For Sally.

Jean-Paul’s Rating: 5/5 stars

Warning: This product was produced in an atmosphere that contains Kardashians.

Do you remember the O.J. Simpson trial? Well, let me be the first to tell you that, if you have not seen “The People v. O.J. Simpson”, you do not remember the O.J. Simpson trial. You remember the circus. The Bronco chase. Kato Kaelin (Billy Magnussen). The late night talk fodder. The Dancing Itos. The white shock. The Black celebration. “The People v. O.J. Simpson” brings you that circus, but it also brings you into the lives of the players in that circus, both willing and unwilling. It tells you the story that your TV wouldn’t tell you at the time and it does so in an incredibly enthralling way.

On the night of June 12th, 1994, Ornethal James Simpson brutally murdered Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. This murder set forth a series of the craziest events the justice system has ever seen, partly by design, partly by happenstance. The design portion is the result of the “Dream Team” legal defense team O.J. assembled. It consisted of his close friend Robert Kardashian (David Schwimmer), Robert Shapiro (John Travolta), Johnnie Cochran (Courtney B. Vance), and F. Lee Bailey (Nathan Lane). They threw a monkey wrench into everything with the hopes that it would grind the prosecution to a halt. The happenstance portion is due to the time the murders happened. 1994 was the dawn of the 24-hour news cycle and this trial was every news programmer’s dream. They looked under every rock and brought forth a gallery of celebrities and crazies to fill every day of that 24-hour news cycle for 134 sad days. Often lost during that time was the murder of two human beings.

As “The People v. O.J. Simpson” recalls all these goings on, it focuses much of its storytelling on the prosecutors for the case; Marcia Clark (Sarah Paulson) and Christopher Darden (Sterling K. Brown). I cannot imagine being either of those two. While most other players involved in the murder were used to pomp and circumstance and celebrity, Clark and Darden could not have imagined what they were getting into and both suffered terribly as a result both publicly and privately. There are a lot of people to feel sorry for in this circus trial, but none more deserving than Darden and Clark. Much of their story wasn’t told at the time and it is riveting hearing what the two of them went through.

The acting in the series is astounding almost across the board. The best are Courtney B. Vance and Sarah Paulson. They do a remarkable job of bringing Johnnie Cochran and Marcia Clark, respectively, to life. The only exceptions to the good acting are John Travolta as Robert Shapiro who you will want to punch in the face on many an occasion and Cuba Gooding Jr. as O.J. Simpson. In Travolta’s defense, I’m sure that Shapiro was very face punchable in real life. Cuba Gooding Jr. was not horrible, but was simply outshined by those around him.

What sets the series apart from most, besides it very compelling story, is its behind the camera work. The directing and editing are astounding. Scenes are set up just so and the editing and sound evoke emotion and tension wonderfully. The series’ many awards and nominations are a testament to this.

Ten episodes might seem like a lot for a story about a trial, but the series covers many aspects like Marcia Clark’s and Christopher Darden’s personal life (and *sigh* Robert Kardashian’s as well, where you’re annoyingly introduced to the Kardashian brood that haunt just about every aspect of our culture today). It also spends an episode focused on the jury (which, can you even imagine?) and the heavy doses of craziness that went on there. The jury episode is probably not entirely necessary to the telling of the story, but it is very important background for the inevitably not guilty verdict you know is coming.

“The People v. O.J. Simpson” is currently playing on Netflix and you should watch it if you haven’t had a chance yet. It is even worthy of a re-viewing if it’s been a while. It is a rare example of television done about as perfectly as you can possibly wish for.