Last week’s pilot provided a fast paced background to the
events leading up to O.J.’s infamous “slow speed chase.” This hour focuses on the six-hour event that
propelled the case to a national obsession.
Robert Kardashian sits alone in his opulent bathroom and
prays for the soul of his friend O.J. Simpson.
Robert Shapiro takes a call from the livid D.A. Gil Garcetti in his
space age kitchen. Shapiro tries to calm
the D.A. but the other man refuses to listen and orders Shapiro to “Find him!”
Robert K. meets with Shapiro and hands him the letter O.J.
wrote that morning. Kardashian fears it’s a suicide note and is unsure whether
they need to hand the letter over to the police. Sharpiro skims the letter and scoffs, “Who
signs a suicide note with a happy face?”
Tom Brokaw anchors the news reporting there is a nation-wide
manhunt underway for Mr. Simpson who is the prime suspect in two murders. At the prosecutor’s office, Garcetti and
Marsha Clark watch the news in disbelief.
Clark observes, “It’s always the big cases that melt down.” But O.J. is unlikely to run long because
“everyone knows his face.”
The media and paparazzi alike swarm around the Simpson
residence. At the L.A.P.D. tips pour in
from the phone lines. The police have
staked out Nicole’s gravesite as well as her and Simpson’s residences. A white Bronco pulls up to the cemetery with
A.C. Cowling at the wheel. Photographers
mingle nearby but no one sees the Bronco.
Marsha Clark gathers information on O.J.’s friend A.C.
Cowlings. He is described as a “fourth
rate linebacker” who idealizes his friend.
A press conference is held and the D.A. makes it clear that it is a
felony to assist Mr. Simpson in any way and he promises to prosecute any
accomplices. The lawyers at Mr.
Cochran’s office watch the press conference. With the now reaching a national audience,
Johnnie seems to be more interested in becoming involved.
Christopher Darden goes home to find his father watching
golf, “Arnold Palmer’s last professional game.” He gets his father to change the channel to
watch the latest news on the case. Robert
Kardashian and Shapiro watch television together. Shapiro is primarily concerned with how
O.J.’s flight makes him look and decides to call his own press conference to
perform some damage control.
Johnnie Cochran watches Shapiro’s press conference and is
disgusted the Shapiro is making the case about himself. (Mr. Cochran wants the spotlight himself.) From his press conference, Shapiro pleads with
O.J. on to “Surrender now.” Robert
Kardashian is introduced as a close friend. The Kardashian children watch their father on
television excitedly. Robert reads
O.J.’s letter, “I had nothing to do with Nicole’s murder, at times I felt like
a battered husband.”
Marsha Clark and Bill Hodgeman shake their heads at the
audacity of that statement. Kardashian continues, “Please remember the real
O.J. not this lost person. You made my
life special I hope I helped yours. Peace
and Love. O.J.” His words reflect a very
strange state of mind. O.J. seems to
care more about his own fame and legacy rather then reflect on the reality of
what has happened to his family. The
reporters ask for Kardashian to spell his name.
The Kardashian kids chant their own name, excited to be famous and on
the news.
A powder blue VW bus spots the white Bronco on the freeway
and the couple recognize it as the car from the news. To the beat of the Beastie Boys “Sabotage” the
hippie couple begins to wave and clap for Simpson. The bus pulls over to the shoulder and calls
police using a yellow emergency phone. (Remember those?) The police chase
begins on the 405 Freeway.
In the Bronco, A.C. screams at O.J. who has a gun pressed
against his temple. The police have
created a blockade and A.C. is forced to stop. O.J. refuses to drop the gun and in a panic,
A.C. breaks away from the blockade. The
officers don’t fire at the car, one exclaims, “I won’t shoot O.J. unless
someone authorizes it!”
Robert Kardashian drives his sporty black car to the Simpson
residence. Surrounding the property, there are handmade signs showing support
for O.J. Robert screams alone in his car before going in. O.J.’s family and friends greet Robert inside. He recounts the awful morning that occurred
at his home and tells them O.J. wrote them a note and he believes O.J. has
committed suicide. (That’s why he screamed in the car.) The family murmurs in disbelief and Robert
tries to comfort them by stating, “He loved you all and he’s in a better place
with Nicole…” But just then the television confirms O.J. is alive and traveling
with his friend A.C. with a gun to his head.
Shapiro drives back to his mansion listening to cheesy
smooth jazz. His wife greets him at the
door and informs him O.J. has been located and followed. Shapiro looks at the television and says,
“Good for you O.J., you’re still in the game!” Bob Costas interrupts the baseball game he’s
announcing to bring viewers the latest on the situation with O.J. Simpson.
Across town, Marsha Clark isn’t as impressed with the
unprecedented situation. They learn O.J. is demanding to see his mother. The chase now involves nine police vehicles
and several helicopters in pursuit of the Bronco.
In the Bronco, O.J. asks his friend despondently, “Why is
this happening?” A.C. tries to talk his
friend out of killing himself. A.C. asks
him to think about his children. A.C.
uses his phone to call 911 and asks the police to back off and informs them
that he’s taking O.J. home to Brentwood.
The television network has decided to interrupt the NBA
finals to bring live coverage of the O.J. Simpson chase. The network manager justifies this choice
because the story combines entertainment, sports and news! At a sports bar, people are boisterously
watching the NBA finals when the game is interrupted by the breaking news. People become visibly emotional as they learn
O.J. Simpson is being pursued by police and is threatening suicide.
Clark and her team continue to watch the coverage. She asks why the Ford Bronco isn’t impounded
at the crime lab. It is explained to her
A.C. idealized his friend so much he has the identical car. (I always wondered
that too.)
The SWAT team is dispatched to Brentwood in anticipation of
Simpson’s arrival. Pizza parlors are rushing to keep up with demand as everyone
is glued to the live news. Fun fact,
during the Bronco chase, the demand for pizza delivery matched a typical Super
Bowl Sunday.
O.J. calls his friend Robert Kardashian. O.J. cries and tells him he loves him as he
recalls how they used to have good times double dating. O.J. goes on to list people he wants Robert
to “say goodbye” to for him. Robert
tells him he can talk to them himself and begs him not to end his life. O.J. states he wants to see his mother one
last time and tells his friend he’s on his way back home. Kardashian, knowing that the SWAT team has
assembled at O.J.’s residence, advises his friend not to go home. Robert
Kardashian then calls Jason Simpson, O.J.’s oldest son by a previous marriage. Jason asks, “Is my dad going to die?”
At the television station, producers work on O.J. memorial
footage. (This is not an uncommon practice to have eulogy packages made in
advance for well-known celebrities.) Johnnie Cochran appears on television to
advocate for O.J., asserting, “Police shoot a black man first and ask questions
later.” Cochran uses the spotlight to
highlight his own career of defending victims of police brutality.
Detective Lange calls A.C. Cowlings directly. O.J. soon takes the phone and speaks to the
detective, apologizing for the problems he’s caused. Detective Lange tries to advice him to drop
his weapon and “We’ll let you go home.” O.J.
is despondent and says, “I deserve to get hurt!”
Christopher Darden and his neighbors discuss the afternoon’s
events. The neighbors are glad to see
O.J. stand up to the police. Darden
argues O.J. never gave back to the community and “became white.” The men next-door laugh and say, “The cops
are chasing him, he black now!” The
neighbors listen to Parliament Funkadelic’s
“One Nation Under a Groove.”
Marsha continues to watch the news coverage, noting it’s
looking more like a “memorial” review of Mr. Simpson’s life and
accomplishments. The news interviews
people holding up signs cheering O.J. onwards. One man states he’s cheering against the
L.A.P.D. as much as he’s cheering for O.J.
O.J. is slumped in the backseat as they near crowds of
people waving and holding up signs. A.C.
points out to his friend that all these people love him. O.J. seems bewildered and says, “It’s not safe
for these people to be on the freeway.”
The sound of football games past play in Juice’s mind.
Outside the Simpson residence in Brentwood the SWAT team
assembles. They evacuate most of the
people in the home but Jason and Robert Kardashian refuse to leave. Media and fans crowd the Ford Bronco as it
makes it way down residential streets. Tom
Brokaw narrates the action of the Bronco’s arrival at the Brentwood home.
Jason runs out of the house to greet his father and pleads
with him to drop his gun. A.C. screams at O.J. to do the same, terrified the
police will shoot possibly both of them if he remains a threat.
The sky is now dark and A.C. continues to speak with a
hostage negotiator. The spotlight from
the helicopter is shut off and the Bronco can’t be seen on the live cameras. The negotiator tries to keep A.C. calm and
repeatedly asks that O.J.’s gun be surrendered. Robert Kardashian speaks again to O.J., trying
to instruct him to come inside where his mother is waiting on the phone. (She
had been rushed to the hospital earlier related to the stress of the
situation.) Robert wants his friend to “be safe.” O.J. doesn’t want to appear on television in
handcuffs and Robert promises he will be arrested inside without cameras.
The SWAT team readies for O.J.’s surrender, their leader
orders, “No hotheads, we’re on TV!” A.C.
exits the Bronco first and goes inside to embrace Robert. O.J. exits the car clutching something in his
hands murmuring, “I’m sorry!” There is a
moment of confusion where officers think O.J. is armed. Robert Kardashian screams, “Those are framed
pictures of his kids!” O.J. goes inside
and collapses on the couch. He requests
some orange juice. O.J. speaks to his
mother on the phone.
The major news anchors sign off from their live
coverage. Clark seems relieved that they
will be taking Mr. Simpson to trial.
Chris Darden’s father advices him to “Stay away from the case.” Mr. Simpson is put in a marked car and heads
to prison. The Simpson case has garnered
national and international notoriety after this eventful day. Will it be possible for O.J. to get an
unbiased trial after such media frenzy? Is it possible for the media to remain objective when it comes to celebrities? The series is off to strong start as the legal battle begins next week.
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