By Solé Scott
Editor in Chief
Jay’Mi Vazquez
Managing Editor
photo | Instagram
Lyle and Erik Menendez during their sentencing portrayed in the show in the eighth episode, “Seismic Shifts.”
Netflix has released a new controversial docuseries, “Monsters,” which delves into the notorious case of Erik and Lyle Menendez.
Director Ryan Murphy truly turned a traumatic case into a series of questionable retellings of the alleged sexual relationship between the two Menendez brothers.
Still, “Monsters” had amazing casting which elevated the storytelling. Nicholas Alexander Chavez as Lyle Menendez and Cooper Koch as Erik, gave viewers amazing performances.
The music selections were immaculate. Most songs from the series were added to my playlist.
Although the story-telling is compelling, several aspects of it are dramatized.
Murphy blended fact and fiction, altering the reality of the case, which left viewers questioning the authenticity of certain portrayals.
One notable scene in the seventh episode, “The Legacy,” depicts the brothers’ emotional reactions during the beginning of their trial.
For some reason, the show suggests a lack of remorse that critics argue misrepresents their real-life complex psychological states.
Additionally, the show dramatizes their confessions, implying they were coerced into admitting guilt, which oversimplifies their motivations and familial trauma.
Furthermore, the depiction of their affluent upbringing glosses over critical details about their abusive environment, leading to a skewed understanding of the factors that contributed to their actions.
As someone who had little knowledge of the Menendez brothers until they were trending on TikTok during the pandemic, I must say this series glorified the murder case and tried to paint the parents as somewhat innocent.
I am confused about who the titular monsters are after watching this series. Is it the brothers, the parents, or the many people that knew about the abuse in that house of horrors but did not intervene?
This confusion only elevated more at the end of episode eight when viewers get a flashback of the family fishing trip the day before the murders in which Jose and Kitty are portrayed as two parents enjoying their day and trying to fix their family issues.
Murphy’s choice to try and humanize the parents was despicable and disgraceful.
It seemed to me that Murphy was trying to rewrite history by including a scene where Jose called his mother crying late at night to confront her about sexually abusing him. In fact, this scene cemented my hatred for him because he repeated the revolting pattern on his own children.
Murphy commented about the brothers in The Hollywood Reporter.
“But that’s what I find so fascinating; that they’re playing the victim card right now — ‘poor, pitiful us’— which I find reprehensible and disgusting,” Murphy said.
VOL. 64- ISSUE 5
