America Crime Review: Season Two Episode Eight
There are some episodes of television so unique that they are hard to discuss. Not because they are bad, but because they resonate with the audience in a way that it’s hard to communicate the exact reasons why we love them so much. American Crime does exactly that.
It refuses to ignore the issues that shape our society. “Episode Eight” focuses on “the new normal” — the fact that hate, death, and guns in schools, movie theaters, and workplaces are what we deal with every day. And we really shouldn’t be dealing with this reality. We should learn to love each other and be accepting. But no amount of pleading from anyone real or fictional can make this change.
Except when you use real life testimonies intermixed with fiction.
The “wow” moments of the episode were the heartbreaking testimonies with a teacher from Columbine, the mother of a gay son who committed suicide and a genderqueer victim of bullying. The idea of telling their stories intermixed with the stories of Taylor, Leslie, Dan and Kevin was amazingly moving, gut-wrenching and at times too much to watch. They were reminders of the things we cannot stop.
We couldn’t stop Taylor’s rape or bullying or even him killing Wes. Leslie and Dan could have.
Leslie and Dan had numerous opportunities to take Taylor’s story seriously and to take action to prevent further violence from happening. But they didn’t. Instead, Leslie continued to be a spin master, only thinking of herself or the school’s reputation. Dan sat on the sidelines and did nothing to discourage the players from retaliating.
Which just makes the inclusion of these real life interviews unique and dishearting.
It’s sickening that we continue to allow tragedies to happen. That we accept “the new normal” instead of trying to encourage acceptance. It’s even worse knowing that human nature doesn’t allow this to happen. If you asked me back at episode one if I thought Taylor would ever kill a fellow student I would say you’re nuts. But the more I think about it, the more I can see how John Ridley and company sent Taylor and the rest of the characters down this dark path.
There doesn’t seem to be much hope at the end of “Episode Eight” that anything will change for Taylor, but his mother isn’t going to give up on him, and the audience shouldn’t either.
Other Thoughts:
- Leslie was understandably shaken by the death of Wes. She was the intended victim and could have been dead had she not been in the building that day.
- Felicity Huffman was simply amazing during her confrontation scenes with Dan that I forgot how much I disliked Leslie at times.
- Eric still has the worst mother ever on television. UGH.
What did you think of this episode of American Crime? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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American Crime airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on ABC.
Jessica Kreamer
Jessica has a degree in History, an MLA is Liberal Arts, and a great desire to consume as much quality television as she can. By day, she's an office worker and caregiver. By night, she's a tea drinking television fanatic. Her current favorite television shows include: Madam Secretary, How To Get Away With Murder, Jane the Virgin, and Veep. Her greatest wish is to make tea drinking into a payable skill. Follow Jessica on Twitter: @pythiaprophet