‘The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story’ episode 2 review: The White Bronco’s final stop
Two episodes in, and we are officially convinced that FX has something that is for the most part sensational in “The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story.” While it may be a story that so many of us have already heard, there is something still very much compelling about viewing it decades in advance. Could you imagine the White Bronco chase happening in 2016? Would it in 2016? It’s hard to know for certain.
What we do know is that this sequence when it happened brought much of a nation to a standstill, as everyone watched to see how the former NFL star found himself eventually arrested following a lengthy car chase that ended up back at his Brentwood home. After threatening suicide he was arrested, and in a way that was largely his terms. It was indoors, and he was spared further public humiliation.
The biggest asset that the series has at the moment is the performance of Cuba Gooding Jr., who is bringing some real weight to the Simpson role. We wonder if other critics are holding his past roles against him, but they really shouldn’t. This is power, fantastic stuff. No one else had a huge amount of screen time this week, though we do like how David Schwimmer is playing Robert Kardashian as a caring, yet understanding, man. He’s not trying to turn him into a pro-OJ guy who hates the police; he just wants the right thing for everyone involved.
Regrettably, the show does still have a terrible Kardashian obsession, choosing to give us a quick shot of Kim, Khloe, Rob, and Kourtney as if they are somehow important to this story (ugh); when that is the biggest complaint that we have about a series, though, you are doing well. Seeing the White Bronco finally come to a halt was extraordinary stuff, and we’re more enthralled in this true-crime story we already know backwards and forwards than many that are still floating in ambiguity. Grade: A-.
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