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The Assassination of Gianni Versace Recap: ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’

By Ariba Bhuvad

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The Assassination of Gianni Versace takes a dramatic political turn

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The most recent episode of The Assassination of Gianni Versace takes us deeper into the mind of Andrew Cunanan (Darren Criss) through an interesting turn of events. As you may recall, we last left Andrew at the lake house where he took David Madson’s (Cody Fern) life. A flashback takes us to April 1997 where we see Cunanan trying to convince American Express to give him a credit line increase so he can buy a one-way ticket to Minneapolis. What’s there you ask? According to him two of his “best friends”, David and Jeff (Finn Wittrock).

This episode is interesting because it focuses on homosexuality from a personal and political standpoint. At the time, Clinton passed a “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy concerning gay individuals in the military. This policy comes to light when the story dives deeper into understanding Cunanan’s first victim, Jeff Trail. Being a homosexual in the military, Trail faces the harsh reality of the resistance against it. The episode unravels his journey of discovering and facing his sexuality which ultimately leads him to discuss it in the darkened shadows of an interview.

Simultaneously, we see Versace (Edgar Ramirez) decide to be open about his sexuality to the world through an interview. It was interesting to see the different perspectives of two individuals coming out of the closet, one behind the curtain and one out in the open. This aspect of the plot spoke volumes about the political and societal culture of the 90s.

FX

It was a welcome change to see Versace back in the show, even for a brief moment of time.

After being cured of his “sickness,” he is ready to take on the world which leads to his decision of revealing that he is gay. He shares this with Donatella (Penelope Cruz), who does not share the same sentiments as her brother. She believes it will ruin the company name and prevent other companies and countries from doing business with them. Donatella blames Antonio for Versace’s sudden desire to tell the world he is gay.

While Versace grapples with his decision, the rest of the episode reveals the events that lead to Cunanan murdering Trail. We learn that Cunanan met Trail two years prior in a gay club when Trail was trying to embrace his homosexuality. However, over the course of the time he comes to know Cunanan, Trail realizes Andrew isn’t who he claims to be. Darren Criss’ portrayal of Cunanan shines so brightly once again as we see him face rejection and isolation from two guys he believes to be his best friends.

Ultimately, we know where this story ends and that Trail’s brutal demise is inevitable. Wittrock’s version of Trail was extremely phenomenal to follow during this episode. He not only represents an important societal issue of the time but embodies everything that makes Cunanan snap.

FX

This episode of The Assassination of Gianni Versace stands strong over the ones that precede it for multiple reasons. While the episode itself played out relatively slow and uneventful, it was the underlying issues that made it stand out. Tackling the topic of homosexuality in the 90s from different perspectives was a feat they beautifully achieved during the episode. Temporarily we are taken away from Versace’s story to understand a deeper issue that existed at the time. However, incorporating Versace’s reveal adds to the story and brought it full circle.

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As we reach the midpoint of the season, it will be interesting to see how the story develops from here and how it will all come together. We have spent a lot of time in the past but will we see the events that unfold following Versace’s murder? We sure hope so because that is where things are going to get interesting.

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