This week we are welcomed back by the Versace family, in which Versace is considering coming out with Antonio. We also follow the story of Jeff Trail (Finn Wittrock), Navy sailor and Andrew Cunanan’s first victim. Be prepared to relive the most heart-breaking episode of American Crime Story: The Assassination of Versace so far.

Here are the 4 best moments from the episode:

Versace and Antonio’s Coming Out Interview

Gianni Versace arranges an interview with an LGBTQ magazine, in which he has intentions on coming out publicly with Antonio. Donatella is incredibly against her brother’s idea and she believes this will only lead to a negative impact on Versace’s career. She tells Versace that this isn’t just about him and he needs to think about how his company can be affected by such decisions. She reminds him of the time when people stopped purchasing Perry Ellis’ clothes after he appeared on a runway, currently dealing with AIDS, and how his models had to help keep him on his feet. She also reminds him that there are multiple countries who believe gay relationships to be a crime, therefore, many businesses would want to stop working with him. Versace has none of it though and says he is done hiding and he intends to live his life being who he truly is.

Later on in the episode, Gianni and Antonio head off to a hotel, in which their interview will be orchestrated. To start off with, Gianni intends on facing the interview alone, however, with a quick change of heart, he asks the journalist if Antonio could also join the interview, in which he replies “absolutely.”

Sexuality in the Navy

Jeff Trail is a Navy Officer with a good recording a bright future; that is, until he essentially outs himself by comforting another officer who he saved from being beat to death for his sexuality. Jeff receives subtle and not-so subtle threats; leading him to attempt removing a tattoo off of his leg and attempt suicide. Eventually, Jeff embraces who he is and finds himself in a gay bar, in which he meets Andrew.

Andrew inevitably wins Jeff over with his charming persona, treating him to rounds after rounds of drinks and maneuvering himself in to Jeff’s world. Jeff is the complete opposite of Andrew; he is genuine, kind, handsome, good-hearted and what he doesn’t know, is that being with Andrew is also the same as being on deaths doorstep. Andrew tries to convince Jeff to not go ahead with the interview about being a gay man in the Navy, however, just like Versace, Jeff is done hiding.

“So humiliating! Your face shadowed, your voice altered like a criminal!”

We see Jeff drive to a motel for his interview at the same time Versace is about to do his coming out interview; one famous, one an invisible sailor, one in the spotlight, one in the shadows, one is comfortable, one is asking for reassurance of not being seen on camera. Two complete opposites, yet they both want their identity to be accepted, they want to feel self-acceptance and they want their sexuality to be destigmatized and not looked upon as controversial. They also have one more thing in common; they will both be murdered by Andrew.

At the beginning of the episode, we see Jeff and his sister having a heart to heart about Jeff coming out to his parents, although Jeff insists on not going ahead with that idea. He then kisses his sister’s baby bump and expresses how excited he is to be an Uncle. Fast forward to Jeff’s death; whilst Jeff has now just been beat to death in the head with a hammer – at home, his family are trying to get in contact with him to inform him that his sister is in labour and she has had a baby girl.

“No one wants your love”

We return to the day of Jeff’s murder in Minneapolis; Jeff enters his apartment and finds his Navy uniform in a wrinkled mess on the bed, Andrew sitting on the living room floor. Andrew consistently tries to convince Jeff that the military don’t care about him and don’t want him. However, Jeff has had enough of his manipulative ways and confronts him for the man he truly is.

“You’re a liar. You have no honour.”

Andrew still tries to manipulate Jeff by telling him how much he loves him, in which Jeff replies with an explosive “No-one wants your love!”. By the look of Andrew’s face, that is the moment where Jeff has officially knocked on Death’s door and sealed his extremely short future. Andrew walks out of the room with Jeff’s gun zipped away in his bag and head’s over to David’s apartment.

Jeff presses and puts away his Navy uniform, seconds later receiving a phone call from Andrew saying, “I have your gun”. This is Andrew’s way of luring Jeff to David’s important, ready to commit his first murder. The murder that is about to change his life forever.

Finn Wittrock

The last time I watched Finn Wittrock in a TV show was his debut appearance on American Horror Story: Freakshow, as Dandy. This was a character I absolutely despised to the point in which I really couldn’t appreciate how incredible Finn is… American Crime Story has allowed me to fall completely head over heels in love with Finn and his portrayal of Jeff.

He made this episode, the most heart-breaking episode of American Crime Story: The Assassination of Versace so far. Being reminded of how homophobia used to be, and how parts of it still exist today will ache your heart, however, it is indeed a crucial piece of the story for television to see and allows us to relive America’s history of homophobia being an unforgivable crime.

Darren Criss has stolen the spotlight the entire series so far, but this time he took a step back and let Finn take the spotlight. I was completely in awe of Finn’s acting and I hope this isn’t the end of Jeff’s story, as he has become my favourite one so far!

The 4 Best Moments Of ‘American Crime Story: The Assassination of Versace’ 2×05