I’m not afraid to admit what I’m about to share. Did I have the typical college spring break experience? No. Am I upset about it? No. Do you want to know why I’m not mad about it? (C’mon, you know you want to know.) Instead of being #basic, (sorry, I had to say it) I binged watched the American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson on FX and I would be lying if I said I regretted it.
I became fully invested this spring break and brought my obsession right back up to Orlando with me. Every night of spring break, I plopped myself right down on the couch with my mom and caught up on The People v. O.J. Simpson. I’m really grateful for the timing of spring break because I had just the right amount of time to get caught up and research relentlessly.
From the first episode, I was hooked. I gobbled up and absorbed everything I could I get hands on. My eyes were glued to the television and as soon as each episode concluded, you better believe my fingers furiously searched on Google, trying to verify if certain things did or didn’t happen that were illustrated or proclaimed in the show. Yes, there were some exaggerations but for the most part, the show was spot on.
I wasn’t even born yet when the trial ended, but I’ve always had some sort of familiarity with the case. I’m not embarrassed to say that the only reason I probably knew about the story initially is because of the Kardashians. I’m fairly certain I’m not the only millennial on this planet that just knew of the case because of the popularity of the Kardashian family. The FX show truly opened the doors to a whole new generation, and let’s just say I surely took advantage of that.
Like I mentioned before, because I wasn’t alive during the trial, I utilized my mom as my trusty source on all things about the case. However, she failed me as my resource and I definitely got a tad bit annoyed that she didn’t have all the answers to my questions about the case. I tried not blame her and just stayed up for hours upon hours learning and reading as much material on the case as I could. I became completely infatuated with everything the show and the Internet had to offer. I found myself watching YouTube video after video and reading article after article, and there was no stopping me. My friends and family can attest to this: once I become obsessed with something, there is no turning back. I 150% commit to whatever is fascinating to me. From One Direction to the Titanic, The People v. O.J. Simpson mini series was no exception.
I think this show spoke to me as a millennial for many reasons. Of course, the Kardashian association really peaked my interest. If you’re a millennial who doesn’t keep up with the Kardashains, than can you really even call yourself a millennial? The answer is definitely no. I believe having David Schwimmer as Robert Kardashian was also another plus because every one of my friends (ha, see what I did there?) and their mother’s still adore the television show, Friends, to this day. When I heard that Cuba Gooding Jr. was cast as O.J. Simpson, all I could think about was Snow Dogs, which was a monumental part of my childhood. So, I needed to see what he could bring to the table. And, how could I forget John Travolta? As a little kid, I watched the movie, Grease religiously and I will never be able to get over Adele Dazeem, #NeverForget. But obviously, one of the main reasons on why I needed to watch the mini series came down to the man, the myth, the legend himself: Ryan Murphy. When I heard that Murphy was attached to this project, I couldn’t wait to watch. He always does a fantastic job and did nothing but flawlessly deliver with The People v. O.J. Simpson on FX.
And let’s not forget about the fabulous Sarah Paulson. She knocked Marcia Clark out of the park! Before this series, I wasn’t really aware of her crazy amazing talent. I knew she was always commended for her work on American Horror Story, but I’m a scaredy cat and could never muster enough bravery to watch a series like that. She really helped bring light to society that sexism still exists today through her portray of Marcia Clark. Yes, we have definitely made an improvement. However, it was so awful to watch her be mocked by Johnnie Cochran, Judge Ito and the media for being a woman in the courtroom, with the only emphasis being on her appearance and not her legal expertise. Clark being ridiculed over her looks was so important for not only my generation to see, but for everyone to see that we have made a slight stride in eliminating sexism; nevertheless, the battle is not even close to being over and is still a currently pressing issue.
I also found the show compelling because I happened to be taking the class, Mass Communication Law this semester. The show and my class aligned so perfectly, that I realized that I was making connections between the textbook material, what was playing out in the courtroom on the show and my own research. If this didn’t glue me to the television even more, I honestly don’t know what else could. When Mark Fuhrman kept insisting on using his Fifth Amendment right when the defense was questioning him, to moving the trial to Los Angeles instead of having the case play out in Santa Monica as a means of a fair trial remedy, I couldn’t help but apply what I was learning to the Trial of the Century. I probably sound like such a nerd, but it is so true. This is one of the first times I’ve actually enjoyed learning content that I’ve been taught in school because of the applicability of it.
So, now I sit here with so many feelings and emotions about the conclusion of the series. I usually don’t cry while watching movies or televisions shows, but I found my eyes starting to well up with forceful tears as the verdict was being read out and at the press conference led by the prosecution team. I couldn’t help but get so mentally and emotionally invested in this series. While I watching the finale, I couldn’t help but wish and pray that the verdict ended up turning out differently than it actually did. I wished that the Brown and Goldman family received justice. I wished that what I was watching didn’t actually happen. I wished that the series wasn’t over.
I’m consumed by this case, through the show, and I think that speaks a lot for my generation. For me to become so enthralled and involved in a case that I didn’t even witness in real-time, without a doubt says a lot. I’m so passionate with my beliefs that I hold, regarding what I watched and researched, and can only hope that millenials like myself feel the exact same way. It is important for my generation to be aware of this story and never forget it.
With that being said, I wanted to say thank you to FX, Ryan Murphy and his team, cast and crew for making my generation knowledgeable about such a controversial, tragic, heart-wrenching event that took place in American history.