The People v OJ Simpson

[EnthusiasmDisturbed]

Anyone else watching ?

Amazing programme.

What a travesty though.

And how did he manage to hide about 30m USD of assets?

Jonny Cochran used the OJ case for his own personal agenda he distracted them from the facts of the case they couldn't see past the colour of their own skin

Agree with this 100%

What is Marcia's book called?

I wonder if any of the jurors felt guilty later on in life?

Such a brilliant program.

i can't believe although I can really that the racist cop is not a commentator for Fox News.

So what do we think, did he do it?

Well, it is a bit like the Rillington Place case - what an incredible coincidence that a violent, possessive man who had previously beaten up his wife, lost his estranged wife to a violent person who also killed her lover, at his old house?

Yes I think he did it. It seemed authentic though that the jurors who were going to say not guilty were basing their case on the fact that it wasn't proven, not that he was innocent.

I still think episode 9 was the best of them all. I hardly breathed for that hour.

were going to say not guilty were basing their case on the fact that it wasn't proven, not that he was innocent.

I remember reading somewhere that some of the jurors would have acquitted even if they'd been shown a video of him doing it, such was the enmity against the LAPD at the time.

Cochrane's final speech was shocking, but effective. He was a clever man. I don't think he thought OJ was innocent. Shapiro certainly didn't and Kardashian never spoke to OJ again.

Good point Anna, what a massive coincidence it must have been for some random motiveless stranger to kill the ex wife of a know violent wife beater.

If he had been found guilty there would have been huge riots.
I'm assuming it had to be a unanimous verdict. I don't blame some of the jury, they just wanted to go home and if some people weren't going to be persuaded what is the point.

I thought all the cast were excellent and I didn't realise how closely they resembled the actual people until the end.

For some reason I thought Nicole's family raised her children. I think I just cannot fathom any other scenario because it just seems so appalling to consider that they would be raised by him, considering the circumstances. I've not read anything about them since they became adults but I cannot imagine how utterly warped & fucked up it was that they then grew up with the man who (IMO ) murdered their mother. Of all the things I've learned about this case watching this series (and it's been brilliantly done) that has shocked me more than anything.

I thought the whole series was brilliant

Loved the last episode when he really thought he'd come out to a big Heroes welcome

I thought David schwimmer was great in the last episode too

To the post who said So what do we think, did he do it? Is that a serious question ???

I asked 'did he do it?' I think he did, however I didn't want to sway anyone's opinions.

The thing that helped me make sense of the whole thing was watching The Help last week and realising that that was just 40 or so years before the trial. It was well within living memory and many people on the jury would have grown up in times where blacks people had to use different toilets etc.
That helped me to understand how fragile race relations were and still are in the States.

I have enjoyed this series so much. Last night was brilliant. I have focused on the things the prosecution did wrong all the way through and Marcias closing speech last night really made it clear to me that he did it.

I was finally sat there thinking how could they say he didn't. I suppose though if there is ever any doubt, and im not saying there was that he did it but for example when presenting the dna evidence 1 in x billion chance. Well there's still a chance though and some people will focus in on that.

I know we know the glove had shrunk etc but i wonder why more attention was never drawn to that?

I thought it was good they showed how oj was treat after his release. I have always thought through the series due to the great publicity he got and the following he seemed to have that he would go home to a heroes welcome but that clearly wasnt the case.

Did anyone take him sat crying as being his guilt? Was it meant to come across like that? I mean in the bedroom not the courtroom although i thought the same in the courtroom as well tbh.

I took his crying at home relief to be out rather than guilt but I guess that's the dramatised bit as we will never know if he did that. He did bloody murder Ron and Nicole though no doubt in my mind.

At the time I did suspect that it wasn't that the gloves had shrunk it was more likely he had gained weight.

I completely agree about his guilt. He definitely did it. The fault i guess lies with the LAPD and it was unfortunate that DNA evidence was a new thing then. I'm guessing if the trial was done now the DNA alone would have had him convicted?

Yeah i wasn't sure about the crying, i thought it was him showing some human emotion as all the way through the series i felt he was almost psychotic. He really felt he should be released and he knew what he had done.

Evidence all pointed to OJ. It is crazy to think the jury ignored all the evidence just because the jury was predominantly black.

With the gloves not fitting, apparently OJ had arthritis and hadn't taken his medication for a month before trying them on so his hands were swollen.

But. Even if they had fit, jury would still have got him off.

Narcissists only cry for themselves. He would never cry for what he did.

The fact his best friend never spoke to him again is telling.

Cochrane may have felt a victory for black people, but he destroyed hope for women in domestic violence situations. If something this high profile couldn't get a conviction, what hope do they have.

Fantastic production, excellent acting.

Hope they don't release him next year!

So what do we think, did he do it?

Well of course he did. The evidence was indisputable. I liked how the series, rather than looking at whether he was guilty (come on, it's a no brainer), examined how he was able to be found not guilty.

I am really going to miss this series. The casting was brilliant but Sterling K. Brown as Chris Darden was an absolute revelation to me - the emotion he portrayed with just his face was incredible to watch. That pulsing jaw! I bet his career takes off from here. Still disappointed in the casting of OJ though. Cuba Gooding just did not have the right look or presence for the role, especially considering how closely many of the other actors resembled the real life players. Heck, even the Rockingham estate looked just like the real one! One of the things about OJ Simpson was just how handsome and charismatic he was, whereas Gooding seemed to play him between cocky and childish and downright simple, for want of a better term.

At the end when the photos rolled did anyone catch the irony of Barry Sheck founding the Innocence Project and using DNA to exonerate innocent people? I liked how the ending brought us up to date with the main players and that it ended not with OJ but Ron and Nicole.

If anyone's interested it is fascinating to watch back some of the real footage. This is the prosecution's closing argument - Sarah Paulson absolutely had Marcia Clark down to a T!

I agree with your comments re the implications on DV Carrie - the almost flippant dismissal of the long list of DV incidents prior to the murder in cochrane's closing speech, with the comment that that history didn't mean he could escalate to murder. That's exactly how far many violent abusers will take things when there are no real barriers or consequences to treating partners/spouses in this way. I've lost count of the number of stories I've read where women have endured years of violence/abuse before ending up murdered. 2 women a week isn't it, murdered at the hands of a current or former partner? OJ being so famous/worshipped meant he was virtually untouchable & in all honesty Nicole never stood a chance in getting the help/protection she needed from his violence.

And I wholeheartedly agree with your comments Bue re Sterling K Brown - he was fantastic, really captured Chris Darden's inner conflict & frustration with the case, his role, his place within the wider black community & especially how deep he felt the impact of cochrane's tactics often at his expense. Brilliant performance.

It was such a travesty of justice. Everyone failed Nicole so badly from the first time she called the police out. I can't believe she kept a safe deposit box with evidence of threats and her beatings. She couldn't have done any more and they still didn't give a shit.

I hope the jury are ashamed of themselves. The irony of them thinking OJ was like them. . .

And yy to the previous poster who said about Sheck founding the Innocence Project. I wonder if that's his attempt to atone for helping to get OJ off? Marcia said she thought Sheck's treatment of their DNA expert was appalling and that he was the worst in a treating people badly way out of all the defence lawyers.

I think a similar case could still return a similar verdict today. Darden was right in his speech to Cochrane. Cochrane didn't achieve anything for black people. They are still treated unfairly. And DV cases and assaults against women still have poor conviction rates. It's all made me so angry.

But it was an amazing TV series. It should win all the awards.

We've just watched this on catch up and it was extraordinary.

I am so angry though- this was not a victory for civil rights at all in the way that Johnny cochrane identified. Rather, it was the defeat of justice by a powerful elite with enough access to money and power to subvert and manipulate and ultimately destroy the course of justice.

Poor Ron and Nicole.

It was interesting seeing the real footage of oprah's reaction; it lasted only a second,, but it was very telling.

I watched some of that oprah episode on YouTube a few weeks back all of the white audience members were shocked and appalled the African Americans whooped and hollered even Oprah looked embarrassed. One of them actually had the gall to shout that justice had been done.......when in fact the exact opposite was true

I see how it did seem like a victory. How a black man could be found innocent of the murder of a white woman, which not so long before he would have been almost certainly found guilty - regardless of evidence.

I would be very interested to hear what the people who at the time were cheering him being found not guilty feel about it now.

This is also in interesting juxtaposition with Making a Murderer on Netflix.

Just watching the documentary Rosie linked to (I really should be sleeping!). It's compelling watching, it's so like the programme though, the court room and everything is just the same as the programme.

Listening to Nicole's 911 calls are awful though, poor woman.