NBC
Whew, this was a rough episode. After sitting through testimony from the Menendez brothers’ “friends” (who basically lied), relatives and therapist, it was time for Lyle and Erik to testify in their defense. And Leslie Abramson is certain that once the juries hear their stories of abuse, they’ll be able to deliver a fair sentence. But man, that judge is all over Leslie’s case, accusing her of using her gender in her line of questioning. Perhaps he felt she was trying to appear “motherly” (and she does hug and hang on to Erik just a little too much), but it really doesn’t seem like the boys have any chance of a fair trial, especially when the judge overrides a higher court’s decision that one of Dr. Oziel’s tapes cannot be used as evidence. But Leslie one ups the judge and exercises her prerogative to present the tape to the jury herself.
In addition to the brothers, Leslie had the chance to put Judalon back on the stand to make mincemeat of her story and discredit Oziel at the same time. The episode’s one funny moment came when Judalon said she never wanted to have children with Oziel because she didn’t want the kids to look like him. And Oziel got to see the whole thing on Court TV. It was priceless. Leslie also tore down the testimony of Lyle’s ex-girlfriend who claimed she’d fly to California from New Jersey and go through law books for Lyle to find crimes where children killed their parents and were acquitted. She claimed to have found three cases where that happened but Leslie pointed out that the book she claimed to use for that information only published convictions. And she also had the girl’s time card from work showing she worked siz days a week so how did she find time to fly to and from California to do all that work? All of these people should be trotted out in handcuffs for perjuring themselves!
NBC
The real meat of the story though was the testimony of Lyle and Erik, and the episode cleverly edited both testimonies together in a back and forth with the two giving a complete picture of their abuse. To say it was harrowing is putting it mildly. I never thought we’d hear, on network television, people talking about penis massages, toothbrushes in anuses, and forced oral and anal sex on a child by an adult. And to get some visceral flashbacks of the threats Jose made to his sons and how their mother told them to stop lying — and then telling Erik she always knew what was going on — was emotionally draining to watch. I have to tip my hat to Miles Gaston Villanueva (Lyle) and Gus Halper (Erik) for delivering some truly emotional, raw performances. And kudos to Edie Falco for really reigning herself in this week.
After hearing those stories though, and knowing in actuality how this story ends, we’re left now with only two episodes remaining wondering what’s to come to sway the juries, which seemed to be deeply touched and disturbed by the stories, away from rendering the hoped for verdict of involuntary manslaughter.
Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders airs Tuesday at 10 PM on NBC.
What did you think of this episode? Do you believe the brothers’ stories of abuse or was it always just about the money? Tell us what you think!
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