Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders (2017) 1x01
It is 1989 and are the two infamous brothers howling maniacs or abuse victims? This 8 parter will tell us. The cops are in a moral lather when they visit the scene of a double murder. Erik and Lyle have sad coping skills. Bag wigs are worn and people stare morosely.
This stars Edie Falco, Josh Charles, Anthony Edwards, Heather Graham, Sterling Beaumon and Lolita Davidovich. The brothers don’t seem to be grieving. There are ferrets in the house. Were they taken to safety? There is talk about the mob and previous delinquent behaviour by the sons. Why was the wife (Davidovich) so depressed? Why did the father control his sons so much? There is a pre-funeral spending spree.
There are more revelations about the less than perfect brothers and the evidence builds up. Their future defence attorney sees them on TV and says that they did it. The father taped his sons’ calls? A sleazy shrink (Charles) is inept and has a slutty mistress (Graham). There is muttering about these new fangled computers and an obsession over the wills. This was okay.
Best Lines:
“Guns, pills and money.”
“Safety box drilled open.”
“That’s different.”
“Calling card records.”
“All the money in the world. You’re only as safe as the lock on your front door.”
“This is my therapist.”
“If you don’t know how to balance your cheque book, I can show you.”
“A witness to their shock.”
“Bangers.”
“Nobody bad lives in Beverly Hills.”
“Find your parents wills.”
~
The Interrogation
Tom is weirdly loyal to the system that least values his talents. Tom has grave responsibilities. Peter is to be VP. Tom is an Independent?!?!? There is panic at a party. There is a venomous row over refugees and no moral courage. Nobody is venerating Tom. Governors are snotty. Haven’t journalists anything better to do than perceive Tom as an enemy? He’s not effortlessly adored. Seth gets a date. Tom’s wife has brattiude. There is death and a compromise.
The Traitor
I suppose it could be worse, I could be watching ‘Doctor Foster’. Things are about to go wrong for Tom. Erik Palladino pops up as Leo’s possible baby daddy. Tom knows about the doubts about Leo’s paternity. Jason’s son goes missing. Hannah obsesses over Catalan. Tom has cold fury. It is obvious that the con is Leo’s dad. I detest Leo the work-shy waste of space who won’t come good in the end.
The Results
DC is not a grotty urban hellscape. Tom is not defined by service. The press annoy to the point of being spiteful. There are to be elections. Tom faces endless frustrations. Kimble has a terse refusal to be nice. There is bio-terrorism. Leo doesn’t have brooding distance. Catalan doesn’t have relentlessness. Jason makes a fake confession to Tom in the Oval Office. This was okay. Leo is Tom’s son after all. There is sap and Peter is evil.
Best Line:
“Drive backwards around an s-curve at 90MPH.”
The Blueprint
Reed Diamond and Mimi Zuzyk guest star. Why doesn’t Hannah tell anyone what she knows? A NSA guy leaks secrets. Kimble is vile and has a strange aversion to being decent. The NSA leaker seeks asylum. Zuzyk is a White House staffer who has not been seen before or since. Aaron seeks, Hannah pries and Emily bores. WTF is a Senate page? Peter is a war criminal. Tom meets the NSA leaker. This was okay. Peter is obviously a lying liar who lies. There is a reveal and Malik Yoba was on ‘New York Undercover’.
Best Lines:
“She needs to be gone.”
“Air-gapped.”
“They war-gamed this out years before it even happened.”
The Oath
Hannah is a determinator. Aaron and Emily make out. Peter is VP now and a heartbeat away from the presidency. Hannah’s sidekick Chuck blubbers. The fired crazed General is brought back. There is a reveal. Peter and his bitch wife are evil. Aaron may be involved. Emily wears flowered gloves and Catalan points a sniper rifle at the POTUS in incredibly obvious fashion without being noticed. This was good.
Best Lines:
“Where’s safe?”
“Did you glue my wound?”
“Yeah.”
“Where did you learn to do that?”
“YouTube.”
“I can’t logically explain her actions.”
“They’re gonna kill Kirkman!”
Warriors
President Tom Kirkman has been shot. The Secret Service seems inept. Hannah’s arrested. Emily and Mrs Kirkman are blood-splattered. Reed Diamond lurks. Where is the former crazed General? Hannah is dumb. Peter is evil. Catalan may be dead. Peter is acting President as Tom needs surgery. Somehow the huge sniper rifle didn’t kill or seriously injure him. Hannah and Tom meet. Emily suspects Aaron. This was good.
Best Lines:
“Are you threatening me?”
“Absolutely. Sir.”
“Proceed with apprehension.”
“Take that crap off your air right now!”
“More sponges. More sponges.”
~
Ronin
People are running around shooting each other. There is a Rap defector somewhere. Raps are AI? LA faces total rendition thanks to the Resistance morons. Nobody finds this extremely disturbing. Maddie is homeless and I presume something bad happened to Nolan. What about Snyder’s daughter? What list is Will on? Did Katie not think her Resistance acts would be deemed a provocation?
Where is Maddie’s son? The Greatest Day is BS. There are still public phones? The Greatest Day members are just vessels to be indoctrinated as a source of labour. Katie doesn’t care about Maddie. Bram the tool needs to shut up. Even the Raps' loyal followers face rendition. What is Snyder up to? Alien ships fly. This was bad.
Best Lines:
“The block’s being eliminated.”
“Roll it in 5.”
~
All It Cost Her...
The final ever ep is a mess. Mary doesn’t look like someone who recently gave birth. She should still be in seclusion and has she even been churched? Henri whines. The witch is witchy. Nicole dies of a nut allergy. Greer whines. Mary’s half brother James is back. Mary names her son after him. It is not mentioned that James was their father’s name. Why can’t TPTB stick to actual history? Nobody oozes gravitas.
Henri whines more, Claude sulks, there is a foreshadowing of Leeza’s death and Charles shrugs off the death of sexual threat Nicole. Catherine playacts, plot arcs are left dangling, Elizabeth is consumed with fury and TPTB make clear their distain for her. They can’t reshape reputations. Mary suffered from being held in too high regard by too many people for too long.
Bothwell plots. TPTB dragged the Darnley plot out too long. Lady Lennox prances. Mary instigates Darnley’s murder and her own ruin. There is bad acting. Elizabeth kills Jane. There is a magical threesome. There is death and Darnley finally dies. Margot Valois finally shows up. There is bad VFX and Elizabeth dresses in armour. Mary and Bothwell are arrested for their traitorous and unconscionable act. Knox resurfaces. Then it is suddenly 21 years later and Mary is executed for her crap, James is now an adult and Elizabeth names him her heir. Mary ends up in the afterlife with Francis and there is a montage. None of this makes any sense. TPTB obviously expected a season 5. Stupid TPTB. This was a letdown ending.
Best Lines:
“Sawed off his finger with a butter knife.”
“A mistake you will never recover from.”
“They will face ruin.”
“I am your Queen.”
Not for long.”
“Your name vilified for all time.”
“The spectre of Mary Stuart hovers over me like an axe.”
“Charles’ rule will not last.”
“Where the hell is the Spanish Armada?”
“Kill my husband, Lord Bothwell.”
“Her choices have ruined her.”