The standout TV series of the year. But is murphy a reliable director? Let’s discuss!
As season two of Ryan Murphy’s newest anthology series Monster releases on Netflix and subsequently blows up on Tik Tok, the Menendez case is once again brought to light in the media. In 1989, after years of abuse from parents Jose and Kitty Menendez, 18 and 21 year old Erik and Lyle Menendez shot their parents inside their Beverly Hills home. The series follows the events of the murder and trial and showcases the reactions from the media. As the audience’s interest moves from the dramatized series to the actual real life case, fans begin to realise numerous scenes are embellished to fit Murphy’s interpretation. As Erik and Lyle have spoken out and slammed the Netflix series with Erik stating the insinuation the brothers had an incestuous relationship amidst the sexual abuse is “blatant lies” and “vile,” it makes us consider whether Netflix true crime documentaries favour fiction over fact.
Kim Kardashian has taken a shine to her brother’s case as a part of her journey working on prison reform for convicts over the past 6 years. Recently she paid them a visit in prison with actor Cooper Koch, who portrays Erik in the series. Kim’s essay advocating for the brother’s release was uploaded to her instagram, she wrote;
 “I have spent time with Lyle and Erik; they are not monsters. They are kind, intelligent, and honest men. In prison, they both have exemplary disciplinary records. They have earned multiple college degrees, worked as caregivers for elderly incarcerated individuals in hospice, and been mentors in college  programs — committed to giving back to others,”
Lyle and Erik themselves have been involved with lobbying for prison reform. In 2018 they founded a beautification initiative, aiming to make prisons more habitable and lively by painting murals in the prison walls. They also are campaigning to transform prisons into a “college campus” environment where prisoners are encouraged to earn degrees which will help them upon release.
Murphy has also been criticized for casting Cooper Koch and Nicholas Chavez as Erik and Lyle respectively. Audiences fear that by casting two attractive actors to play the brothers, and the inclusion of oversexualised scenes is taking away from the horror the brothers actually faced. Kim Kardashian wrote in her essay, “The media turned the brothers into monsters and sensationalized eye candy,” which still applies today. Between the unnecessary nude scenes sexualising Lyle and Erik, and Koch and Chavez being Tik Toks current hype where younger audiences have created content that seemingly romanticizes the brothers, with thousands of edits and videos being posted daily, some even reaching over 40 million views with near 5 million likes. Sexualisation in regards to true crime stories illustrates how real tragedies are exploited for sensationalism in the media and blurs the line between perpetrator and victim.
Despite living in a modern world where most people have access to technology, we still see a lack of media literacy and critical thinking on a daily basis. This leads to viewers being more susceptible to accepting dramatized or distorted versions of events as fact. Ryan Murphy’s dramatization highlights certain elements for shock value or audience engagement rather than providing a balanced or fully factual recounting of the brothers’ experiences.
Although it is understandable Ryan Murphy would like to have a deeper audience engagement by adding humorous or exaggerated scenes, it is important to be truthful and respect the real lives affected. While Netflix does focus on presenting true stories for their subscribers, these adaptations often walk a fine line between fact and fiction, raising ethical concerns about distorting narratives for entertainment purposes, especially with topics dealing with sensitive subject matter, such as the abuse these brothers faced their entire entire lives