![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
glitteryvI wouldn't have to look deep as to the reason why I'm so *____* with this season in particular. Between the proximity to the scene of the crime and the fact that I do remember a lot of it as it happened in real time, makes S2 of ACS one of the most fascinating current shows for me.
This episode was even better than last week's. Just as I'd predicted, the focus was slightly heavier on Cunanan's life than Gianni's. Following him around as he heads to Miami and then finds a temporary friend at the hotel they're both residing at was actually way more fascinating than I'd expected.
The first thing that pinged me was how this episode has almost nothing to do with the (eventual) police manhunt for Cunanan. This episode centers around Cunanan's literal manhunt for his next sugar daddy, client, or benefactor.
For anyone keeping track at the timeline wonkiness, this episode takes place in the literal last week in Gianni's life.
It was so engrossing to see Cunanan and seeing the emptiness that was his life. In a way, we got a hint as to why he lied to almost everyone who crossed his path. Hardcore creepiness aside (I legit cringed when he smiled at the little girl on the Walmart parking lot), the one thing that was true in a bittersweet way was his tentative friendship with Robbie, a junkie.
By this point in the season, we knew that Cunanan needed an audience/someone to impress in order to feel like a real person. Even if 99% of what he was saying were falshoods. The bigger Cunanan's lies were, the more honest Robbie responded. And so, it got to the point where Cunanan couldn't deal and then he goes to do the HELLA CREEPIEST thing (the ducktape face thing). It is not until that moment that Robbie figured out that Cunanan was more fucked up than he initially thought.
Cunanan's descent into full-on predator mode after he leaves the hotel for good left me feeling relieved that he let Robbie go. In the end, much as Cunanan wanted to connect to someone, he'd would always get taken over by his desire to destroy.
For Gianni's side of the story, the story splits into his relationship with Antonio, the friendly rivalry he had with his sister, and the strong bond that Donatella and Gianni shared. It's a lot, but it works.
The contrast between Donatella's public and private personas was sharp. That whole opening shot with the dressing of Gianni until they leave for Italy was heart-tugging. It was sweet how she could let go around Gianni. BTW, I know people have commented on Penelope Cruz's ~wacky~ accent, but that's literally how Donatella sounds IRL.
Gianni and Antonio's dynamic was sweet without being cloying. They loved and trusted each other. They played with other people (mainly Antonio), but (much to the preconceived notions of straight people), they were first in each other's lives. The medical hint (more like a dropped anvil, if you ask me) about Gianni's health was a semi-subtle possible reason for why Gianni might've not been as involved in penetrative sex with Antonio and the other guys. Maybe it was more a performative issue, i.e. he couldn't get hard/sustain an erection.
I saw Antonio as being the dreamy romantic out of the two. He kept reassuring Gianni that he wanted to be with Gianni in as many ways as possible (talking about marriage, for example.) Gianni was the more practical. After one too many conversations about marriage, he threw the ball on Antonio's court by asking him that being married would be great in the day time (when they're busy with work), but would Antonio really be OK/satisfied with a dormant/possibly non-existent sex life IF they made their relationship a monogamous one?
- HIV infection was a secondary theme in this episode. We're meant to understand that the men Gianni and Antonio see at the hospital were receiving treatement. Also, Robbie was HIV+ and touches on something that I know in my heart of hearts some people will miss.
[QUEER HISTORY TIME]
OK, so I know that in the age of PReP and a slightly lessening of the stigma (though not by much) of being HIV+, Robbie's talk about his life in the few months BEFORE he met Cunanan can easily be dismissed by anyone who either was born in the 1990s (therefore HIV and AIDS have always been part of their reality) OR anyone whose life was not touched by the second or so wave of AIDS-related deaths of the 1980s. This was (and in many ways remains) a plague.
Still, people didn't stop having sex. Queer men didn't stop having sex. There was a semi-truncated push for safe sex among everyone. BUT, realistically, not everyone practiced (or continues to practice) safe sex. I'd say it wasn't until right around the late 90s when getting a diagnosis of being HIV+ didn't equate a death sentence. So that fits with the timeline.
Robbie's story about getting ready to die and YOLOing himself into financial ruin was the truth for people because that's what they had seen happening ever since the first rumours of the "gay cancer" began to spread.
And, just then, better drug cocktails were created. Which is why there are still some HIV+ positive (who'd been infected decades ago) still with us today.
To me, his monologue took me back to a time when friends passed on, marched against the FDA, or dealt with discrimination (both subtle and overt) due to their HIV+ status.
- There's an expanded version on the police department's dislike for the gay aspect of the crimes. So many people have said "Oh, but the show happens in 1997 and it's set in Miami Beach! That's a gay mecca! None of this makes sense."
This time, Det. Wieder dropped suggestions of what the MBPD and the FBI can do to try to catch Cunanan (oh, and how I did a gentle sigh when she mentioned clubs that are no longer around). And she kept getting shut down by the agents' apathy to deal with a gay murder. Even someone as high profile as Versace.
I think most people's idea of what South Beach is like comes from 1996's The Birdcage. There was a queer community made up mostly of gay and bisexual men in South Beach, but it was "all fab, all the time."
Another thing to keep in mind is that even the most liberal place will have people who will resent all of that. The local government and police departments have attempted to breach that gap between the gay community and law enforcement. HOWEVUH, there have been countless instances of police draaaaaging their feet to investigate hate crimes (be them assault, battery, murder).
Darren Criss's Andrew worked the EXTREMELY DISTURBING level really hard. THAT SCENE WHERE HE TELLS ROBBIE HE'S GOING TO TAKE A SHOWER!! #AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH
This episode's MVP was: Max Greenfield as Robbie. Between the physical transformation from this to him as Robbie was eye-popping. I only know him mainly from his Veronica Mars days (he had a part in AHS: Hotel, but it wasn't as impressive as this one.) so, even though I thought he was a fairly good actor, I'd have never imagined that he had that much range.
** THINGS THAT ARE NOT TRUE/NEVER HAPPENED/INTERSTING BITS **
- (This one is debated to this day) The show doesn't spell it out (possibly avoiding getting sued for libel), but it relies on subtext + mainstream society's stereotypes of gay man + open relationship + South Beach = HIV+ status. There is some truth to that subtext, but it doesn't cover the entire reality of ALL gay/bi men who have open relationships and live(d) in South Beach.
After his death, there were tons of talk abt Gianni being HIV+ at the time of his death.
TAKE 1 (THE FAMILY): Donatella said that Gianni had had ear cancer, but the cancer had gone to remission 6 months before his death. SUPPORTING EVIDENCE: None really. BUT Versace did go into a sort of hiding from 95 through 97.
TAKE 2 (THE MEDIA): According to Maureen Orth (who, again, wrote the book this season is based on), inside sources (including the lead detective) did tell her that Gianni was poz.
THE TRUTH: We will never know. The family cremated Gianni's body v. quickly.
- There was media speculation that Cunanan was HIV+, but the coroner records showed that he wasn't.
- Cunanan's fixation with ducktape is somewhat questionable. Yet another uncomfirmed from Orth's book.
- One thing I noticed during Donatella and Gianni's semi-argument about the models' thinness was that there was a huge sign that said SHALOM. It referred to Shalom Harlow, a second-tier supermodel (not as recognizable as, say Naomi Campell or Kate Moss). She was known for being v. thin.
- Cunanan did spend about a week at the Normandy Plaza hotel. It was a v. rundown place (it's been closed for years now, but the building still exists). But the hotel was in what's now called mid-Miam Beach (69th and Collins) vs. the proximity in the show (a few blocks from Casa Casuarina--which is on 11th and Ocean Drive, a.k.a South Beach.)
- Twist (the club where Gianni and Antonio hang out at the night before Gianni's murder and, where Cunanan searches for Gianni later) is still around. The inside of it looked more like Salvation or Liquid.
MY FAVORITE SCENE
I know I've talked about it twice, but Andrew wearing ducktape and slipping into hunter!mode had me going OMG IRL.
SO FAR IN THIS SEASON...
we get a stronger second episode that works from every angle.
NEXT WEEK...
it looks like we're going even further back in Cunanan's past. Also: JUDITH LIGHT!
I gave this episode an A+
This episode was even better than last week's. Just as I'd predicted, the focus was slightly heavier on Cunanan's life than Gianni's. Following him around as he heads to Miami and then finds a temporary friend at the hotel they're both residing at was actually way more fascinating than I'd expected.
The first thing that pinged me was how this episode has almost nothing to do with the (eventual) police manhunt for Cunanan. This episode centers around Cunanan's literal manhunt for his next sugar daddy, client, or benefactor.
For anyone keeping track at the timeline wonkiness, this episode takes place in the literal last week in Gianni's life.
It was so engrossing to see Cunanan and seeing the emptiness that was his life. In a way, we got a hint as to why he lied to almost everyone who crossed his path. Hardcore creepiness aside (I legit cringed when he smiled at the little girl on the Walmart parking lot), the one thing that was true in a bittersweet way was his tentative friendship with Robbie, a junkie.
By this point in the season, we knew that Cunanan needed an audience/someone to impress in order to feel like a real person. Even if 99% of what he was saying were falshoods. The bigger Cunanan's lies were, the more honest Robbie responded. And so, it got to the point where Cunanan couldn't deal and then he goes to do the HELLA CREEPIEST thing (the ducktape face thing). It is not until that moment that Robbie figured out that Cunanan was more fucked up than he initially thought.
Cunanan's descent into full-on predator mode after he leaves the hotel for good left me feeling relieved that he let Robbie go. In the end, much as Cunanan wanted to connect to someone, he'd would always get taken over by his desire to destroy.
For Gianni's side of the story, the story splits into his relationship with Antonio, the friendly rivalry he had with his sister, and the strong bond that Donatella and Gianni shared. It's a lot, but it works.
The contrast between Donatella's public and private personas was sharp. That whole opening shot with the dressing of Gianni until they leave for Italy was heart-tugging. It was sweet how she could let go around Gianni. BTW, I know people have commented on Penelope Cruz's ~wacky~ accent, but that's literally how Donatella sounds IRL.
Gianni and Antonio's dynamic was sweet without being cloying. They loved and trusted each other. They played with other people (mainly Antonio), but (much to the preconceived notions of straight people), they were first in each other's lives. The medical hint (more like a dropped anvil, if you ask me) about Gianni's health was a semi-subtle possible reason for why Gianni might've not been as involved in penetrative sex with Antonio and the other guys. Maybe it was more a performative issue, i.e. he couldn't get hard/sustain an erection.
I saw Antonio as being the dreamy romantic out of the two. He kept reassuring Gianni that he wanted to be with Gianni in as many ways as possible (talking about marriage, for example.) Gianni was the more practical. After one too many conversations about marriage, he threw the ball on Antonio's court by asking him that being married would be great in the day time (when they're busy with work), but would Antonio really be OK/satisfied with a dormant/possibly non-existent sex life IF they made their relationship a monogamous one?
- HIV infection was a secondary theme in this episode. We're meant to understand that the men Gianni and Antonio see at the hospital were receiving treatement. Also, Robbie was HIV+ and touches on something that I know in my heart of hearts some people will miss.
[QUEER HISTORY TIME]
OK, so I know that in the age of PReP and a slightly lessening of the stigma (though not by much) of being HIV+, Robbie's talk about his life in the few months BEFORE he met Cunanan can easily be dismissed by anyone who either was born in the 1990s (therefore HIV and AIDS have always been part of their reality) OR anyone whose life was not touched by the second or so wave of AIDS-related deaths of the 1980s. This was (and in many ways remains) a plague.
Still, people didn't stop having sex. Queer men didn't stop having sex. There was a semi-truncated push for safe sex among everyone. BUT, realistically, not everyone practiced (or continues to practice) safe sex. I'd say it wasn't until right around the late 90s when getting a diagnosis of being HIV+ didn't equate a death sentence. So that fits with the timeline.
Robbie's story about getting ready to die and YOLOing himself into financial ruin was the truth for people because that's what they had seen happening ever since the first rumours of the "gay cancer" began to spread.
And, just then, better drug cocktails were created. Which is why there are still some HIV+ positive (who'd been infected decades ago) still with us today.
To me, his monologue took me back to a time when friends passed on, marched against the FDA, or dealt with discrimination (both subtle and overt) due to their HIV+ status.
- There's an expanded version on the police department's dislike for the gay aspect of the crimes. So many people have said "Oh, but the show happens in 1997 and it's set in Miami Beach! That's a gay mecca! None of this makes sense."
This time, Det. Wieder dropped suggestions of what the MBPD and the FBI can do to try to catch Cunanan (oh, and how I did a gentle sigh when she mentioned clubs that are no longer around). And she kept getting shut down by the agents' apathy to deal with a gay murder. Even someone as high profile as Versace.
I think most people's idea of what South Beach is like comes from 1996's The Birdcage. There was a queer community made up mostly of gay and bisexual men in South Beach, but it was "all fab, all the time."
Another thing to keep in mind is that even the most liberal place will have people who will resent all of that. The local government and police departments have attempted to breach that gap between the gay community and law enforcement. HOWEVUH, there have been countless instances of police draaaaaging their feet to investigate hate crimes (be them assault, battery, murder).
Darren Criss's Andrew worked the EXTREMELY DISTURBING level really hard. THAT SCENE WHERE HE TELLS ROBBIE HE'S GOING TO TAKE A SHOWER!! #AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH
This episode's MVP was: Max Greenfield as Robbie. Between the physical transformation from this to him as Robbie was eye-popping. I only know him mainly from his Veronica Mars days (he had a part in AHS: Hotel, but it wasn't as impressive as this one.) so, even though I thought he was a fairly good actor, I'd have never imagined that he had that much range.
** THINGS THAT ARE NOT TRUE/NEVER HAPPENED/INTERSTING BITS **
- (This one is debated to this day) The show doesn't spell it out (possibly avoiding getting sued for libel), but it relies on subtext + mainstream society's stereotypes of gay man + open relationship + South Beach = HIV+ status. There is some truth to that subtext, but it doesn't cover the entire reality of ALL gay/bi men who have open relationships and live(d) in South Beach.
After his death, there were tons of talk abt Gianni being HIV+ at the time of his death.
TAKE 1 (THE FAMILY): Donatella said that Gianni had had ear cancer, but the cancer had gone to remission 6 months before his death. SUPPORTING EVIDENCE: None really. BUT Versace did go into a sort of hiding from 95 through 97.
TAKE 2 (THE MEDIA): According to Maureen Orth (who, again, wrote the book this season is based on), inside sources (including the lead detective) did tell her that Gianni was poz.
THE TRUTH: We will never know. The family cremated Gianni's body v. quickly.
- There was media speculation that Cunanan was HIV+, but the coroner records showed that he wasn't.
- Cunanan's fixation with ducktape is somewhat questionable. Yet another uncomfirmed from Orth's book.
- One thing I noticed during Donatella and Gianni's semi-argument about the models' thinness was that there was a huge sign that said SHALOM. It referred to Shalom Harlow, a second-tier supermodel (not as recognizable as, say Naomi Campell or Kate Moss). She was known for being v. thin.
- Cunanan did spend about a week at the Normandy Plaza hotel. It was a v. rundown place (it's been closed for years now, but the building still exists). But the hotel was in what's now called mid-Miam Beach (69th and Collins) vs. the proximity in the show (a few blocks from Casa Casuarina--which is on 11th and Ocean Drive, a.k.a South Beach.)
- Twist (the club where Gianni and Antonio hang out at the night before Gianni's murder and, where Cunanan searches for Gianni later) is still around. The inside of it looked more like Salvation or Liquid.
MY FAVORITE SCENE
I know I've talked about it twice, but Andrew wearing ducktape and slipping into hunter!mode had me going OMG IRL.
SO FAR IN THIS SEASON...
we get a stronger second episode that works from every angle.
NEXT WEEK...
it looks like we're going even further back in Cunanan's past. Also: JUDITH LIGHT!
I gave this episode an A+
