The Assassination of Gianni Versace recap: Creator/Destroyer

The Assassination of Gianni Versace takes us back to Andrew Cunanan’s turbulent childhood.

Remember when we caught ourselves eye-rolling every time Andrew Cunanan told a story? Well, the joke’s on us because this week’s episode of The Assassination of Gianni Versace gives us a glimpse into Cunanan’s life as a kid/teenager, and the revelation that many of his lies were actually the truth.

His dad was indeed a stockbroker that worked at Merrill Lynch, and yes, he was given the master bedroom to sleep in, along with a car long before his legal driving age, and in the present, his father does live in the Philippines.

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However, this episode also reveals just how turbulent his childhood was and the moment something inside of him snapped. The episode slightly urges you to sympathize with him as you begin to understand where it is he comes from.

Appropriately named, “Creator/Destroyer,” this episode illustrates just that. A lot of who Andrew Cunanan is in the later episodes is a result of the man who created and destroyed him, his father.

Growing up, Andrew was his father’s favorite child, as if the other two kids didn’t even exist. His father would always preach to him about status and recognition, the only two things he believed mattered in life. His father is overjoyed when Andrew gets into a fancy school, and this sets the stage for the audience to see Andrew begin to grow into the man we see him become.

At school, he is named “most likely to be remembered” (ironic, right?) and is even dabbling in an affair with a married man who reminds Andrew that their relationship is all fun. At the time, Andrew wasn’t exactly the murderous liar he would go on to become, but being the center of attention was extremely important to him — case in point, dancing in the middle of a party dance floor in a shiny, red jumpsuit.

The episode also takes us back momentarily to Versace’s childhood in Italy as he struggles with the desire to be a designer, even at a young age. He is ridiculed in school by his peers and teachers but finds comfort and approval from his seamstress mother who supports his desire to be a designer. While Versace’s mom gave him the support he needed, Cunanan’s father shot down Andrew’s passion to become a writer because it wouldn’t bring in the money.

As time moves forward in the episode, we see Andrew’s dad, Modesto, no longer working at Merrill Lynch, but in a depressing cubicle-friendly office. It appears his years of cheating people out of their money is catching up to him, perhaps the reason he was let go from Lynch and has jumped around from job to job. This is where the episode takes a turn when Modesto’s shady activities catch the attention of the FBI.

As the FBI shows up at his work, Modesto sprints out of there to make his escape. Little did his family know that he was aware this day would come and prepared for it. He sold the house, emptied the bank accounts, and booked a one-way ticket to the Philippines, leaving Andrew and the rest of the family to fend for themselves.

Andrew refuses to believe that Modesto would leave them penniless and defends him to his mother. His mother knows this is far from the truth but nonetheless lets Andrew fly off to the Philippines to find his father and get some money. Upon facing his father, Andrew quickly realizes his father has no intentions of helping them as he spits on Andrew’s face telling him “Weak, like your mother.” Disheartened and broken, Andrew returns home where everything has been packed up as they now must look for a place to live.

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As the episode comes to an end, we see Cunanan enter a pharmacy (the same one from last week’s episode) where he gets a job and tells his first lie — his father owns pineapple plantations in the Philippines. This is the moment that Cunanan begins the long journey that inevitably leads him to Versace’s doorsteps.

The season finale of The Assassination of Gianni Versace airs Wednesday, March 21st at 10 P.M. EST on FX.

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