After last week’s installment covering the most televised
car chase in history, it’s time to get down to the beginnings of the legal battle
that became the “trial of the century.”
The lawyers on both sides are assembling to ride the wave of publicity,
which may have already precluded any attempt at obtaining an unbiased
jury. The creators of the series have
claimed that the purpose of the series is to exam the process rather then
answer the question of OJ’s guilt or innocence.
In that respect, the series is achieving that goal. This episode highlights the creation of the
“finest defense money can buy.” The
defense and the media care about the marketability of the story. This had a lasting effect on our relationship
with the truth; something that the Trump candidacy demonstrates and continues
to capitalize on in 2016.
Robert Kardashian waits for a table at “La Scalia” a posh
L.A. restaurant on Father’s Day 1994.
His three daughters and son don’t have to wait long as Robert is soon
recognized from his television appearance after the Bronco Chase. Kim and Kourtney revel in the attention. Kourtney asks, “Did uncle O.J. do it?” Kim adds, “Mom says he did it!” (Notice how
the girls already speak with an annoying “vocal fry”?) Robert defends O.J. and adds he is scheduled
to appear on Barbara Walters show 20/20. Robert tempers the kids’ excitement on their
newfound celebrity with a warning, “Being a good person is more important than
fame. Have a virtuous heart.” (Afraid that
warning went unheeded!)
A magazine editor looks at the negatives of O.J.’s mug shot.
They decide to edit the photo to
emphasize the shadows in his face to “add drama.”
Marsha Clark smokes outside before entering a press
conference. Clark tells the media the
state has overwhelming physical evidence linking Mr. Simpson to the
crimes. She characterizes the murders as
pre-meditated, indicating they might fit the criteria for “special circumstances.”
As for possibly penalties, Clark states,
“Everything is on the table.” This means
the state may pursue the death penalty in this case.
Clark leaves the press conference very confident and tells
her colleagues, “He (O.J), did my job for me!”
Mr. Hodgeman notices how excited his partner is to be taking the case to
trial. Marsha tells him, “Trials are
better than sex!” This is bad news for
Mr. Hodgeman who appears to want a sexual relationship with Clark.
Robert Shapiro studies a myriad of tabloid papers regarding
the case. He looks concerned. He calls out to his secretary, “Get me F. Lee
Bailey!” Bailey flies out from the East
Coast to meet Shapiro. The two lawyers
discuss the case over strong drinks.
Shapiro gloomily informs Bailey of the damning physical evidence against
O.J. Bailey boasts about his famous
acquittal of murder suspect Sam Shepard as proof he can win a high profile case
with media bias. (That case was made into another TV series The Fugitive) The men watch continuing coverage of the case
on CNN. The network speaks to attorney
Alan Dershowitz who characterizes Shapiro as being famous for “settling” cases.
Shapiro laments that both sides hate
him. Bailey has an idea, hire Alan
Dershowitz.
Clark speaks to her boss Gil Garcetti. The prosecutors discuss the possible venues
for the case. They want to avoid
repeating the embarassment like the acquittal of the LAPD officers in the
Rodney King case, which occurred in Simi Valley. They feel their best option is to have the
trial in downtown L.A. to ensure “everyone looks good.”
Robert Shapiro greets Alan Dershowitz who has flow out from Boston
to consult on the case. The defense team
has a brainstorming session rehashing details about the crimes. Dershowitz consuls, “The public’s goodwill is
fading. The longer he sits in prison the
more ‘mortal’ he becomes.” The physical
evidence is overwhelming, so the team brings in a DNA analysis Barry Scheck
(Rob Morrow, remember when you thought of Alaska you thought of Northern
Exposure, not some crazy lady from Wasilla?) Scheck explains the science to the lawyers but
quickly loses them with the technical elements. He dumbs it down for them; “The short answer
is that DNA is foolproof so we need to keep it out of court.”
Dershowitz has an idea; question the integrity of every piece
of physical evidence the State brings in the case. If the team can make the jury disregard the
science as confusing or untrustworthy the defense can strengthen their case.
After the meeting, Shapiro consults with his colleague Pat. Pat has dirt on the lead detective in the
case, Mark Furhman. He states he is
familiar with Furhman’s reputation as a “nasty guy.” Shapiro asks Pat to “dig deep” for history on
the detective.
Clark scoffs at the media’s characterization of Simpson’s
defense team as the “Dream Team.” She
knows Shapiro has a reputation for settling his cases by plea agreements and F.
Lee Bailey is an alcoholic. She finds
Robert Kardashian’s involvement in the case laughable. Clark sees Simpson’s lawyers as his attempt to
“buy himself out of prison.” Hodgeman
notes sarcastically the defense team is all “Just hardworking folks trying for
profit from two murders.” Clark vows, “I
won’t let them get away.”
Johnnie Cochran’s wife listens to Roberta Flack’s “First
Time Ever I Saw Your Face” in their modern living room. She heads to the kitchen to prepare dinner and
Johnnie can be seen rehearsing for his TV appearance. He brags to his wife he’s now considered
“Senior O.J. Simpson analysis.” Johnnie
thinks the case is a losing one. His wife disagrees and thinks Cochran would be
the ideal lawyer to “get him off” for the murders. She is interested in promoting her husband
and his status as a leader in their community and sees the opportunity for fame
in the Simpson case.
Time magazine appears on the news stands with the “darkened”
picture of Simpson. Chris Darden can’t resist buying a copy. The African-American vender tells him, “They
made him blacker!” Johnnie Cochran
appears on television he adds, “This is how a black man is viewed by the LAPD!”
Shapiro receives the files on detective Mark Furhman. Furhman actually sued the city of Los Angeles
for “turning him into a bigot.” Shapiro
is pleased; this is the man who found O.J.’s glove. Shapiro brainstorms his defense plan. O.J. was set up by the LAPD because of
systematic racism in the department.
A journalist from the New Yorker magazine interrupts
Shapiro. At first he shoos the man away
but then decides the magazine may be a great way to get his argument out to the
public. Shapiro meets Jeffery Toobin
(Whose book the series is based upon.) Shapiro
nudges Toobin, “Ask me why I’m taking the case.” Toobin obliges and Shapiro answers he’s
taking the case to make a stand against a corrupt police department who is
framing O.J. for these murders because he is black. Shapiro speaks Furhman’s name and his idea
about planted evidence, summarizing, “It’s all about race!”
Marsha’s children run amok in the kitchen. She chides her son for not “being safe” as he
is using an electric knife to stir the cookie dough. Marsha notices a female witness is speaking to
a tabloid television show about the night of the murders. The woman claims she encountered O.J. in his
Bronco “in a rage.” Marsh is enraged
because she knows the witness received compensation to tell her story to Inside
Edition. She phones Garcetti to tell him
about this problem and states she wants this witness off the list because it
makes the state “look sleazy.” Clark
expresses her concern that the media has hijacked the public’s perception of
the case.
O.J. is brought from his cell to meet with his legal team. Simpson is upset that his friends on the
police force haven’t been in to visit. O.J.
shares his theory that Nicole’s friend Faye Resnick had a cocaine problem and
perhaps that led to the murders. The
lawyers don’t seem too concerned about this angle or O.J.’s ideas about the
“real killers.” (It seems they know he’s guilty.) Shapiro makes the case to Simpson that they
need to hire Johnnie Cochran. O.J. is suspicious
of Shapiro’s motives and says, “You want to make this a black thing? I’m not black, I’m O.J.!”
Cochran is in his office with his associate Carl when he
learns Mr. Simpson is on the phone. He
asks for privacy, and takes a series of deep breaths before picking up the
phone. The caller sounds like Michael
Jackson and says, “I’m innocent.” Cochran
assures him he’s made the right decision hiring him to represent him. The caller laughs and says, “I killed her! I
killed her real good!” Cochran is
enraged at the prank call.
On the beach, a topless Kato runs with a male friend. Kato exclaims, “My pager is blowing up!” (So
90’s!) The friend asks if he’s gotten
any acting work yet because of the publicity. Kato admits he hasn’t and he needs a new place
to live. A convertible drives by full of
attractive women who call out to Kato. Seconds
later, a few men shout at him for having helped O.J. murder his wife. Kato sighs to his friend that his new celebrity
status is complicated.
Christopher Darden receives a call requesting information
about Detective Furhman. He walks over
to Garcetti’s office to find Marsha and her team working. He tells Marsha about the call from the New
Yorker magazine regarding Furhman’s files.
He adds he’ll stall them for a week.
The door is closed. Marsha smokes
and asks Darden what he thinks about the State’s case. He agrees the State has a strong case but
notes most people in the black community think O.J. is innocent. Clark is incredulous and wants to understand
why. Darden replies it is a complicated
and emotional issue.
Robert Kardashian arrives to pick up the kids from Kris’s
house. Kris stops him at the door to chastise
him for agreeing to represent O.J. and “turning his back on Nicole.” Robert believes his friend is innocent and
wants Kris to stop telling the kids “Uncle O.J. is a killer.” Although the couple is already divorced, the
tragic death of their mutual friend further complicates their relationship.
Clark meets with Darden. She wants him to lead the case against A.C.
Cowling for “aiding and abetting a fugitive.” Darden can see several ways to look at the A.C.
case and Clark encourages him to “Go for it!” She adds it’s a big opportunity for him and
welcomes him to the State’s team.
The cable news seems to be spinning faster then the
investigation. Clark is summoned to view
the latest news; Nicole Brown’s domestic abuse 911 call tapes have been
released to the media. People gather
around their televisions to hear the damning calls, which seem to prove O.J.
was guilty of domestic abuse and therefore probably capable of murder. Still, Clark is upset the tapes were made
public and feels the media is “Wagging the dog.” Hodgeman hopes it will cause Shapiro to “Roll
over and play dead.” In other words, the
case may not need to go to trial if Shapiro wants to make a plea deal for
Simpson.
The New Yorker July issue arrives at newsstands. F. Lee Bailey reads the article triumphantly
to Shapiro. He applauds Shapiro for having
“Big brass balls!” Bailey is confident
the case is back on track. Now if they
could just find a way to get rid of those damning 911 tapes. Bailey assures Shapiro people will forget all
about the tapes by the time the case goes to trial. They are betting that allegations against the
police department will overshadow the facts of the case.
The prosecution team also studies the New Yorker article. Hodgeman is skeptical people will believe the
LAPD would frame Simpson. Darden thinks
the argument could be persuasive. Clark
observes, “This article is a declaration of war!”
Robert Kardashian read Simpson the article in the prison
meeting room. O.J. seems to believe it
and exclaims, “A racist cop tried to frame me!” Kardashian would like to believe this story. It’s better than thinking your best friend is
a murderer. Shapiro attempts to question
Simpson about the 911 tapes but Simpson becomes evasive. He only will admit he and Nicole were
“tussling.” Shapiro implores Simpson to
hire Cochran.
Johnnie Cochran gets the call he’s been waiting for from Mr.
Simpson. Cochran and Shapiro meet soon
afterward and act like dogs sniffing each other out. Shapiro asserts he will stay as lead counsel. Cochran has a request, he’d like to meet with
Simpson and “Look in O.J. in the eyes and believe him first.” It’s an
interesting choice of words; he doesn’t say he needs to know if Simpson is
innocent but rather if HE can believe Simpson.
Cochran meets Simpson in prison and gives his famous client
a hug. Cochran says, “Talk to me!” Simpson becomes emotional, saying, “Whatever
you decide, know that I loved her. She
was the mother to my children. I didn’t
do it!” Cochran pauses and says he
believes him. Cochran notes all they
need is one black juror on his side and the trial will result in a hung jury
and Simpson will be freed. Simpson seems
eager for easy explanations and an easy way out of his predicament.
The Clark children sleep soundly. Outside in the backyard Marsha smokes wearing
a pink bathrobe in the early dawn. She
looks down at the morning paper, which reads, “Cochran now on Dream Team.” She yells “Motherf#cker!”
The best team money can buy has been assembled. The media has been used as an instrument for
the defense and the prosecution. Everyone
has an opinion about the case, making it virtually impossible for Simpson to
get a fair trial. The defense has
developed an ingenious plan to refute the physical evidence. The inevitable “slam dunk” case for the
prosecution becomes less likely with each story and article about the corrupt
LAPD. There are still many months until
the case will go to trial.
What do you think of the series so far? I’d like to see a little less Kardashian’s and
more about the victims’ families. The
Goldman’s were featured in next weeks preview so hopefully their story will be
told soon. Hold on to your pager Kato,
things are about to get crazy.
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