It is apparent after the first episode of Fox’s new crime drama American Crime Story: The People v. OJ Simpson that the audience is definitely supposed to be on the side of The People; Simpson is clearly not the protagonist. After OJ’s ex-wife and her new partner are murdered, Simpson becomes the prime suspect in a murder investigation that will eventually lead to arguably the most controversial ‘not guilty’ verdicts of all time.
Cuba Gooding Jr. gives a terrific performance as the eponymous character, leaving the audience uncomfortable, suspicious and shifting in their seats. David Schwimmer makes a fantastic return to the limelight as OJ’s defence attorney and confidante Robert Kardashian (yes, the same Kardashian), giving a stellar performance as a man who refuses to believe that his closest friend is capable of such an act. American Horror Story’s Sarah Paulson steals the show, however, as head prosecution attorney Marcia Clark, a strong woman fixated on delivering the sentence Simpson deserves. Talent is not sparse.
The first episode opens with the infamous footage of the brutal beating of Rodney King at the hands of several LAPD officers in 1991, followed by a montage of the LA Riots that came about as a result of the mistreatment of this person of colour. From the offset, you are aware that this will be a series about much more than OJ Simpson. The series’ commentary on police treatment of people of colour is just as applicable to 2016 as it is to the 90s setting. It’s near-impossible to watch the show without being reminded of the numerous cases of unarmed people of colour killed at the hands of police officers in the past few years. As Sterling K. Brown’s character Christopher Darden so eloquently puts it: ‘it’s funny how many black folk get shot in the back while charging towards police officers’. This statement brings to mind the shooting of unarmed black teenager Mike Brown in 2014 who was shot 6 times by a police officer for the apparent theft of some skittles; the officer who killed him was suspended with pay and not indicted. America the beautiful, eh?
Because Gooding Jr. gives such a good performance, he portrays Simpson as a somewhat sympathetic man; there are moments in which the question ‘Did he really do it?’ comes to mind. Of course, Simpson was a man who had had the police called 8 times on him by his ex-wife concerning abusive behaviour towards her, and who is currently serving a 33-year sentence for 10 charges including kidnapping and assault, so it’s not a question of did he do it, it’s a question of how did he get away with it? This series is not a whodunit, it’s a hedunit.
The People v. OJ Simpson is certain to deliver in the coming episodes. The fantastic cast is sure to be on top form and the build up to the infamous trial is sure to be thrilling, but the commentary on the flawed American justice system that will come is sure to be far more gripping.
Charlie Green
Image courtesy of www.dishnation.com.