gives a glimpse into the fashion designer’s world. Murphy, who directed the first episode, gives a special attention to the aesthetic, through the spectacular villa’s corridor, from his meticulously embroidered slippers and his pink dressing gown to the Miami beach, his murderer’s place of distress.
Just like the first season, the second one explores one hot topic in our society. Through Andrew Cunanan -played by Darren Criss-, the director and producer is showing us the portrait of a young criminal full of hatred, ate up by internalized homophobia. With his Patrick Bateman’s look (American Psycho), Darren Criss’ acting is surprising: we see him screaming, laughing and crying in the same scene. In this first episode, we feel compassion for this despised character, who didn’t succeed in the fashion’s world.
In this series, based on Maureen Orth’s book -reporter at Vanity Fair- VulgarFavors, Murphy coincides the themes of homophobia -a matter close to his heart-, with the prejudices and the incompetence of the American police force at the time.
In a very caricatural role, Penelope Cruz plays a dominatrix and matriarchal Donatella, who mourns her brother in front of the camera and is eager to take his business back behind the scene. Edgar Ramirez’s resemblance with his character (Gianni Versace) is just bluffing and by playing a selfish and greedy character, we can see that Murphy doesn’t hold the Versace family in his heart.
Despite the Versace family disagreements, Ryan Murphy mixed his taste for excess and his love for famous stories to give his point of view on the story. The fashion designer’s family denied the facts related and refused that the brand would be associated with the series. Gianni Versace’s ex-partner, Antonio D’Amico (Ricky Martin on screen), is unhappy with his on-screen representation, and said the facts were only fictional. Nevertheless, the producers defend themselves by saying that it is not a historical documentary but a free adaptation of a book.
In each season of the true crime anthology series, “American Crime Story,” Ryan Murphy aims to revisit iconic, infamous acts of injustice that exposed our nation’s deepest-rooted social problems and called into question our sense of morality. For the multi-award winning first season, “The People v. O.J. Simpson,” Murphy used the O.J. Simpson trial to show the bigotry of America’s judicial system. The second season, “The Assassination of Gianni Versace,” focuses on the 1997 murder of fashion-design legend Gianni Versace and how homophobia let the killer, Andrew Cunanan, run free for so long.
“The Assassination of Gianni Versace” really earns its TV-MA rating. The violence can be so cruel and graphic that it would be understandable if viewers found themselves screaming in rage at their screens. Yet what keeps the viewer watching through such stomach-dropping moments is an incessant curiosity about where each character came from and where they’re headed next. The viewer cares enough about all of them, even the despicable murderer Cunanan, that they’ll take the tragic moments en route to the beautiful moments. However, the nine-episode season’s middle act lacks the latter, focusing exclusively on Cunanan’s killing spree before he went after Versace. While the beginning of the season presented both Cunanan and Versace’s storylines, the middle of the season threatens to turn into an emotionally draining Cunanan showcase through its omission of Versace’s storylines.
When it comes to casting, Murphy knows how to challenge our perceptions of what our favorite actors, established or on the rise, are capable of. In the hands of Penelope Cruz, Versace’s sister, Donatella, comes across as a kind of Jackie Kennedy figure. After her brother’s murder, the fiercely protective Donatella arms herself with a plan to preserve his public image and to create a legacy that will keep his memory and fashion empire alive. Edgar Ramirez’s depiction of Versace as a life-affirming man often makes the tears flow, especially given how cruelly Versace’s time on earth ended. A creative genius that believes in indulging in every day’s little wonders, Versace wishes more people could see the world in the same happy way he does. “I want my models to look like they enjoy life,” he tells Donatella before a runway show, adding, “Life is precious. Life is special.”
Though Versace is the title role, the most captivating performance comes from Darren Criss as Andrew Cunanan. In a complete 180-degree turn from his light-hearted breakout role on Murphy’s own “Glee,” Criss is so unnerving that one soon forgets how sweet his personality is in real life. A scary bright young man with a twisted sense of drive, Cunanan’s tool bag of charm and manipulation is bottomless, his emotions (and backstories) able to turn on a dime in pursuit of what he wants— love and success. Yet what’s most disturbing about Cunanan is how familiar the roots of his evil feel to the audience. As Criss finds this common ground, the character becomes someone the viewer begs to deviate from his rotten path, hates when he won’t and sympathizes with when he talks about his dreams.
According to Nina Jacobson, one of the show’s executive producers, the question every season aims to ask about its central scandal is: “What makes this a crime America is guilty of?” The three-month search for Andrew Cunanan is considered to be the FBI’s largest failed manhunt. While Cunanan’s spooky ability to stay multiple steps ahead of everyone helped him avoid capture for so long, the decade’s homophobia hindered local and national law enforcement from taking his violence seriously, and it cost the lives of five innocent men trying to make some vibrant memories out of their limited days.
Last week, we learned about David Madson, and this Wednesday, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story episode five dives into the relationship between Jeffrey Trail and Andrew Cunanan.
The fifth episode of American Crime Story season two is titled “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” and the official synopsis from FX is: “Naval officer Jeffrey Trail meets Andrew Cunanan for the first time, and Gianni Versace reveals his sexuality to the world.” Written by Tom Rob Smith; Directed by: Dan Minahan.
So what can you expect? We have binged-watched the first eight episodes of the season to bring you an advanced preview each week of what you’ll see! Avoiding all spoilers? This is your last chance to turn away now!
Who were David Madson (Cody Fern) and Jeffrey Trail (Finn Wittrock), Cunanan’s first two victims? While episode four, “House By The Lake,” explored Madson’s backstory and final moments, “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” will dive into Trail’s story before and after befriending Cunanan.
If you’ve missed seeing Gianni (after all, this season IS named after the fashion icon) you’ll see him again in “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.” Penelope Cruz’s Donatella and Ricky Martin’s Antonio also make an appearance. But, unfortunately for those who love these three characters, they won’t hang around for too long Wednesday night.
The story of Jeffrey Trail will take over as we go back further to when he and Cunanan first meet (as well as when Cunanan drops in to visit Madson and Trail).
Lines to look out for, can you guess who delivers them?
“You have forgotten how ugly the world can be.”
“He’s got no one. He’s got nothing. Everything he’s told you about his life is a lie. You know that, right?”
“We can’t get married. It’s against the law.”
“You’re not working in Mexico. You’re not making sets for the Titanic movie. You don’t have a condo in San Francisco. Andrew, you’re unhappy.”
I love a good assassination. As a teen I came into possession of a coffee-table book that wallowed in the glory of this particular form of butchery. Abe Lincoln, Franz Ferdinand, J.F.K, and Martin Luther King — these greats were all dispatched with well-aimed shots that have rippled through our historical timeline.
It’s impossible, yet kind of fun, to imagine how things would have unfolded if these hits hadn’t been so successful.
No WWI if Franz lived perhaps? Nukes dropped on Vietnam if John F. Kennedy had bent down to tie his shoelace? The end of all life as we know it, or some much better turn of events?
Perhaps we’d now have billions upon billions of superannuation dosh if Muldoon had been liquidated by an assassin?
Of course, the killers are even more fascinating than the killed, perhaps because that was something I could actually aspire to, as being a respected world leader looks like too much hard work.
But I can imagine being an unhinged fame-seeking killer; that’s well within my grasp. If all humanity exists on such a spectrum, how many of us really think we are closer to Gandhi than Lee Harvey Oswald?
That notion is milked with great alacrity in The Assassination of Gianni Versace, the follow up to the tremendously executed The People Vs O.J Simpson.
Both shows appear under the banner of American Crime Story, and are the work of Ryan Murphy, a master craftsman of television who also gave us Nip/Tuck, Glee, American Horror Story and the ace 2017 bio-soap Feud: Bette and Joan, which dramatised the fractious relationship between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. It’s one of last years best shows.
His latest lavish production begins with the shooting of the famous fashion designer Gianni Versace by a troubled young man; an appalling narcissist with just enough humanity to elicit the baseline of pity that a viewer can fashion into something approaching empathy.
Evil monsters exist in lame procedurals but in real life and better shows, we get glimpses of mental illness, shocking histories and all the stuff that adds up to the notion that no one truly chooses to be awful, let alone evil.
It’s a terrific opening episode, and the only one directed by Murphy himself.
It starts with the execution. Something chills as we flee with the killer, we want him to be caught, even as we want him to get away. Edgar Ramirez, who plays Gianni, possesses a remarkable likeness to the dead fashion legend, while former Glee star Darren Criss seems like he was born to play the killer, Andrew Cunanan.
Also impressive are pop star Ricky Martin as Gianni’s partner and Penelope Cruz as Donatella Versace.
The latter is a real-life mate of Donatella and only took the part after she got the thumbs up from the living Versace. Other family members and Gianni’s ex were less impressed with the outcome.
Clare: While This Is Us’ “Super Bowl Sunday” was the ep that we have all been waiting for, and it was an exceptional episode, it was kind of what we expected from This Is Us. It is for this reason I’m going with The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story’s “The House by the Lake”. This episode was shocking, horrific, painful, uncomfortable, and gut-wrenching. The performances by Darren Criss and Cody Fern throughout couldn’t be faulted. Criss continues his no-doubt award-winning performance, but Fern was the amazing find in this episode. He had me from his elevator scene with Jeffrey Trail (Finn Wittrock). Watch this episode if only for Criss breaking down during Aimee Mann’s cover of “Drive” and everything after this. Some of the best TV in the past year.
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Clare: “When the police open the door they’ll see two suspects, not two victims” – Andrew Cunanan (Darren Criss), The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story
Jenna’s MVP: Darren Criss as Andrew Cunanan (American Crime Story: Versace)
Why he’s the MVP: When we first saw Darren Criss on Glee years ago, who could have predicted his versatility as an actor? In American Crime Story: Versace, he plays Andrew Cunanan, the serial killer who went on a murder spree in the late 1990s, killing designer Gianni Versace among others. Taking on characters based on real people is always tricky, but Criss certainly delivers. Besides the fact that he looks eerily similar to the real Cunanan, he also takes on a persona unlike any of his other previous roles. Criss strikes an effective balance between portraying Cunanan as the public saw him, and making his own creative decisions for the role.
In this week’s episode, “House by the Lake,” we follow Cunanan as he commits a murder in the opening act, forcing him on the run with his former lover and roommate, David. The episode heavily plays upon Cunanan’s affinity for escaping reality and living in a fantasy world, which Criss portrays brilliantly. In particular, his line delivery — with the rises and falls of his voice, making everything, even murder, sound like a game to Cunanan — really drives home just how delusional Cunanan is.
Cunanan is desperate to make a life with David, despite the horror he’s forced David to experience. Criss plays on Cunanan’s highly charged emotions toward David by having Cunanan toss him intense, wide-eyed stares and using very particular body language (touching David’s back here, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with him there). All this adds to the viewer’s extreme discomfort and concern for David throughout their time on the run.
But Cunanan certainly isn’t a stable individual, and Criss effortlessly slips from sing-song contentedness into sheer mania by the end of the episode. One of the very last shots of the episode features Cunanan curled up holding David’s dead body (after Cunanan shot him in the head). Criss’ subtle changes of expression from sadness to apathy, even in such a small moment, are truly chilling.
There’s truly no way to escape Criss’ magnetism throughout the episode and the show in general. He’s taken a complex man and made him an even more complex character, and I can’t wait to see him shine in the rest of the season.
Continuing with moving backwards through the timeline of Versace’s death, we meet Andrew’s first and second victims of his killing spree, one week before the murder of Lee Miglin. Jeff Trail and David Madson both have supposedly been in romantic relationships with Andrew, now having a secret love for one another. Episode 4 takes us on a rollercoaster of the death of Jeff, Stockholm syndrome, the acceptance or lack of gay relationship’s in the 90’s and the death of Andrew’s first victim, David Madson.
Being a fan of American Horror Story, another one of Ryan Murphy’s wonderful creations, I was ecstatic to see Finn Wittrock (Dandy – whom made an appearance in Freak Show) join the season 2 cast as Jeff Trail. He portrayed the character as best as he could for the 5 seconds he was given before he died and fingers crossed, we get more of Jeff in the upcoming episodes. We was also introduced to upcoming actor of 2018, Cody Fern, who portrayed David Madson outstandingly and already has the public swooning over him. We must see him nominated for breakthrough actor of 2018 for this role or the world is doing something extremely wrong!
Whilst the Versace family have taken a step back in the latest two episodes and people not having the greatest reaction to this – I think it is incredibly important to also see Andrew’s back story and all the events that lead up to Versace’s death. This show is about remembering the loss of Versace and all of the fashion and glam he and his family provided, but we also need to sit down and remember the loss of Andrew’s other victims as well. If you do your research, all of these men gave so much to the world and need the recognition they was never given over two decades ago.
The Versace family will be making a return in episode 5, but for now though, I would like to share with you four of the best moments from American Crime Story: The Assassination of Versace, season 2, episode 4:
Jeff’s Death
So, here we meet victim number two. Jeff (Finn Wittrock) is a former lover of David’s (Cody Fern), leaving Andrew incredibly jealous. When Jeff appears at David’s apartment one night, this gives Andrew the perfect opportunity to take action and get rid of Jeff once and for all. As David is meeting Jeff at the building’s entrance to take him up to the apartment, David reveals to Jeff that Andrew proposed to him, however, he refused, due to gay marriage being illegal. This could easily have been way Andrew was triggered to murder Jeff, as he may have assumed the reason David refused his proposal was because he was still in love with Jeff.
When Jeff enters David’s apartment, Andrew charges and kills him by beating him in the head with a hammer. Andrew doesn’t really seem to realise what he has done and how much it had affected David, as he is so focused on making a life with David and continues to uncomfortably care for him by washing away Jeff’s blood off of their bodies in the shower.
There’s even a moment where you feel incredibly uncomfortable, but at the same time, it’s hard to not find Andrew’s actions when hiding Jeff’s body, dare I say, a little sweet. Realising David is still incredibly shook up by Jeff’s dead body being sprawled across his apartment floor, Andrew quietly wraps the body in a rug and ‘respectfully’ moves Jeff’s body himself, only requesting help from David when he really needs it. As scary as Andrew is and as sickening as that whole scene was, it’s so heart-breaking to see Andrew still taking David’s feelings in to consideration, even if he doesn’t know what a horrific thing he has truly done. You can see clearly that David has a special place in Andrew’s heart and he will do anything to make sure they stay together.
David, completely devastated, demands that Andrew and him need to call the police and confess. However, Andrew knows exactly how police investigations work and how they fail to understand gay people. Like Lee’s murder, Andrew leaves pornography and sex toys on David’s bed before the pair flee. He explains to David that as soon as the police realise this is a gay case, they will jump to all sorts of conclusions.
“They won’t see two victims, they’ll see two suspects.”
David and his father
David’s coming-out scene really had me feeling a lot of mixed emotions. After giving his father some good news regarding his archeology career, he also shares what he calls ‘bad news’ of him being gay. His dad’s response went like this:
“I won’t lie and say that it doesn’t make a difference. You know what I believe. Maybe you wanted to be told I don’t have a problem with it. But what I can say is, I love you more than I love my own life.”
So, David’s father is basically saying he doesn’t like gay people, but will always love his son. I mean, I appreciate his honesty of not being able to give his son what he wants to hear, however, saying how much he loves him anyway doesn’t completely make up for the way he worded things. It must have been incredibly hard for David to even reveal this secret, which is obviously shown when he becomes tearful and I can see him and his father have quite a close bond, which does make this scene a little heart-breaking to watch. The fact that his dad was unable to progress on accepting his son’s sexuality in the years to come, because Andrew had taken David away from him is also devastating and I can’t imagine the guilt his father may have felt for not being able to tell his son how proud he is and how much he accepts him for him. (If that would’ve been the case.)
Lies, Lies, Lies
We know Andrew is an absolute pro at lying and creating false stories up to lure in his next victims; for once, David confronts him about his manipulation and catches Andrew off guard. He recalls how Andrew fascinated him when they met in a bar one night in San Fransisco, a year and a half ago. Andrew had ordered David a drink, as he was sat alone and David admired how much people loved Andrew and his charm – once upon a time.
“I remember thinking; how hard do I have to work to live like him, like Andrew? ‘Cause I’ll do it. Except it was all a lie. You’ve never worked for anything. It was an act. Is that why you killed Jeff? You loved him. It was so obvious. But he figured you out in the end, didn’t he? It took him a few years but he finally saw the real you, and you killed him for it.”
Andrew attempts to change the subject by describing the life he promises to give David in Mexico, spurring out all these false possibilities and dreams that he believes could truly happen.
“You can’t do it, can you?” “I can’t what?” “Stop.”
David’s Death
As obvious as David’s future was, I still sat there for a whole 50 minutes praying and praying that Andrew would allow David to run free and live his life in peace. This wasn’t the case and my heart was shattered in to a million little pieces. In the restaurant, I wanted David to escape through the bathroom window without pondering or hesitating, but I believe that David only stayed because Andrew’s words remained with him and he was too terrified to confront the police because of the assumptions they were most likely to make. For his own safety, David stays with Andrew, making us wonder whether the connection between the two is mutual or if David is only staying because he doesn’t know what else to do.
Continuing on with their journey, David confronts Andrew over and over as to why he killed Jeff and whether or not it was planned all along to kill him in David’s presence. An enraged Andrew says multiple times that he does not want to talk about the past, however, David continuously riles him up until he is eventually held at gunpoint, no longer having convinced Andrew that they would start a fresh life together in Mexico. David’s fate is sealed when he is shot once in the back and again in the face. Andrew lays by David’s body, arms wrapped around him, for a while until he decides to get back in to the truck and escape alone.
Now all four deaths have been revealed, I have to say David’s death has been the most heart-breaking and devastating to watch. He met a man who he thought was the greatest man to walk in to his life, only to have been confronted by a monster later on. He was such an innocent man with so much potential in life, he never deserved what he had to go through and it angers me how Andrew Cunanan could be so selfish as to drag someone with so much potential as David, in to his twisted and sickening shenanigans.
It’s that time in my article where I once again have to describe Darren Criss’ portrayal of Andrew and once again, I can’t find a way to really sum up his talents. Darren is becoming more and more terrifying as the series goes on and you can’t help but be so mesmerised by his performances and how convincing he is as Andrew. All I’m going to say about Darren to finalise this week’s recap is, if I don’t see a photo of Darren struggling to carry all of the well-deserved awards that he wins in the coming months, did we ever really have a 2018?
American Crime Story’s enthralling first season which followed the 1995 trial of O.J. Simpson went on to win 9 Emmy Awards including Best Limited Series. What was truly fascinating about ‘The People VS. O.J. Simpson’ was the storytelling which not only focused on key players like O.J., the defence and the prosecutors, but also the jurors and the community.
And taking the very same story-telling method a notch higher, Ryan Murphy in the later episode of ‘The Assassination of Gianni Versace’ shows the narrative of the first three victims of Andrew Cunanan played by Darren Criss. The show’s ability to have the audience hooked and still interested in the series without its title character, who is largely absent from the action, is commendable.
As Episode 3: A Random Killing focuses on the murder of second most high profile murder of a Chicago real estate developer, Lee Miglin’s family denied rumours of him and Cunanan knowing each other before the murder. However, as per the show, Miglin played by Mike Farrell invites Cunanan over to his house while his wife, Marilyn Miglin is away on a business trip. Investigators of the homicide too believed there to be a connection between Miglin and Cunanan. “Why would Cunanan go to Chicago, find Miglin, and torture him without some motive?” investigator Todd Rivard of the Chicago County Sheriff’s Department said. This explains why there were no signs of forced entry and no defensive wounds found in Miglin’s autopsy report.
Later in the episode, Cunanan drives to New York in the Lexus and then almost immediately heads south. On the road, he hears over the car radio that the police are able to track his movements through the car’s phone. Cunanan, realizing he has to ditch the Lexus, spots a red pickup truck and trails the driver, William Reese, to the Finn’s Point National Cemetery, a Civil War memorial where he is the caretaker. There Cunanan shoots Reese point blank and steals the truck.
The fourth episode: House by the Lake, backtracks the killings of Cunanan’s to his first victim Jeff Trail and Cunanan’s then-boyfriend, David Madson. American Crime Story executive producer Brad Simpson in a recent interview said, “Tom Rob Smith, the writer, had to invent a lot of what had happened based on what we knew from the crime scene and we knew about Andrew and David. We know there was this murder, and then we know they were in a car together, and we know that David begged for his life at the end. But we had to fill in what might have happened during that time.”
And while in reality, many neighbours reported the two taking their dog out for a walk, the narrative almost seemed like Stockholm Syndrome which would explain why David did not escape.
However, there’s no record of the two ever being seen together at a bar, diner or even in Madson’s jeep after leaving Minneapolis. It’s unknown why Cunanan took his time before killing Madson. It was up to Tom Rob Smith’s script and some impressive acting from both Criss and relative newcomer Cody Fern to fill in all the blanks there.
If any viewer had any sympathy or affection for Cunanan up until this point, these episodes strip that away entirely. He is terrifying and merciless, and downright cruel.
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