Are you doing everything you can to live up to your fullest potential? Andrew Cunanan thought he was. Instead of putting in the hours at Rite Aid or staying in school, Cunanan connives and schemes, moving his way up through a ladder of sugar daddies.
Meanwhile, Donatella is afraid. She has the opportunity to be her brother’s successor, but she doesn’t have the confidence to shine. She holds herself back by passing off someone else’s work as her own.
Luckily, realizing Versace’s ailing health, Donatella knows it’s time and steps out on the red carpet wearing a collaboration by her and Gianni, an iconic bondage-inspired black leather dress. The photographers eat it up and Donatella is firmly in the spotlight. But, she clashes again with Versace. She suggests a more wearable version of the dress to sell and Gianni, ill and angry, flips out. But she’s not wrong. He can’t have it both ways – if she is truly the future of the brand, he’s got to let go.
Donatella’s struggle is so relatable – we might not be working on one of the biggest high-fashion brands, but do we always seize every opportunity with gusto? When we try to step up to the next level, especially as women, is it always welcomed? Donatella is going to have to fight for her place, even if both she and Versace know it has to happen.
Then there’s Andrew, who lives in his dreamland, believing his best gifts are his charm and his impeccable taste. He is clearly very smart and can hold his own in a crowd, but he’s got no substance, no work ethic and resents those who have a lot, no matter how hard they have worked. As he moves from rich guy to rich guy, Cunanan becomes a professional leech. He makes good arm candy and all he requires are the finest things in life.
When Cunanan’s rejected by Sugar Daddy #1, Lincoln Aston, he seems genuinely shocked. It’s a pattern that we saw last week with Sugar Daddy #2, Norman Blanchford, friend of Aston’s. All Cunanan did was use Aston’s money to romance another guy in an expensive hotel room. What’s the problem, he wonders? He feels entitled to a hefty allowance he can use however he wishes because he’s so alluring.
Am I being too hard on Cunanan? After all, he’s just using the gifts that come naturally to him. I think I judge because I know he’s clearly capable of so much more. Whereas Donatella might be lacking some of the talent of Versace, she still tries. Cunanan settles for hustling because he’s either too lazy or too vain to do anything but flirt. What a waste of a life, in so many ways.
This doesn’t seem shocking, knowing all the bad things Cunanan is capable of, that he didn’t have anything to do with Aston’s murder, especially knowing he just got dumped by Aston. Drifter Kevin Bond confessed and served time, but it’s veeeeerrrrry suspicious. It seems that no matter where Cunanan goes, blood follows.
Both Episode 6 and 7 of American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace were directed by Gwyneth Horder-Payton. The two episodes, titled “Descent” and “Ascent,” form a neat diptych depicting the imagined suffering of Cunanan, whose inability to seperate fact from fiction led him into increasingly dangerous proclivities. To what extent he is the product of pure evil or a series of misfortunes is a question begged by the show.
Episode 7 starts in Milan, Italy in 1992. Donatella appears to have taken a creative lead in the design process as Gianni’s health deteriorates (amidst denials of his condition). The siblings argue over the future of the company — can Donatella handle the pressure of their line after Gianni’s imminent demise?
This marks the return of the eponymous family to the series, who had been conspicuously absent for much of the show — considering the program’s title.
In San Diego at the same time: Cunanan is working in a convenience store. He continues telling lies to customers about his future prospects as a PhD candidate. He lives with his mother, embroiled in a constant, semi-incestuous battle with her.
Later, Andrew and Trail head to a gay bar where Cunanan continues to create elaborate lies about his past, his family, his income. An older gentleman approaches him with his phone number, implying that his needs could be taken care of.
The next day, as if inspired by the events of the night before, Cunanan finds himself interviewing at an escort service. Despite his superior wit, the interviewer is unimpressed with his racial identity and demeanor. He decides to sell himself.
Back to the Versaces. Gianni and Donatella are working on a masterpiece together. Gianni thinks Donatella should be the model for his piece de resistance in his next collection. Donatella demures at first, but gives in. The cameras eat up their fetish-y design.
Meanwhile, Cunanan begins tracking high-profile charity events and operas in order to scope out potential older suitors. He zones in on one gentleman, Norman Blachford, and immediately begins seducing him (and his friends), saying “Let’s discuss your wants and my terms.”
Donatella is met with celebration at her studio — but despite the publicity, sales are down. Donatella conceives of designing a more ready-to-wear version of her bondage look. Gianni is furious, feeling like his artistic integrity is being compromised. His health is obviously deteriorating — he suddenly goes deaf.
Andrew shows off his newfound wealth with friends. He buys a drink for an attractive young blonde at the bar: it’s Madson.
Smitten, Madson returns to Cunanan’s hotel room. The two bond over stories of lost love, coming out, past melancholies.
Cunanan’s patron, Lincoln Aston, sees the itemized bill from the night and cuts him off.
The next night, Cunanan bizarrely witnesses Aston murdered by someone he was attempting to seduce — specifically, bludgeoned to death in a shockingly graphic scene. Cunanan lets the killer slip by without calling the police. The next day, Andrew meets with his older suitor and explains that police let the murderer go on a gay panic defense.
“I’ve been living through this my whole life. We fall sick, it’s our fault. We’re murdered, it’s our fault,” says the suitor.
“You can rob us, you can beat us, you can kill us — and get away with it,” replies Andrew.
The next day, Andrew recounts one of Madson’s stories to Norman — as if the events had happened to him.
Andrew announces to his mother that he’ll be traveling the world (with Versace — another lie). His mother begs Andrew to let her come with him. Andrew refuses before their argument gets physical. He pushes her into a wall and breaks her shoulder blade. She lies to doctors about what happened.
Donatella tells the Versace employees that Gianni is suffering from a rare form of ear cancer. She announces she will be taking over the operations of the business.
Andrew and Norman purchase a house together.
“If they could see me now…” muses Andrew.
“Who?” asks Norman.
“Everyone.” replies Andrew.
The show’s writer, Tom Rob Smith, has discussed his portrayal of Andrew in this duo of episodes.
“I think it’s wrong to think of him as the ‘Talented Mr. Ripley,’” said Smith to Vanity Fair. “Mr. Ripley is someone who is always hustling and is aware that he’s angling things… . I think Andrew thought he was a husband or a partner in his own right. I don’t think he understood that he was a hustler, otherwise he would’ve been happy with his lot.”
Andrew’s deception in the face of a particularly cruel social milieu has become the show’s central throughline: but the extent to which Andrew was deceiving himself remains a large, perhaps unanswerable question. By juxtaposing Andrew with his most famous victim, Murphy’s team appears to be commenting, once again, on the lies queer people need(ed) to be legible to society. Blachland’s resignation in the face of his friend’s murder shows the necessity of those lies, which are used like armor to protect from the indifference of the straight world.
Season two’s hot streak comes to an end with an average episode
American Crime Story has a Versace problem. This isn’t anything new, the show has struggled to make the famous designer, his sister, and his lover essential characters apart from the aftermath of his murder. This season is unabashedly about Andrew Cunanan, his friends, lovers, and family feel more layered due to the time, detail, and truly brilliant performances that permeate this one-sided show. Ascent tries to address this imbalance by giving Gianni and Donatella an honest to god plot of their own. Where previous episodes have used these two characters to underline themes that prop up Andrew’s story, Ascent feels a lot more balanced as each plot informs the other.
The problem with this is that I’m still struggling to care about the Versace’s. I’m not a fashion expert, which didn’t stop from knowing who they are, at least, but I’ve no basis on who Gianni Versace is without Edgar Ramirez’ performance. Said performance is all performance, big emotions that swing from light to dark, and it’s becoming a little one note. As I write this I realise that I’m being unfair to Ramirez, it’s not his fault that the show hasn’t given him anywhere near enough screen time to show us anything but broad strokes. It’s also true that Versace took his public personae incredibly seriously, he is still intrinsically connected and visible within his company’s legacy 21 years after his death, even after Donatella took over. This confirms my theory that this is a fault of American Crime Story itself, as they are still relying on Versace’s status as Andrew’s most famous victim without becoming as full a character as Jeff Trial or David Madson.
Thank the TV gods, or the American Crime story casting director, for Penelope Cruz. As frustrating as the unfulfilled potential of Gianni as a character, it’s even more frustrating to see a brilliant actress like Penelope Cruz on the side-lines for so many episodes. For the way that Andrew’s murder spree has been structured, and American Crime Story’s habit of fully characterising the victims (something that is severely lacking in most crime shows), there is a brilliant opportunity to put Donatella front and centre of the aftermath of Andrew’s fatal action. Why cast Penelope Cruz if you aren’t going to use her?
Ascent doesn’t go this way. Instead this episode portrays the rise to success by completely different means of both Andrew and Donatella. It’s horrible to say, although this show is all about the investigating the horrible truth, but Donatella wouldn’t be what she is today without the death of her brother. Ascent smartly explores this success by focusing on the first time Donatella thought she would have to take her brother’s place due to his battle with a rare form of ear cancer. With Gianni staring down the barrel of his own mortality (my gun reference was unintentional, but oddly telling) the pressure is on Donatella as she must get her head around the idea of one day leading the company that she helped her brother build.
Through some tough love, Gianni is trying to develop Donatella into his successor. His main method is emotional abuse, something he gets away with thanks to his medical condition, as he berates Donatella for taking credit for other people’s ideas. Although, this isn’t exactly true. Donatella, as shown in the beginning of the episode, that she has her own vision that she isn’t quite comfortable telling her brother about. Instead, Gianni proposes that they work on a dress together, a dress that becomes a major success when Donatella wears it herself. It’s in the after math of this that Donatella’s true strength as a business woman comes to the fore. Put simply, she is a shrewd business woman, who can read the market in a way her brother can’t because of, let’s call the creative differences with the bottom line.
Unlike Donatella, Andrew’s success isn’t hard earned, although his obsessive research for sugar daddy’s show him at his most productive. While Descent shows us Andrew at his lowest point before the murders, Ascent shows him as a young man with a narcissistic need for a better life. Again, this is nothing new for the show, but we see that Andrew was always like this. What’s different is that this is the part of the story where everyone still believes his bullshit stories. Jeff still loves him, he finds success as an independent escort, and he spends a perfect romantic night with David. Except he is still a fiction who goes by the name of Andrew De Silva. He has a mentally ill mother living in an apartment that she can only afford with his help that he has promised will be taken to the top along with him. Andrew is a liar, instead he fractures his mother’s shoulder, leaving her at the same point in the previous episode when he came back to her.
7/10 – Ascent is a solid episode of American Crime Story, but it’s missing the style and spark of the last four episodes. Direction that felt stylish and visceral last week feels a little sterile, although a decent into madness is always more visually interesting than a success story. Even so, this particular crime story is far to interesting to be really bad, though I think it’s time for us to fast-forward back to the biggest failed manhunt in American history.
The engravers who etch winners’ names on Emmy statues might as well start practicing “Darren Criss” now, since his terrifying performance as Andrew Cunanan in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Storywill likely make all other nominees want to just stay home. He’s spellbinding, and deserves all the accolades for transforming into a homicidal madman. He is also the vessel through which another unsung Versacestar blesses all who bear witness, and that star is Darren Criss’ magnificent ass. Darren Criss’ ass deserves its own Emmy, Golden Globe and whatever other awards are available. Had Darren Criss farted in Versace, that ass would deserve a Grammy.
After last week’s episode, Andrew Cunanan’s motive for being the way he is was hinted at but this week, we finally saw real truth as we delved even further back into Cunanan’s backstory and went back another year.
We also got the return of Gianni as he and Donatella shared quite the moment as his illness was making it difficult for him to work, and she was in a state of panic at trying to imagine a future without her big brother.
Gather ’round and let’s discuss “Ascent”.
Two Worlds, Same Struggle: Cunanan and Donatella are both struggling in their own ways. Cunanan is working at a dead end job in a pharmacy while Donatella is struggling to become the new face of Versace with her brother’s illness starting to take over. Donatella has Gianni in her corner: Even as her sketch becomes instantly sidelined in a meeting with designers, when she retreats to her brother, he fights for her. He knows she wants more and that she will have to become more in order to keep the brand afloat after he’s gone.
As for Cunanan, we get an early glimpse at how easily young Cunanan lies while at his job. Later on, while flirting at a bar, he doesn’t do as well with the younger, hotter gay crowd as Jeffrey does, and it’s an older man who sidles up next to him at the bar. Cunanan ends up going home with the man, which worries his mother when he finally returns to her.
A Mother’s Mercy: Cunanan’s mother is the unexplored tragic figure in this show so far, so painfully pathetic and willing to indulge all of her son’s narcissism for the fantasy that he might achieve the better life he dreams of. He, in turn, treats her like garbage and even abuses her over some ice cream, which she accepts.
Sex For Money: Cunanan later takes it upon himself to try to become an escort, which fails at first for him. The woman in charge of the agency told him that people wouldn’t want to sleep with him because he’s Asian. Cunanan was shocked by that, which ultimately resulted him going out on his own and bagging his own clients.
All Eyes On House Versace: Meanwhile, Gianni is dressing Donatella, almost erotically, in the dress they designed, a dress that will finally allow her to take center stage. And when it’s finally revealed, on the red carpet of the 1996 Met Gala, all eyes are on her, the star for the first time. Donatella and Gianni’s victory over their dress and red carpet walk is short lived; the dress is too outrageous for women to wear off a runway, which leads to a fight between them. But their fight ends with mysterious, panicked hearing loss. Gianni has ear cancer. He has to leave Versace to recover in Miami, and Donatella has to take over the day-to-day operations of the company, ready or not.
The Ultimate Goal: Like Norman alluded to in a previous episode, Cunanan researched him like a mark, showing up at a French play in La Jolla because he knew he’d be there. When Norman meets Cunanan, he’s a young, charming theater lover with a Portuguese last name. Cunanan gets what he wants out of Norman and other clients in the end: a stipend and an expense account. The money is good enough that Cunanan can go back to his friends like a king, treating them all to dinner and drinks and then acting every part the philanthropic millionaire to a young David Madson, alone at the bar. Cunanan only returns home to get his things, with his mother begging to go with him, which leads him to hurt her.
A Life Changing Moment: Cunanan does end messing up though as his current sugar daddy Lincoln breaks up with him over catching him with David, but when Cunanan comes to his home to protest in person, he sees he has already brought someone else home — a boy from the gay bar who claimed to be straight. When Lincoln reaches to reclaim the drink from the man’s hand, the man lunges and beats Lincoln to death with a nearby statue. The killer sees Cunanan. “He tried to kiss me!” the guy sputters. “I know,” Cunanan answers comfortably.
This leads him to reuniting with Norman, honoring Lincoln’s memory. Using a story David told him about wanting to build a home for his bullied friend in high school, Cunanan promises Norman he will build him a beautiful home where they can live together and be happy.
In previous weeks, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story has focused much of its energy on the crumbling of Andrew Cunanan. Instead this week, we get to see a side by side comparison of Andrew and Donatella Versace.
Andrew, known as a man plagued with a murderous streak, is working at a pharmacy. He dreams of the life he could be leading how he could make them a reality. Donatella is struggling to hold up the mantel that her brother has created as his disease progresses.
As we have seen in previous episodes, Gianni Versace was almost to the point of death years before Andrew Cunanan took his fate into his own hands. There is a beautiful moment in the episode where Gianni tells Donatella that she is his legacy, not the clothing they are creating together.
Andrew, on the other hand, is still trying to reach his fashion goals. Those goals don’t come to fruition, as we know, but he is flipping through Vogue as he works. It’s nice that the show is, seemingly, getting back to splitting more of the story between the Versaces and Cunanan. For so long, it seemed as if Ryan Murphy only wanted to tell of the rise and fall of Andrew Cunanan and, to be quite honest, it isn’t exactly the show we wanted to see.
Last night’s episode showed the support system that Gianni and Donatella built around each other. That was more on track with what I, as a viewer, wanted out of the show. Here’s to hoping the show follows the combination of these storylines moving forward.
The Assassination of Gianni Versace continues to tell its story in a backward fashion, taking us further back in time to tell Andrew Cunanan’s story. As the audience is now aware, the series is meant to focus on Cunanan’s journey to killing Versace–rather than Versace himself. While the title may be misleading, it is genius. The assassination of Gianni Versace didn’t just happen, a series of events, moments, and breakdowns led to that very tragic moment on Versace’s doorsteps. That is the purpose of the season and while admittedly slow at times, the series is intriguing and alluring based on this fact alone.
This week’s episode takes us back just a tad bit further to the moments where Andrew meets Norman and David. But before that, we see Andrew working at a local pharmacy flipping through the pages of a Vogue magazine. This is our first look at the ease with which Andrew lies to a customer about going to college and completing his P.h.D. Meanwhile, we finally see some more of Versace this episode circa 1992 as he grooms Donatella to be a big part of his business. He pushes her to embrace her talent because she is his legacy.
While at a gay bar, Andrew realizes that his talent for attracting older, gay men is far more superior than his ability to connect with men his own age. And that is the demographic he must target if he is to live the life he has always dreamed of. However, he still lives with his lonely mother, who clings onto Andrew every time he is home. We begin to understand more of Cunanan’s mindset because of how he treats his mother–with very little respect. She is his number one fan and builds him up even though he has achieved very little.
Andrew decides his way in with the elderly crowd is to become an escort. However, the lady at the agency doesn’t approve of his background and tells him that it won’t please the crowd of men they service. Now it is up to Cunanan to make it happen. Cue, Norman. Andrew goes to a French play after specifically researching who would be in attendance. His target? Norman.
After a night out with Norman and his friends, he finds his way into Norman’s life, but not before spending a night with one of Norman’s friends first, through whom he gets an allowance and expense account. Andrew uses this money to take out his friends and live a lavish life that he claims is a result of his own hard work. On a night out with friends, Andrew sees David at the bar for the first time and falls head over heels for him instantly. They share an intimate night together–but we all know where that leads.
Versace continues to persuade Donatella to step into the spotlight and own it. During the 1996 Met Gala, Donatella decides to wear the dress her and Versace designed together, with the world’s eyes on her. While the dress is an overnight hit, it is deemed too risque for the general population to wear. Versace is angered by the resistance the dress has met and begins to break down, but a moment of anger transforms into a moment of panic as Gianni claims he can’t hear anything. This leads us to the moment we learn he has ear cancer. Due to this, Donatella takes over the Italian operations and Gianni heads to Miami to recuperate.
There is a very sad moment in this episode between Cunanan and his mother. He tells her he is off to travel to the world’s operas alongside Gianni Versace. Overjoyed by her son’s “success”, she assumes she will join him on the adventure. When Andrew tells her no, she has an intense emotional reaction which is cut short by Andrew shoving her back and fracturing her shoulder blade.
Remember Andrew’s elderly sugar daddy, Lincoln? Well, while Andrew is off splurging his money, he is beginning to take notice–and he is not happy. Lincoln tells him their relationship is over, meaning the money is no longer his to use. When Andrew goes to Lincoln’s home, he realizes he is there with another man. However, this man does not seem ready to embrace his homosexuality and reacts violently when Lincoln tries to be intimate with him.
He kills Lincoln by bashing his head in with a statue, to which Andrew becomes a witness to. There is a hidden societal lesson embedded in this moment. In the 90’s homosexuality was so taboo that any crime against a gay individual would not be given much attention because it was “their fault”. This is something Andrew picks up on very quickly and clings onto (as we are all very aware of).
These series of events brings Andrew closer to Norman, who he convinces to move to San Diego from Phoenix, promising to help him build a home beyond his wildest dreams. In the last moments of the episode, Cunanan and Norman head out to the balcony of Norman’s new home. Cunanan takes in the moment and states, “If they could see me now.” When Norman asks who, Andrew responds by saying, “Everyone.”
Brett, Meredith and Alonso review the seventh episode of American Crime Stories second season about the assassination of Gianni Versace. | 9 March 2018
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story Recap: Season 2, Episode 7, “Ascent”
One highlight of this Ryan Murphy-produced take on the criminal drama surrounding the death of famed fashion designer Gianni Versace has been one Ms Penélope Cruz. It’s been a delight to see the Spanish actress intermittently show up as Donatella Versace with her striking platinum hair and outfits to match. In this latest episode, which still mostly centers on Andrew Cunanan’s backstory, we get to see how Gianni’s brush with death has him planning for a day when he won’t be at the helm of the business anymore. He’s encouraged his sister to work closely with him in an upcoming collection though he explodes when he sees she’s not really pushing herself as a designer. Not only were we glad to see Penélope and Édgar Ramírez back at it tenderly sniping at each other as the Versace siblings but seeing the two recreate the infamous bondage dress they showcased at Vogue’s 100th Anniversary Party was just divine. Mostly because Cruz looked amazing strutting her stuff in the leather, belted dress.
Talking to InStyle about the show’s wardrobe and their work with Cruz, costume designer Allison Leach noted how precise the actress wanted to be when it came to playing Donatella. And with the fashion house adamantly uninvolved with the series and actual Versace pieces going for the thousands on eBay, Leach and her fellow designer Lou Eyrich knew they had to get creative. Thankfully, it sounds like Cruz was very involved in the process. “She also really wanted to project the gravitas of the situation, so she did wear a lot of black, which Donatella did,” Leach told InStyle. “So then the silhouette becomes even more important, and the details, like the perfect Versace belt. Those details really sell it. Penélope likes to wear Versace in her own life and has tremendous respect for the brand, so whenever we’d find some gem, she would get so excited and say, ‘Can I keep this?!‘”
As we begin nearing the end of this season of American Crime Story we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to give Ms Cruz and the show’s costume designers their due. With that in mind, we hereby offer a wholly subjective ranking of the many outfits the Oscar-winning actress has donned as Donatella Versace so far in the show. Spoiler alert: she looks stunning in pretty much every single one of them, surprising no one.
7. Down To Business Suit
Even when dressed down to talk business—she wore this when deciding to scrap the idea of making Versace a publicly-traded company, a lifelong dream of Gianni’s—Donatella exudes confidence with the perfect golden flourish. Still, though, compared to everything else Cruz got to wear, this was rather boring.
6. Mourning in Turtleneck
In contrast to the popping colors of Miami, and fitting her grief over her recent loss, this black turtleneck/jacket combo is as understated as Donatella gets. Knowing that she’d need to confront Gianni’s “companion” (played by Ricky Martin), the harsh silhouette and combative fabric (doesn’t get more confrontational than shoulder-padded leather) make sense as she tries to assert herself in her brother’s old home.
5. The Bondage Dress In The Making
Arguably the highlight of this episode (and of the show’s fashion) is seeing how Gianni and Donatella ended up working together to craft the infamous dress that she ended up wearing to the Vogue’s 100th Anniversary Party back in 1993. Using belts as structural accessories? Genius.
4. Work It, In Denim
You start noticing a lot about Cruz’s Donatella when you put her outfits together like this: there’s a simplicity to her style that nevertheless gets its understated elegance from pieces that would otherwise be needlessly garish on anyone else or paired with some other outfit. Take those golden buttons, that bold belt and that bracelet. They’re both too much and just enough at the same time. A perfect outfit for making the rounds of your fashion empire.
3. A Mournful Bride
That is really what she looks like here, no? The veil, the embroidery, the classic and decidedly Italian elegance make Donatella look like she’s a bride in mourning, ready to let out her grief in agonizing wails.
2. That Pink Dress
Listen, if you told us this was a picture of Cruz taken at an awards after-party, we’d be inclined to believe you. Sure, we prefer the Spanish actress in her natural dark brown hair, but she’s been known to wow people on the red carpet time and time again, and this dress (which barely got seen in the actual episode) is a stunner. Fit for a fashion queen.
1. The Pink Jacket
Donatella serving you bubblegum female executive realness in this gorgeous over-the-top jacket is everything. The rolled-up sleeves say “I’m ready for anything” but the jewelry, which includes golden bracelets, earrings, and a coin/pendant necklace truly remind you that Gianni’s sister was (and still is) a fashion icon who’d never be caught dead without the perfect accessories.
For the past several weeks, Andrew Cunanan (Darren Criss) has taken center stage on The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. As the story increasingly became one about the ways in which internal and external homophobia affect and even ruin lives, it made sense for creator Ryan Murphy and writer Tom Rob Smith to zero in on the spree killer and his many victims. Aside from an appearance in episode five, the Versaces themselves have been absent from the story bearing their name.
Wednesday’s installment of the FX miniseries, however, brought both Gianni (Edgar Ramirez) and especially Donatella (Penelope Cruz) back to the fore. Yes, there was plenty of Andrew, as we saw him attempting to make ends meet as an escort, flirting with rich older men at an opera, and even meeting and charming his eventual second victim, David Madsen (Cody Fern). But much of this episode is spent watching Gianni become increasingly stricken by illness, and seeing Donatella step up to take charge of the House of Versace.
The siblings start the episode with a fight, as Donatella presents an idea for a new dress to Gianni: fashion as weaponry. Gianni grows angry with her, because she used other people’s sketches for her ideas instead of sketching on her own. He’s angry with his illness and takes it out on her.
Soon enough, though, they come back together to design a winner: a black dress made partially of leather straps. It’s BDSM-inspired, just kinky enough to raise eyebrows but still appropriate for a function — where, at Gianni’s behest, Donatella is the one to wear it. The dress draws gasps and excited headlines, not just for Gianni, but for his sister as well. It’s a display of strength from the sister of the House, a show that she is a formidable and powerful woman.
This episode is called “Ascent,” and while that certainly could be applied to the social-climbing Andrew, I think it’s far more relevant for Donatella. So far this series, she’s been a supporting character, a shadow who appears briefly in every other installment or so. When she does, no matter how iconic she looks, she always feels like part of someone else’s story. “Ascent” is her narrative, her coming out.
That show of strength comes at just the right time, however, as Gianni unfortunately grows even sicker. Suddenly, Donatella must take up the reins of the company, a responsibility that clearly terrifies her. She’s a star — we know this because we know her contemporarily, but it’s also absurdly obvious as she shows off her and Gianni’s dress. But she doesn’t quite know it yet.
And so as she addresses the employees of the House of Versace at episode’s end, we see Donatella slowly becoming more comfortable with herself. She starts off hesitant: “So my brother is sick. You all know this. Gianni is suffering a rare form of ear cancer. He decided to go to Miami and rest. While he is recovering, I will be taking care of the day-to-day operations.”
She says the last part with a level of doubt in her ability to do so, much less that she’s actually going to do it. But then, when she shares her assurance that her brother will beat his illness, her own confidence grows. “My brother is stubborn; don’t forget that,” she says with a chuckle. “He’s stubborn about life. And he will beat this sickness. He loves every one of you. He loves his work. He loves this place. So I’ve no doubt my brother will be back. In the meantime, I am honored and humbled to take the reins of this company while he recovers.”
Donatella says those last lines through the start of her tears. Cruz’s performance is remarkable here, as she restrains the emotion and powers through it. There’s an old saying that watching someone on the verge of tears is always more powerful than watching them actually cry. Cruz proves why that’s so true by powering through them, then taking things back to business.
“Our last runway show was our most talked-about to date,” Donatella says, rallying not just the troops but herself. “We must be talked about, or we are nothing. And now that Gianni’s away, we have to be even more bold, not less. We have to show that we are strong, daring — that we are relevant. And that this House will survive. No matter what, it will.”
It’s a hell of a scene, and encapsulates why Cruz’s performance is so damn indelible. We know what happens to Versace — we know the House survives — but if we were feeling any doubt, Donatella would assuage our fears. She’s a titan learning she’s a titan, with a phenomenal career ahead of her. In that final line, as she declares the House will live on, you can feel Donatella believe in her future, too.
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