(CONTAINS SPOILERS)
The last time we saw O.J. Simpson on “American Crime Story: The People V. O.J. Simpson”, he had just threatened to commit suicide and disappeared in a white Bronco to avoid turning himself into the police after being accused of murdering his ex wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her male companion, Ronald Goldman. In the second episode, O.J.’s breakdown continues as he still says he wants to kill himself while taking part in a police chase on the highway that can be seen on every news station in the country.
After holding press conferences regarding O.J.’s temporary disappearance and issuing a nationwide manhunt, someone spots his Bronco on the road and calls it in to the police, resulting in a low speed chase. It’s a sign of the times seeing the couple stop on the highway to use a pay phone. With O.J.’s friend, Al Cowlings, or “AC”, driving the car and O.J. in the backseat with a gun to his head, the police keep their distance and eventually allow him to proceed home to see his family. As the episode comes to a close, Simpson is finally taken into custody.
Just like the pilot episode, this week’s show continued the exciting and thrilling representation of the events leading up to the Simpson murder trial, and specifically, showed how the police chase with the white Bronco took place. Interestingly enough, the authorities were confused at first because Simpson’s blood-stained Bronco had already been impounded prior to the chase, but apparently his close friend AC purchased an identical vehicle, which is the one seen driving on the highway. Most remember the infamous white Bronco chase scene which was being broadcasted live during the NBA Finals.
“American Crime Story” continues to give an impressive rendering of the events and does a great job at capturing the time period and characters involved. From clothes, to cars, the overall colors, the look and feel of the show is reminiscent and nostalgic of that time, and the characters are spot on, from their physical appearances, mannerisms, and attitudes, to the actors that play them. For someone like myself, I was only five years old or so and don’t remember the actual events, but watching the show today is not far off from following it back then, aside from the increased drama that TV provides.
While watching the highway chase and the entire show for the matter, it’s as if these events are actually happening, and I’m watching it live on the news. The show increases this feeling by mixing fictional scenes with real footage and news coverage. Similar to the bit about there being two Broncos, there is information you can pick up from the show that even someone who followed the events back then might not even be aware of. Who knew O.J. signed his suicide note with a happy face, or that Simpson called the police on a car phone during the chase to apologize for the trouble he had caused. The cell phone looks nothing like our smart phones today.
Whether relevant or simply for amusement, there is a short cut scene during one of the press conferences where we see the young Kardashian kids in front of their television cheering for their father who is speaking to the media about Simpson. Scenes like this are not crucial to the facts of the story, and only serve as a sort of Easter egg or humorous bit.
“American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson” is heart pounding at times and very well put together. Good acting, a great cast, thrilling storytelling, nostalgic moments and more make this show worth watching. Even though the viewership dropped a little from the pilot, the show still brought in several million viewers, and I have confidence that this show will continue to impress and finish out this season strong, much in part to the public’s continual fascination with the guilt and innocence of O.J.
You can watch “American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson” on FX on Tuesday evenings, and if you haven’t seen the first or second episode, you can catch up at http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/full-episodes.
“American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson” stars Cuba Gooding, Jr. as O.J. Simpson, Sarah Paulson, David Schwimmer, John Travolta, Bruce Greenwood, Courtney B. Vance and more.
By: Hayden Pittman
