Technically, Monsters is good. This miniseries about the murderous brothers benefits from Director Ryan Murphy’s decades-long expertise in TV. It’s superbly cast and decorated, and like most of Murphy’s work, it has a glossy, addictive quality that makes it hard to skip, much less put down. But also like most of Murphy’s work, it’s highly erotic, which seems wildly inappropriate in this case. There are so many aspects of this story that deserve more attention—namely parental and male abuse and how those are often dismissed—so it’s unfortunate Murphy hones in on the homoeroticism between the brothers, who are played by beautifully sculpted actors. Their relationship is played up to suggest an incestuous fantasy. But meanwhile, in real life, the incarcerated brothers are still trying to prove their abuse to people who care to listen, a group that unfortunately doesn’t include Murphy and the people behind the series.
Synopsis
The story of the Menéndez brothers, who were convicted in 1996 of murdering their parents José and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menéndez.
Storyline
In the second installment of Ryan Murphy’s Monster series, the director re-tells the shocking case of the Menendez brothers’ murder of their parents, including the abusive history that led to it and the wild media fanfare that followed.
TLDR
I know accuracy isn’t the main goal here, but to create wild sexual fantasies over a case as sensitive as this? Come on.
What stands out
I think we can dial down the homoeroticism, especially since it can be potentially traumatic for one of them.