‘The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story’ episode 3 video: The Johnnie Cochran debate
Tuesday night’s new episode of “The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story” marks the first time on the FX series that we have seen the football icon behind bars, and with this comes a significant debate: How do you find the right person to represent Simpson when there is so much mounting evidence against him?
As the sneak peek below reveals, much of Robert Shapiro’s strategy seems to be about race first and foremost. Intercut with Marcia Clark hearing that many African-Americans do not think that OJ is guilty in the shadow of the Rodney King crisis, we hear Shapiro pleading with OJ to hire Johnnie Cochran for the case. OJ resists at first, feeling as though this is not a racial issue. The promo ends with Simpson proclaiming “I’m not black! I’m OJ!” as a self-declaration of him being above any such designation.
We’re not even going to dive into a discussion as to whether or not emphasizing race was the right strategy for Shapiro and his team, given that we were not in the room and it’s hard to really comment on racial unrest decades after the initial event happened. What we do know is how the case ended, and from the outside looking in these scenes should make the series all the more compelling.
Also, it also should be remembered that race is not the only significant factor in what made this case what it was so many years ago. You also have to considered OJ’s celebrity status as a huge component of the case, especially since at this point it has already played a significant role. Also, think about economics. There is no way that the prosecution can ever match the amount of money that Simpson and his team can spend mounting a defense, and these sort of resources also have an impact on the perception of the case.
For now, our advice to you is to head over here to read our most-recent “The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime” story review. Also, sign up over here to get some other news on everything we cover, sent right over to you via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: FX.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9GCqPoXodk