The leader of the Menendez defense, Leslie Abramson, searched high and low for the reason the brothers shot their affluent parents. Erik and Lyle's stories weren't matching up, and she wouldn't be able to work her magic if they kept lying to her.

The detectives continued to look for evidence of the crime. They find the missing car, but no remnants of the murders are located in the vehicle. The murder weapons are gone without a trace, so the prosecution's entire case rests on the confession tapes.

Prosecutor Pamela Bozanich claims that children in poorer neighborhoods kill their parents too, and this case is no different than that. But, it seems that the District Attorney's office isn't asking WHY these kids killed their parents.

Erik and Lyle's aunt is right. It doesn't seem like the boys knew much about money. If you dig deeper into the evidence, killing their parents for inheritance doesn't make sense as the sole motive.

Pamela Bozanich: This is just a domestic murder with a bit of glitz.

_{🔗 permalink: This is just a domestic murder with a bit of glitz.}

Lyle continues to admire his father, even quoting him to the new therapist. The brothers continue to hold their father on a pedestal, despite alleging that he sexually molested them as children. What was unexpected was the revelation that their mother was complicit in the abuse. 

Kitty Menendez as a character has yet to be fully fleshed out. Hopefully, the trial will divulge more of her secrets. 

Lyle: My father had this creed he had us learn. ‘Today I will be master of my emotions. If I feel depressed, I will sing. If I feel sad, I will laugh. If I feel fear, I will plunge ahead. I will be master of my emotions.’

_{🔗 permalink: My father had this creed he had us learn. ‘Today I will be master of my emotions. If I feel…}

Lyle and Erik concoct this "brilliant" plan to confess to the murders to everyone they know. They might as well walk around with "KILLER" stamped on their foreheads. It'll be quicker for them. I understand wanting to own what they did, but they could do that in therapy (with a real psychiatrist, not Dr. Oziel). 

This begs the question, why is Leslie so hellbent on getting the confession tapes kicked out of court, but happy at the brothers telling their families the truth? Wouldn't they all just be called into court as witnesses by the prosecution? 

Leslie knows that Erik and Lyle are basically screwed, so she must figure that her only hope is to prove that the brothers were so psychologically tortured, that they snapped and killed their parents. She gets some confirmation of their allegations in the form of cousins from both sides of the family.

Lyle's lawyer heads to New York to find Glenn Stevens, hoping he will corroborate the statement that Lyle confessed to him that he was abused by his father. Stevens refuses and rebuffs the idea that Lyle gave him a good job. Glenn claims that Lyle used him, but he seems to be the selfish one in this situation.

Glenn: How can I help someone who did that to his parents.

_{🔗 permalink: How can I help someone who did that to his parents.}

Leslie fears that her clients will receive the death penalty. She tries to cut a deal with the prosecution, but they are refusing. Not only do they dislike Leslie, political pressure following the Rodney King verdict is pushing the prosecution to seek some form of justice for the public.

It's funny because it seems that the District Attorney's office just couldn't get a conviction around this time. Another case involving a teenage girl also sparked public outrage. It seems that the D.A. is pushing for a win more than a just end. 

It feels like The Menendez Brothers Episode 3 and The Menendez Brothers Episode 4 could have been combined, with the abuse allegations being revealed at the end. 

Lyle finally expressing that his father also molested him was like pulling teeth, but maybe that's the point. Lyle is so concerned with controlling the situation that he continues to put up a guard.

Lyle says that he just wants to protect Erik, but he doesn't succeed since Erik claims to have been molested up until two weeks before his parent's deaths. It was a good opportunity for the show to divulge into the psyche of sexual abuse victims, but instead, the best parts of the episode was Leslie cursing out Dr. Oziel.

Lyle: We knew they were going to kill us. Dad always threatened that. That he could kill us and get a new family

_{🔗 permalink: We knew they were going to kill us. Dad always threatened that. That he could kill us and get…}

I'm still waiting on the drama to ramp up as everything feels like backstory, rather than actual action. It is possible for a true story to have some suspense. Maybe as the trial officially begins, the courtroom will provide more tense scenes. 

What did you think of Episode 4?

• As a juror, would you believe Leslie's theory of self-defense?

• With the siblings in jail, will Kitty's family and Jose's family fight over control of the estate?

• Will we ever learn how Erik and Lyle planned the murders?

• Will Judalon Smyth ever go away?

Catch up on the show via TV Fanatic, where you can watch Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Brothers online.

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The post Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Brothers Review: The Defense appeared first on TV Fanatic.

The police find Erik's car in New Jersey, but there is no evidence present in the vehicle. Judalon Smyth continues to push her version of the story in the media. She states that she personally heard Erik and Lyle confess. After a series of appeals, the courts allow Judalon and Dr. Oziel's sealed testimonies to be opened. Attempting to defend himself against Judalon's allegations, Dr. Oziel refutes the statements of his former lover. 

Meanwhile, Lyle and Erik believe it best to confess to their loved ones. They tell their family and girlfriends about committing the murders, and being victims of abuse. After realizing that the brothers killed their parents, Kitty's side of the family seeks control of the estate. Not all of the family is ready to shun Erik and Lyle, as two cousins come forward and confirm that Erik and Lyle were sexually assulated by their parents. 

Leslie, realizing that these statements alone will not be enough, pushes Erik and Lyle to come completely clean about why they chose to murder their parents. Erik says he feared or his life. Lyle finally reveals that he was also assaulted. Further, the team uncovers pornographic pictures of the brothers as children, taken by their parents. Using a combination of the evidence, Leslie creates a theory of self-defense for Erik and Lyle. 

The post Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Brothers Season 1 Episode 4 Recap: Episode 4 appeared first on TV Fanatic.

With little time to spare in the episode, I was starting to believe that the show would draw out that revelation for a while.

At the very end, viewers got to hear the information that seems to be the only piece of evidence that could save the Menendez brothers. Leslie quickly realizes this is only possible if there is proof of the abuse.

Leslie's main focus is to keep Erik and Lyle from being executed. Throughout the entire episode, she was pulling out her lawyer skills to get the brothers to talk. How two rich kids managed to gather the hate necessary to shoot their mother in the face was baffling everybody. 

Leslie: You don’t owe those parasites a photo.

_{🔗 permalink: You don’t owe those parasites a photo.}

The members of the media are starting to intrude on the case. In their first hearing, a reporter came up to Erik and Lyle's grandmother to ask for an interview. The reporters only care about ratings, not that they are covering a gruesome crime involving two people who might get the death penalty. 

Judalon sure doesn't care about the case. It's very clear that she just wants fame from being close to the cameras. Her testimony was clearly full of lies, but Dr. Oziel corroborated the lies, and the judge bought their "threatening" story.

I can't quite grasp why the doctor would want his recordings let in as evidence, but then again, it's pretty clear Oziel is a horrible therapist.

Judalon knew information about the boys that she could have only learned from Oziel, who it turns out strangled a former patient. He was obviously milking Erik for money, without actually treating him.

Judalon's confession that Oziel was controlling her mind made her a bad witness, amongst other things. Maybe Leslie should have pushed for these hearings to be open to the public because the potential jury pool probably would have hated Oziel and Judalon after their court appearances. 

Leslie: I can’t imagine what kind of pain would provoke that kind of violence.

_{🔗 permalink: I can’t imagine what kind of pain would provoke that kind of violence.}

Speaking of appearances, Leslie seems to be complaining that the district attorney's office is using the media to poison the public against Erik and Lyle. The funny thing is, she's making her complaints while surrounded by hundreds of cameras and microphones.

Judalon: You said if I went to the police, I’d be dead in 2 minutes.

Dr. Oziel: Well guess what? It’s going to be a little longer.

_{🔗 permalink: Well guess what? It’s going to be a little longer.}

All the while, Erik was struggling during his time incarcerated. He clearly carries a likeness to his fragile mother, while Lyle is authoritative like his father. That is probably why Erik is the main one doing the confessing.

Erik genuinely seems to want help with his mental issue, while Lyle just wants to control the situation and drive the narrative. Lyle asking his girlfriend to lie about his father assaulting her proves that, but witness tampering also puts their case in danger even more.

Erik saying that he doesn't matter shows how tragic he is. Although Leslie's team is finding it hard to believe that a picture-perfect family would have sexual abuse in their household, anyone can see that the Menendez family had problems. 

There is evidence of the mother having mental problems and the father being extremely mentally abusive. Sexual abuse shouldn’t be that far of a leap as the defense team was making it out to be. I guess people really didn’t believe that rich people committed crimes like that in Beverly Hills in 1990. 

Erik: I can’t talk anymore. I need to be quiet. I need my Bible.

_{🔗 permalink: I can’t talk anymore. I need to be quiet. I need my Bible.}

Whether Erik is telling the truth or not, Leslie has to use this newfound information to her advantage. In Erik's dream, viewers get a glimpse of Erik and Lyle being led into a bedroom with their father.

Also present in that "dream" is Erik and Lyle's cousin. Maybe he can provide the evidence that Leslie needs to create a story of why the brothers ultimately snapped. I believe this is the same cousin who found tapes of Erik's conversations that his parents recorded. These tapes could come into play.

The evidence is piling against Lyle and Erik. With the confession tapes being admitted into evidence, that's basically a nail in their coffins. Further, the public now knows that the brothers used their friend's stolen ID to purchase guns. I don't know what Leslie has up her sleeve, but her all-women team seems up to the task. 

What did you think about this week's episode?

• Do you believe Erik's claim his father sexually assaulted him? 

• Do you think the tapes should have been allowed by the judge? 

• Do you feel an ounce of sympathy for the Menendez boys?

If you've missed any of moment of the case, you can watch Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Brothers online via TV Fanatic.

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The post Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Brothers Review: Motive appeared first on TV Fanatic.

While incarcerated, Lyle and Erik begin to feel the pressure of the case. Lyle asks his girlfriend Jamie to lie about his father. Erik and Lyle's acquaintances are interviewed by media outlets around the country. Leslie and her team of experts begin to understand that the district attorney is using the news reports to paint Erik and Lyle as monsters. The defense team tries its best to keep Dr. Oziel's confession tapes out of court. 

After both Judalon and Dr. Oziel both testify that they felt threatened by Lyle and Erik. Ultimately, the judge sides with them and orders that the therapy recordings be allowed at trial. Leslie, understanding that this is a huge blow for her case, digs deeper into Erik and Lyle's background. After bringing her own therapist in to help Erik and Lyle, the defense team realizes they may have a motive when Erik finally discloses that his father sexually assaulted him as a child. 

The post Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Brothers Season 1 Episode 3 Recap: Episode 3 appeared first on TV Fanatic.

It is probably the first time the boys have felt their freedom completely taken away. Although their father seems to have been very demanding (the way he spoke to Erik as a child was abhorrent), Erik and Lyle continue to hold their dad on a pedestal. It's like they respected their father and hated him at the same time.

Detectives Zoeller and Lineman start to receive a few gems of evidence against the Menendez boys. One of Lyle's best friends from Princeton offers incriminating evidence when he tells the police that Lyle once stated he wanted to kill his father for destroying his mother by having an affair. 

Erik, who seems to be in the middle of a mental breakdown, asks the detectives what would happen if he walked outside of a crime scene with a gun in his hand. That exchange at the dining room table was bizarre, to say the least.

Erik probably wanted to turn himself into the authorities at that point. He could barely focus and had to be rescued by Lyle before he gave too many details away. He even gave the detectives permission to talk to his psychiatrist, Dr. Oziel. 

Erik: I keep thinking of him, sitting there, encouraging me.

Lyle: Yelling! He was yelling at you Erik.

_{🔗 permalink: Yelling! He was yelling at you Erik.}

Erik also finds himself with a "friend" problem of his own, as one of his dearest pals works with Zoeller and Lineman to try to catch Erik confessing to killing his parents. This plan ultimately fails, but the brothers are way too trusting of their friends, who turn on them every chance they get. 

Eventually, Erik snaps and confesses to Dr. Oziel. When Lyle shook Oziel's hand as he left the office, the menacing tone in his voice would have prompted anyone to call the cops immediately. 

Lyle: Just remember what dad taught us, master of our emotions. If I feel fear, I will plunge ahead. You’re a Menendez. You’re going to do great things.

_{🔗 permalink: Just remember what dad taught us, master of our emotions. If I feel fear, I will plunge…}

Lyle is so focused on his grand idea of opening up a chain of hot-wing spots that he does not even notice the walls crashing down around him. Lyle's ego may be the reason he doesn't realize all the evidence, other than the confession, piled against himself and his brother.

Erik keeps repeating that his mother didn't deserve what happened to her. If Erik and Lyle were that upset at their father only, why didn't they just ensure that their mother was not home when their father was killed?

The fact that their mother was also murdered makes it seem like they didn't care about her enough to ensure she wasn't around. Was she just collateral damage for them to get the inheritance?

Erik and Lyle continue to see Oziel as evidence of their remorse. At $7,000 a month for Dr. Oziel, you'd think that amount would at least buy some discretion. The therapist breaking doctor/patient confidentiality himself by spilling information to his mistress was just stupid.

Even on Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Brothers Season 1 Episode 1, when he informed Judalon that Erik was his patient, that was a breach of confidentiality. Oziel deserves to have his tapes surrendered as evidence, but maybe a little part of him wants them to go to the police. 

Lyle: Everybody thinks we were this perfect family, but we were a disaster.

_{🔗 permalink: Everybody thinks we were this perfect family, but we were a disaster.}

Speaking of Judalon, it's always the mistress who causes the most destruction. Who lets their crazed lover (who was found with her head stuck in an oven) sleep anywhere near their wife and children? Why would a wife let a patient stay in their home? I guess people really believed nothing bad happened in Beverly Hills back then. 

One interesting fact that came out of this episode was the introduction of Robert Shapiro as Lyle's initial lawyer. Robert Shapiro is best known as a member of OJ Simpson's legal defense team that ultimately got an acquittal.

Leslie Abramson points out how Shapiro made a mistake by not insisting the death penalty be off the table when negotiating Erik's surrender. She's right. Shapiro made some of these same mistakes in OJ's trial. 

Leslie's personality as a defense attorney shines through this episode. No wonder she finds a way to get her client's off on their charges. She sees her clients as troubled people, rather than monsters.

This was apparent when she personally wipes contract killer Roberto's face after he is injured in jail. Bringing her clients some of their favorite foods is a nice way to gain their trust, so she can defend them adequately. 

Leslie playing the case in the court of public opinion through the press is also a smart move. She's turned the siblings' defense into a case about a violation of privacy rather than it being about spoiled kids who slaughtered their parents. Leslie seems to be the best person for the job in carving out some sympathy for Lyle and Erik.

Leslie: Mr. Reiner, who wants to be our attorney general, is at war with the most basic social contract we have, the doctor-patient privilege. Anyone of you who sees a doctor, or consults a lawyer, or confides in a priest, minister, rabbi, had better be worried, cause Mr. Reiner doesn’t give a damn about your privacy. Someone has to stop him, and we will.

_{🔗 permalink: Mr. Reiner, who wants to be our attorney general, is at war with the most basic social…}

This episode definitely picked up the pace compared to the premiere. The detectives riding in a smoke-filled plane was a nice touch as a callback to the 1980s. Although Judalon and Dr. Oziel's storyline seemed too fantastic to be true, maybe little nuances like that are what caused the case to be such a sensation.

If you missed the first episode, you can catch up on Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Brothers online via TV Fanatic. 

How do you feel about the second installment of the season? 

• What exactly didn't Erik tell to Dr. Oziel? 

• Will Erik and Lyle's family give up on the boys?

• What is the real reason the boys hated their dad so much?

• What ultimately caused the boys to snap and commit murder?

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While treating Erik, Dr. Oziel has difficulties in his personal life when his mistress, Judalon, makes threats to her own life if he refuses to leave his wife. Oziel eventually moves the frantic Judalon into his home with his wife and children, but the arrangement fails when Judalon makes upsetting statements to Oziel's family. When Dr. Oziel kicks Judalon out of the house for her behavior, she takes revenge on him and tells the police everything she knows that Erik and Lyle told the therapist.

Using Judalon's tip, the police are able to get a search warrant that uncovers the taped therapy sessions between Oziel and the Menendez boys. With the new evidence, Lyle and Erik are finally arrested on suspicion of killing their parents. Realizing that she may be the best to handle the job, superstar defense attorney Leslie Abramson takes over Erik and Lyle's case.

The post Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Brothers Season 1 Episode 2 Recap: Episode 2 appeared first on TV Fanatic.

NBC seems to be trying to capture the magic of OJ: American Crime Story, mixed with the format of Law & Order (complete with the "dun, dun" sound effect for scene changes). 

Maybe, it's because this pilot episode is meant to set up characters and backstory, but Erik and Lyle Menendez are about as interesting as a Wikipedia page. 

The story of the notorious Menendez brothers starts out with Detective Les Zoeller driving up to the Beverly Hills mansion where the bloody bodies of Jose and Kitty Menendez are found.

There, Zoeller is met by his partner, Detective Linehan. The two immediately become suspicious of the crowded crime scene when they notice the shotgun shells from the murder weapon are missing.

Detective Zoeller: Every time something bad happens here, the good citizens of Beverly Hills say it’s got to be the bangers, or the mob, or Charlie Manson. Always an outsider, cause nobody bad lives in Beverly Hills.

_{🔗 permalink: Every time something bad happens here, the good citizens of Beverly Hills say it’s got to be…}

As Erik and Lyle Menendez are introduced in an interrogation room, straight away, we see the differences between the siblings. Older brother Lyle remains calm and collected during questioning, while the younger Erik is hysterically crying about his father.

Although it's true that everyone grieves differently, the stark contrast in Erik and Lyle's behavior signals that they may know more about what happened to their parents than they are letting on. They even went back to the house to get their tennis equipment. Huge red flag there.

Erik: I saw smoke and blood everywhere. How could dad let it happen?

_{🔗 permalink: I saw smoke and blood everywhere. How could dad let it happen?}

This scene was funny in some ways because, if someone didn't know any better, they would think that Olivia Benson was about to step into the interrogation room.

Benson probably would have been a better detective than the one interviewing the Menendez boys. This sympathizing officer believed Erik and Lyle's story about not being home at the time of the murder because they were watching a Batman movie and meeting a friend.

Speaking from experience, real-life criminal investigators are usually suspicious of the person with a perfect explanation for every question. Did Lyle really think the cops weren't going to question the friend they were supposed to meet that night?

Turns out, the friend was Lyle's old tennis coach, and Lyle was the one who didn't show up to their meeting. That wasn't the only crack in Lyle and Erik's story. The police learn from Erik's former friend that Erik once wrote a screenplay about a boy who kills his parents for inheritance.

When Lyle and Erik are given their father's company card to tie them over until their parent's will is found, the boys immediately buy tailored suits and expensive watches.

Lyle and Erik come across as pretentious and spoiled. They even quoted Winston Churchill between tears at the memorial service. Lyle and Erik are much less Alex P. Keaton on Family Ties and much more Henry Evans in The Good Son.

Lyle even pays a computer tech to erase a file from his mother's computer that is believed to contain an amended will that leaves the boys nothing. This alone is probably the single dumbest thing a Princeton student could do, but then again, Lyle was suspended for plagiarism so fraud was probably not beneath him.

The evidence begins to pile up against Erik and Lyle, but in the late 1980s, the siblings probably didn't understand what kind of evidence could be used against them. The police didn't even know how to retrieve data from a hard drive, something kids do nowadays.

Detective Zoeller: Get rid of your parents. Get rid of the new will. Sounds like a plan to me.

_{🔗 permalink: Get rid of your parents. Get rid of the new will. Sounds like a plan to me.}

Without a will, the brothers are set to inherit $14 million. Lyle expresses his interest in buying a restaurant, with the dream of expanding to every college town in America. It's hard to tell whether Lyle is trying to uphold the legacy of his father as a businessman, or is just flexing his newfound financial muscle. 

Meanwhile, Erik reveals in a flashback that his mother battled debilitating depression. A condition that Erik seems to also be afflicted with. 

At times, Lyle seems more insecure and immature than Erik. Lyle admits to his girlfriend that he was never taught how to balance a checkbook, and doesn't know how to manage money.

Erick, on the other hand, is so preoccupied with his mother's depression that he doesn't mind if his parents were recording his phone conversations. He just wanted his mother to be happy.

Lyle: If you want success, you project it. You want people to be intimidated.

_{🔗 permalink: If you want success, you project it. You want people to be intimidated.}

One bright spot is hot-shot defense attorney Leslie Abramson (Edie Falco), who enters the equation as the voice of reason throughout. Instantly, her gut instincts tell her the brothers are guilty. 

Leslie Abramson: 15 shots from a shotgun… those poor people were blown to bits. Point blank to the face, back of the head. That is capital ‘A’ anger. There’s only one thing that can generate that level of anger. Family.

_{🔗 permalink: 15 shots from a shotgun… those poor people were blown to bits. Point blank to the face,…}

Leslie seems to have no problem defending morally-bankrupt clients, but the job of a lawyer is not to judge innocence or guilt but to advocate for the rights of the defendant. Her straight-shooter approach is realistic of most attorneys. Although, some might not be as cheeky as she was with the judge presiding over her hit-man case. 

Speaking of the judge, Anthony Edwards was a welcomed surprise in the role of Judge Stanley Weisberg. Most haven't seen him since his ER days, but he's sure to bring some excitement to the role. 

Overall, the episode was more informative than suspenseful. The flashbacks do attempt to provide some context, but at times, they seem more like scattered spoilers than plot devices.

Viewers were introduced to many supporting characters who are sure to be liabilities for the Menendez brothers over time. Lyle's girlfriend Jamie has an iffy past, Erik's psychiatrist is more interested in having an affair than treating his patient, and the siblings' cousin found secret tape recordings.

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All in all, the episode's pace was a tad too slow. Hopefully, the dialogue picks up a bit next week.

• Do you think the brothers killed their parents?

• Is Lyle pretending to be bad with money to throw others off the scent?

• Why are the boys constantly speak of their father, rather than their mother?

Share your thoughts on this initial episode of the fictional take on the Menendez Brothers story. If you weren't around for the original (and I'm sure you weren't), it was as big as the OJ trial (if not bigger) because they weren't celebrities. It created the true crime genre.

Weigh in below!!!

The post Law & Order True Crime The Menendez Brothers: Premiere appeared first on TV Fanatic.

Detectives Les Zoeller and his partner Tom Linehan look around a highly populated crime scene, and immediately notice that something about the evidence surrounding the bodies seems out of place.

Erik and Lyle tell the police they weren't home at the time of the killings because they went to see a movie and were supposed to meet up with a friend. Lyle informs the cops that his father's former business associates may have had ties to the mob, who are immediately considered suspects in the case.

As the rumor of organized crime starts to spread in the media, Zoeller and Linehan begin to receive information about Erik and Lyle that points to the brothers having a motive to kill their parents. A missing will, bounced checks and characters from Erik and Lyle's pasts lead Zoeller and Linehan to believe the boys committed the homicides. 

Meanwhile, Erik and Lyle attempt to continue their lives without their parents. Lyle tries to start his own business with his newfound inheritance, but Erik struggles to cope with the loss of his family.

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