Libby Hill writes in the Los Angeles Times:
Johnnie Cochran (Courtney B. Vance) as depicted by “American Crime Story” understands the way the world works better than just about anyone. A complex man, driven by equal parts Christian charity and vanity, Cochran intuits the prosecution’s actions before they do, understands the perceptions of the jury before they can and generally luxuriates in the fact that he’s unquestionably the smartest person in the room.
But the series is careful to illustrate how Cochran’s brilliance isn’t enough to effortlessly free Simpson, as the lawyer’s true opponent isn’t Clark or the court or even public perception; it’s America’s institutionalized racism.
For all his insight and acumen, Cochran still fell victim to perceptions centered on the color of his skin. In “The Race Card” episode we see a flashback in which Cochran is pulled over by an unwitting LAPD officer who handcuffs the assistant district attorney in front of his daughters.
Race was always going to be central to the story “American Crime Story” was telling, but it’s difficult to say if the producers had any idea just how resonant the themes of the Simpson trial would remain in these modern times.
In “Manna From Heaven,” the Dream Team receives word that Ito is disallowing the inclusion of Fuhrman’s inflammatory recordings, outside of proof that he perjured himself while on the witness stand. It’s a decision that enrages Cochran, undermining his argument that the detective and LAPD potentially falsified evidence to strengthen their case.
He rages and co-counsel Robert Shapiro (John Travolta) tries to soothe him, saying, “I’m sorry you’re disappointed. I understand everything you’re going through,” only for Cochran to assure him, “There’s no way you could understand what this is like, Bob.”
Cochran understands the plight of being a person of color in America, particularly when it comes to matters of law enforcement. What “American Crime Story” wants us to realize is that, for Cochran, and for many Americans, the trial was the continuation of a conversation that began a handful of years before with the recorded police beating of Rodney King, the acquittal of the officers involved and the riots that followed.
When I read this, I immediately wondered, what kind of ugly person would write something like this? So I clicked on her name and found this:
“Libby Hill is a television reporter for the Los Angeles Times. Her TV analysis has appeared at Salon, Vulture, Rolling Stone and the New York Times. Hill, a native of South Dakota, has a passel of cats, too many books and a perpetually full DVR.”
Wow, she’s a reporter.
Who would’ve guessed she was a cat lady?
