The 2 Best Moments From ‘American Crime Story: The Assassination of Versace’ 2×08

American Crime Story: The Assassination of Versace recap: Season 2, Episode 8, “Creator/Destroyer”, Aired March. 14, 2018.

In this episode, we finally meet the man Andrew has spoken about so highly through the season – his father. His father made up this unrealistic world for Andrew, only to break his heart years later. We also finally find out why he consistently lies to people and has this strong desperation for people to love him.

Here are the 2 best moments of American Crime Story: The Assassination of Versace 2×08:

Passion for fashion

We’ve definitely not had enough of Versace throughout season 2 and episode 8 didn’t provide us with much more; however, we did get a short glimpse of Gianni as a young boy, finding his passion for fashion. Gianni’s mother was a successful seamstress, which definitely explains how he got in to that career, but the children at school didn’t seem to understand his passion’s. We see Gianni sketching a dress in the back of his class, in which his teacher notices and calls him out as a ‘pervert’, whilst another classmate calls him a ‘pansy’. Later on, Gianni goes back to tell his mother what had happened and she comforts him by telling the story of how she used to want to become a doctor, however, was prevented from doing so by her father because she was a woman. So, Franca became a dressmaker and opened up her very own shop.

“You must do what you love, Gianni.”

Daddy imposter

Andrew has said so much about his father throughout the season so far – true or not, we’ve always been unsure. However, one thing we are sure about is that his father did work for Merrill Lynch, although Andrew had milked the story just a little. His father talked his way in to a highly coveted job, due to his work ethic and track record. Andrew is soon treated to all sorts of fancy gifts such as a master bedroom and a car, because of how much his father was spending… Basically being treated like royalty by his parents, leaving his siblings neglected. Medesto (Andrew’s father) believes Andrew to be special and encourages him to feel special so success will follow – he consistently puts so much pressure on Andrew to be the best he can be – leaving Andrew to believe his dream is a big house with children and a fancy car, when asked what his one wish would be during an interview to attend the prestigious Bishop’s school. After being asked the question once more, he told them that his one wish would be to be special. Medesto drilled it in to Andrew’s head that being smart is enough and that if he wants to get anywhere, he needs to fit in – which most definitely explains why he is so determined to get the approval of everybody around him.

Years later, we find out that Medesto no longer works for Merrill Lynch, due to cheating good people out of their money by trading non-existent stocks. When he realises that the police are on to him, Medesto escapes the country, leaving Andrew and the rest of his family behind. Andrew refuses to believe his father left them with nothing and will soon enough be back with all the money he ‘supposedly’ has. He travels to Manila in search of his father and reality soon hits him, when he see’s for himself how much of a liar and a theif Medesto is – everything he put in to Andrew’s head was a lie. He calls Andrew ‘weak’ and a ‘sissy’ causing Andrew to draw a knife.

When Andrew returns to the United States, he realises his whole world is shattered and instead of becoming a better person than his father, he begins to pick up on his traits and believes that lying is better than facing the truth.

The 4 best moments from The Assassination of Versace 2×06

In this episode, we learn a lot more about Andrew and his life prior to the new and luxurious lifestyle. His web of lies begin crumbling, and people who he thought loved him, show that they are also capable of lying. We celebrate Andrew’s 26th birthday, where he shows desperation for making David fall in love with him, asking extreme favors from his friends and feeding off of another rich man’s money. We also get to see a more vulnerable and human side to Andrew as he reaches out to his mother and thrives in her love that others fail to give him.

Here are the 4 best moments from American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace, “Descent” :

Love is NOT in the air

Andrew begins this episode living the good life; he lives in a luxurious house, he drives a fancy car, he strips butt naked in a pool and he has the most magnificent view. It’s Andrew’s birthday and the house is jam-packed with people who love him… Or so he thinks. His goal at this party is to make a connection with the ‘love of his life’, David. To show David how loved his is, Andrew asks Jeff to dress a little smarter and to give him a more luxorious present than what he already gave him… The levels of desperation are embarrassingly high. It seems that a lot of people at this party do not have genuine love for Andrew, but the love he has forced them to give him. Love is most certainly not in the air for Andrew.

“That room is full of people who love me.”

“Then that room is full of people who don’t know you.”

David and Jeff’s First Meeting

David and Jeff’s first meet up had me right on board the ship and I wish that they were given the chance to have the happy ending they deserved. Their connection was genuine and was taken away in a swift second by Andrew’s greed and jealousy. It’s safe to say that Jeff has no problem with getting attention from men and David was gripped the second he saw him – when Andrew wanted a solo picture with David, David pulled Jeff straight in to the picture a long with some other men, not really feeling the love that Andrew was feeling.

Beautiful Liar

I’m finding it hard to keep writing up headings for how much of a liar Andrew continues to be throughout these episodes, but as we are most likely still crushing over Darren Criss – no matter how scary he is, I think beautiful liar pretty much sums him and his character up. When Andrew and David have a ‘romantic’ getaway, Andrew showers David in new suits, a fancy hotel suite and all the fancy foods… However, David see’s right through Andrew’s facade and isn’t afraid to confront him, which caused for some serious entertainment. David is willing to take his relationship with Andrew further, if only he will come clean about his life and lay it all out on the table. Andrew does start by telling the truth about his dad; a stockbroker for Merrill Lynch who now has returned to the Philippines, however, as the truth comes out, the lies start to tangle up around them, Andrew clearly getting upset and angry at David’s confrontation. It seems that he can’t even tell the truth to the so-called love of his life. David, once again, see’s right through Andrew’s lies and tells him that one day he will make somebody happy… It just most likely won’t be him.

Norman Bates, is that you?

Being a fan of Bates Motel,I received some serious Norman and Norma Bats vibes, when Andrew returns to his mother, after his sugar daddy refused to give him what he wanted. We see his mother, Mary, washing away Andrew’s emotional wounds in the bath, as he sits curled up feeling sorry for himself… Mary seems to be the only one throughout this episode who shows true love towards Andrew, even if Andrew doesn’t return the same love back. We finally see a more human side to the monster we’ve all come to know and seeing how mentally ill his mother also is, it helps us understand the reason behind why Andrew behaves the way he does.

The 4 best moments from The Assassination of Versace 2×06

The 5 best moments from The Assassination of Versace 2×07

Oh, how we love a dose of the Versace family! This week we watched Donatella on the path to fame after creating the dream dress for red carpets and having to take over her brother’s business after finding out he has a rare form of cancer. Donatella has been in the background of this show up until now, and it was nice to see her centre stage.

Here are the 5 best moments of American Crime Story: The Assassination of Versace 2×07:

The dream dress that nobody wanted

This episode shows Donatella trying to be a part of the Versace team, designing her own clothes, however she doesn’t seem to have an artistic streak and doubts her ability to take over the company if anything was to happen to Gianni. Gianni confronts Donatella about how unartistic he also is and the pair create the most magnificent leather, belted, bondage dress that soon enough catches the attention of everybody at the 1992 Vogue’s 100th Anniversary party. Donatella refused to wear the dress herself at first and believed it belonged on model’s, however, Gianni convinces her that she is to become a star and when they both appear on the red carpet, Gianni helps his sister find her confidence and she shines immaculately, with every reporter and photographer begging for her to pose for them.

Although the newly designed dress seemed to be a huge success on the carpet, it seems that is all the dress is made for, as sales became increasingly low due to it’s high extravagance. Gianni is outraged by the public not purchasing the dress and appreciating his sister’s dedication and hard work. Donatella suggests creating a similar dress, but more low, which doesn’t bode well with Gianni, as he reaches for his scissors and cuts away the belts, leaving a simple LBD in it’s place.

Gianni’s Illness

After Gianni’s outburst over people not purchasing his sister’s dress, he freaks out because he is unable to hear his sister and his partner. Later on, Donatella tells the staff of Versace HQ that their boss has a rare form of ear cancer and that she will take charge of the business until her brother’s return.

Andrew’s sugar daddies

Andrew has always dreamed of a rich and extravagant lifestyle… So what’s the best first stop in that direction? An escort agency. Although Andrew has all of the qualities to be a successful escort, the fact that he is an Asian-American leaves him facing rejection, as no man ever requests for an Asian.

Andrew takes being an escort in to his own hands and tries to sell himself. He sets himself on high society rich man Norman, who he purposely bumps in to at an Opera House, setting the motion of what will be a disastrous relationship in the future. Norman introduces Andrew to his other two highly successful friends, Lincoln Aston and David Gallo, finding himself invited to dinner later with the three. Andrew finds himself alone with Lincoln, offering to be his sugar baby – however, after focusing more of his attention on his new found crush, David, Lincoln heads back out to the gay bars.

Lincoln meets Kevin Bond, a man who introduces himself as a straight man, but always finds himself at a gay bar. Kevin goes back to Lincoln’s place, however the night ends abruptly when Andrew witnesses Kevin brutally beating Lincoln to death after swiftly going in to panic defence because he thought Lincoln was trying to kiss him.

Later on, Andrew and Norman form a bond over their mutual fear of being a public gay man. Andrew convinces Norman to let him create his dream home, where Andrew later holds this against him when Norman ever tries to kick him out or not give him what he wants.

Norman Bates round 2

Andrew promises his mother that he will take her all over the world and out of the small home they live in now, however, he breaks that promises when he decides to live alone with Norman. This was heartbreaking to watch, as Mary consistently tried to convince Andrew to let her go with him, even offering to do everything for him when they begun their journey. Andrew didn’t like how forward his mother was being and there was somewhat a moment of physical abuse, when he throws her in to a wall.

While checking on Mary’s injuries, the nurses seem quite wary of Andrew and try to silently hint at Mary to tell the truth about how she really got her injury – however, she continues to tell them that she slipped and Andrew called for an ambulance because he’s a good boy.

Andrew and David’s First Meeting

We was finally introduced to how Andrew and David came to meet – and it was all down to one drink Andrew requests to be sent to David whilst he sits alone at a bar. David goes over to Andrew and his friends to thank him for the gesture and he joins them for the rest of the night to celebrate Andrew’s friends birthday. The first night spent together that we heard of from David in episode 4 beings to pan out in front of us – the intensity of their connection and romance would allow you to believe that this could be a true love story, but, as this show is going backwards, we already know this is a love story that would definitely make for one sick and twisted romance novel.

The 5 best moments from The Assassination of Versace 2×07

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

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

American Crime Story: The Assassination of Versace recap: “House by the Lake”

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: The Assassination of Versace recap: “House by the Lake”

4 Best Moments From ‘The Assassination of Gianni Versace’ 2×03

Episode 3 is completely committed to sharing Lee Miglin’s devastating story, with William Reese having a little screen time as well.

Here are the 4 best moments from ‘American Crime Story: The Assassination of Versace, “A Random Killing.”

Lee Miglin and Marilyn Miglin

In this episode, we got to watch the life of Lee Miglin – a commercial real estate developer- and his wife, Marilyn Miglin. This relationship was far from perfect; a 38 year marriage based on a lie, yet they made the best of it. Their marriage was definitely one to sympathise with and was incredibly moving, as we see Marilyn continue to live her life as an ambitious woman with a closeted husband. Marilyn comes home from a work trip in Toronto, where she realises that something is very off. When the police arrive, a bloodcurdling scream is heard from the garage as Lee’s dead body is found. Rewind a week before, Lee and Marilyn are happier than ever at a fund-raising luncheon for Gov. Jim Edgar, Republican of Illinois. Marilyn introduces her husband admiringly and shocks Lee with her gushing words.

“So often we are told the American dream is dead. Except I say: Look at my husband, Lee. One of seven children. The son of an Illinois coal miner. He began his career selling premixed pancake batter out of the trunk of a beat-up old car. And today Lee manages 32 million square feet of commercial property across the Midwest.”

Marilyn later catches Lee on the phone to someone – who we know at this point is Andrew – and he lies, telling her it was a business call. With Marilyn now away at this point, Lee invites Andrew to stay over for the night, where he shows Andrew his plans to build a 125-story, 1,952 foot Sky Needle, which would and could have been the world’s tallest building.

Lee Miglin’s Sexuality

It’s safe to say that Marilyn knew of her husband’s secret, however she persevered with the marriage, not allowing this to break them apart. After Lee has shown Andrew his plans for the Sky Needle, the two kiss and Lee says, “It feels like I’m alive.” As hard as it is to watch Marilyn hide her husband’s secret, you also begin to feel a little bit of sympathy for Lee, as Andrew is allowing him to be the man he’s always wanted to be. (Until you know, he murders him – but Lee doesn’t know this just yet.)

“Escorts don’t normally kiss, do they? I am not like most escorts. I am not like most anybody. I could almost be a husband, a partner.”

Again, Lee’s ability to lie and give false hope to people so easily is plain disturbing, as we all know the outcome.

Lee Miglin’s Death

Lee Miglin’s death has to be the most sadistic and painful scenes to watch. I felt so uncomfortable from Andrew’s cold-hearted speech to Lee’s final breath, like I genuinely could have turned the episode off. The fact that this all did really happen in real life and in this exact way just makes the whole thing way too realistic and due to me having no clue about any of Andrew’s victims until this episode, it really left me mourning these two men who did not deserve what they were given and I really hope justice was served for the both of them.

“I know that you’re not wearing your hearing aid, so I am going to speak very loudly and very clearly so you can understand. I want you to know that when they find your body, you will be wearing ladies’ panties. Surrounded by gay porn. I want the world to see that the great Lee Miglin is a sissy. Soon the whole world will know that the great Lee Miglin, who built Chicago, built it with a limp wrist. The cops will know, the press will know, your wife will know, your children will know, the neighbors will know. Tell me something, Lee: What terrifies you more, death or being disgraced?” – Andrew

Andrew once again wraps his victim’s face up with masking tape. Then he begins brutally punching him in the face, knocking him out and stabbing him multiple times. Andrew’s use of homophobic language suggests that is filled with so much self-hatred. The whole scenario of Cunanan making cross-dressing and looking at porn out as a crime and a disgrace is one of the most devastating moments of the season so far.

William Reese’ Death

As twisted and disturbing as Lee’s death was, I have to admit, William’s was down right the most heart-breaking death to witness (between the three murders we have seen). Andrew flee’s to New Jersey after murdering Lee and he finds out from a radio station that the police are currently looking for him and that investigators have been tracking his every movement by car phone. In search of a new car to steal, Andrew follows William Reese, a caretaker, to his home through a cemetery. He holds William at gun point as he forces him in to the basement, where William gets down on his knees and pleads for his own life. His plea was cut short when Andrew heartlessly shot him in the head with no hesitation whatsoever.

At this very moment of the series, my hatred for Andrew grew so strongly and I was absolutely disgusted at his lack of remorse and committing his most mundane murder that really didn’t need to happen. However, that being said, Darren Criss is still absolutely out-standing throughout this show and I am seriously running out of ways to describe how flawlessly he is portraying this character. Give this man all the awards immediately!

With six episodes remaining and two bodies to go, we best start mentally preparing for what’s to come next, as not mentally preparing really has done no good since this episode.

What did you think to this episode of The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story? Write up a comment and let us know your thoughts!

4 Best Moments From ‘The Assassination of Gianni Versace’ 2×03

American Crime Story: The Assassination of Versace Season 2 Episode 2

Another episode of Versace’s assassination is amongst us and so much more was revealed. From Versace’s unknown illness, to family relationships, to an insight in Andrew’s life pre Versace murder. For this episode, the story unfolds in reverse chronological order and recounts the events preceding before the main event. A chilling bedroom scene involving an elderly man, duct tape, scissors and Cunanan dancing takes centre stage, alongside Andrew’s ability to lie more easily than people tell the truth.

So much of the story is yet to unravel; what or who made Andrew the killer he is? Was it the lack of support from friends and family as a gay man? Was violence a key point of his life? Why is he so enthralled by successful elderly men? So many questions and yet no answers! With seven episodes remaining, I have my fingers crossed that all will be revealed.

For now though, I would like to share with you five of the best moments from American Crime Story: The Assassination of Versace, season 2, episode 2:

Versace’s Cremation

“After everything he survived – to be killed like this.”

After a heated argument with Antonio, Donatella has a private one-on-one cremation for Versace, dressing him up in his fanciest suit. This scene was incredibly powerful and emotional; seeing Donatella mourning her brother’s death is so heartbreaking. She always shows such a strong persona, so it was very appreciated to see a much more vulnerable side of her. After Versace’s ashes were delicately wrapped up, Donatella took him on her private jet, where she hinted at Versace already having a close-to-death moment previously. In the very first scene of the episode, Gianni is shown seeking treatment at a hospital with his partner Antonio. Although nothing is specifically said in the episode, there have been previous talks of Gianni having HIV/AIDS in 1993 – 1994, which lead him to become too sick to work and on bed rest for a while.

Donatella’s devastation and anger is shown when she says to his ashes, “After everything he survived — to be killed like this,” shows that Versace was a strong man and managed to cheat death, only to be murdered three years later.

Versace and Donatella’s relationship

There are still pieces of Versace and Donatella’s relationship that we’re missing, but in this episode, we saw a little more of a bond between the siblings. When Versace is dealing with his illness, Donatella has a fear of losing her brother, and what a touching scene this was. “What is Versace without you?” “It will be you.” “Who am I without you?” “You will find out.”

Later on in the episode, Donatella pushes Versace to reach his potential when she believes he is stuck in a rut and another fashion designer will soon swoop in and take his spotlight. With her push, Gianni wows the crowd with his models and designs, and although he doesn’t say the words, the silent exchange between him and Donatella says that he is thanking her. I can’t wait to see more moments between the two of them, as this is a bond that seems unbreakable.

Donatella and Antonio’s relationship

It’s incredibly clear to see that Donatella and Antonio never really saw eye to eye. During Versace’s illness and struggling to keep his company relevant, an argument erupts between the pair starting with Antonio claiming that Donatella has never been supportive of he and Gianni’s relationship. Donatella opens up to Antonio about how she feels, claiming that he has never been a real partner to her brother and has given him nothing throughout their time together.

“You knew he wanted a family. Why didn’t you give him one?” “What have you done for him? What have you given him? Stability? Safety? Children? If you had given him anything, I would have given you respect – but you have given him nothing.”

I would love to know whether or not Donatella and Antonio put all their tension behind. If they did, it’s a shame they had to do it due to a tragic loss!

Andrew Cunnanan’s story reversed

The premiere of American Crime Story: The Assassination of Versace started off in the present, with Cunanan killing Versace. This time, we was taken back two months to the day Andrew first arrived in Miami to find Versace. At the point of present day, Cunanan has already killed four people and landed himself a spot on the FBI’s Most Wanted List. Now we’re going to sit back and watch those four murders take place, alongside still seeing how Andrew is doing in the present.

Andrew’s false identities

Darren Criss consistently puts on the most terrifying performance of Cunanan, and with all of these false identities forming within seconds of each other, the creepiness has gone from 80% to a whopping 110%! With his simplicity of practicing everyday conversation in the mirror to himself to reflect his individual personas, you really do get the chills. I applaud Ryan Murphy every second for giving Darren this role… although I may never look at Blaine Anderson the same ever again.

He begins the episode as Kurt, a fashion student from Nice who travelled all this way for a few words with Versace. With his newfound friend Ronnie, he describes his close personal friendship with Versace effortlessly and with the elderly man he seduces, he tells the story of the lobster and black pepper his mother used to pack for his school lunches. The question is, are any of these stories true or at least connected a little to his real life? Or he just that good at manipulating and lying? Who knows!

A rather interesting moment, though, was the final nightclub scene where Andrew is approached by a guy. When asked what he does, he replied with, “I’m a serial killer!” He then covered his back by rambling a list of jobs that he supposedly does from a banker to a writer — and the episode ended with him telling this guy his true identity. “I’m the person least likely to be forgotten. I’m Andrew Cunanan.” Wowza! I can’t wait to see more of his identities throughout the season. Bravo once again, Darren Criss!

American Crime Story: The Assassination of Versace Season 2 Episode 2

American Crime Story: The Assassination of Versace season 2 premiere

He wanted to be famous… so he killed a man who was. Join us on examining the shocking 1997 murder of legendary fashion designer, Gianni Versace.

The premiere of American Crime Story: The Assassination of Versace centers around serial killer Andrew Cananan. With the series, we get to explore the motives behind such a memorable and tragic death. The inspiration behind this exciting new series was Vulgar Favors: Andrew Cunanan, Gianni Versace, and the Largest Failed Manhunt in US History — a book that journalist Maureen Orth published in 1999.

Ryan Murphy took the first episode in a whole new direction, in which we witness the murder of Gianni Versace within the first ten minutes, and then we go back in time to 1990 where flashbacks are given to show how these two men were connected to one another. We also see Versace’s sister, Donatella, dealing with the loss of her brother and making sure that his legacy lives on. The episode ends with the police on a manhunt to find Andrew and failing. However, Andrew is an extremely clever man and I cannot wait to follow the rest of this hunt.

Check out the 5 best moments of American Crime Story: The Assassination of Versace season 2 premiere:

1. Aesthetically pleasing

Although the story is tragic and all in all devastating, Ryan Murphy shows such beauty within this episode. It starts off so blissfully over Versace’s breathtaking villa, the sun-kissed 90’s Miami beach and genuinely good looking people with their tanned and glorious bodies out on what should have been a normal and joyful day. It shows such a flawed beauty throughout and you can’t help falling in love with every moment of it, until Murphy turns our bliss in to shock within seconds.

Oh and you know, the faces of Darren Criss and Penelope Cruz may have also played a role in us falling in love.

2. Versace and Cunanan’s first meeting

As it is well recognised, Andrew Cunanan was known to create extraordinary tales in order to impress others. He fed on the wealthy and famous lifestyles and who better to make his victim than pop culture icon and billionaire, Gianni Versace? The episode showed us that the two had met in 1990 (seven years before Versace’s death) in a San Francisco night club. Andrew approaches Versace, where at first, Versace is quite ignorant and is too fascinated in telling his stories to pay attention to Andrew. Soon enough, Versace remembers him from a previous event in his own villa and Andrew is honored that he would remember such a brief moment. Versace eventually invites Andrew to attend the opera with him, where the two bond over Versace’s love for fashion and how he can have an input in to Andrew’s novel that he hopes will one day become a movie where Versace can design the looks.

3. Versace’s death

We all know when it comes to Ryan Murphy he has absolutely no chill on how much gore and realism he will put in to his shows, and he once again showed no signs of toning this one down with the in depth glance of Versace’s death. It is clear in the beginning that Andrew has aimed for Versace’s face, but at this point, we don’t know for sure.

Later on when Versace is rushed to the hospital, we see him with two gunshot holes in his face as he lays dying amongst all of the doctors trying to keep him alive. They pronounce him dead at 9:12am on July 15th, 1997 at the University of Miami’s Jackson Memorial Hospital. Gianni’s death really did tug at my heart strings, and being that I knew little of his death before watching this, I was so enthralled by his story and his legacy that this just wasn’t fair. This man deserved a whole lot better than was given. Will my opinion change as the story unravels? Who knows!

4. The focus on LGBT and homophobia

The main focus was the underlying theme of homophobia circulating Cunanan’s murders. The murder happened 20 years ago, and to say the way we respect and look at the LGBT community today as of then, has come an extremely long way. Andrew was an openly-gay male prostitute who drew himself into the wealthy and glamorous lives of older gay men before killing them. He killed four in total before adding Versace to his list, and the significance of his death goes beyond the moment of tragedy, in which the show highlights important issues that were undiscussed at the time of his death. For instance, his partner Antonio D’Amico, who was with Gianni for 15 years. The police didn’t want to accept this and instead suggested that they were ‘business partners’. Versace’s death finally goes public and the police finally pay attention to Cunanan’s identity.

5. Darren Criss

There were many magnificent actors in the debut episode of season 2, however I think all applause should head in Darren Criss’ direction, as he portrayed Andrew Cunanan spot on. Reading more into Andrew’s life, his father left him and his family to avoid arrest for embezzlement and he and his mother got into an argument about his sexuality. Andrew’s aggressive behavior was shown in this argument when he threw his mother against a wall, dislocating her shoulder. Due to this, he had examinations for his behavior and reports later recognized that he possibly suffered from antisocial personality disorder and a personality disorder characterized by lack of empathy.

What I really loved about Darren’s portrayal of Andrew is when he comes face to face with a TV broadcasting the events of Versace’s murder, he watched the TV with no sign of emotion, until he sees a woman’s reaction where she covers her mouth in horror and shock. He then covers his own mouth up to convince people he was also in shock and managed to fill his eyes with emotion. That just showed so evidently how unaffected Andrew is to his murders. I can’t wait to see how this murder starts to affect Andrew — whether it fills him with guilt or pride, Darren is going to be outstanding as always at telling us the story!

American Crime Story: The Assassination of Versace season 2 premiere