I watched this and was SO excited to see your reaction, I knew youd love the way it was shot!!!

What you said about the comparison is so true. Lately ive seen the brothers being compared, either by who is more the victim. Who is better looking or if erik should have not gone to prison while lyle should have. Erik has said hes seen those kind of messsges and its upsetting so maybe from what you said there it reminded him of how his father compared them. Its depressing how they can defend themselves, get rid of their abusers to then be punished. When abusers barley even do time in prison. Lyle and erik have both done amazing things in prison, lyle graduated and supports other survivors, its beautiful. I wish more spoke up about Lyle. They have respect and some power over the years in prison... many have spoke about what it was like in there with the brothers. X-raided is a rap artist who spoke about how they were in there and shown respect to him.

I still don’t understand why (and I know this wasn’t the case in real life) Ryan still chose to somehow add queer context into this show about trauma survivors, who already got enough scrutiny about this topic as it is. In the end of the episode Erik mentioned having a brief thing with another teenage boy (could very likely have been Craig), and how he felt like he enjoyed it. This was probably the only time that Erik ever felt like he had full control over the situation, and his abusive father wasn’t involved. I don’t think that he himself even understood the full context of everything, considering how confused he looked while talking about it. He may have envisioned in his mind, that a genuine need for human connection, and love was tied to sexuality. His view of love was probably distorted because of his father, and he could’ve very well mistaken a non romantic form of love for romantic. He may have probably also thought, that by experimenting he was able to prove on whether or not he was gay, or if he liked it. Just like how some gay individuals may experiment with the opposite gender to check if they were straight, and end up finding out that they are not. There’s even been cases of gay men who thought they were in love with their female best friends, and were even married to woman, to then realize that their feelings were of a very strong platonic nature.

This episode was so meaningful because it does not matter if you believe they were abused or not, if you had a similar experience, you feel every word of what he said😢.. I was abused by my babysister when I was 5 and I remember after that I kissed a boy and a girl who were my age, I did not understand why I did that but today when Lyle says he repeated some things on his brother, I understand 😢. And I feel bad because I remember they did not wanted it, I may have had traumatized them too..

I have lots of things to comment on, but I wanna comment about what you said at the beginning, about erik's smile and finding peace. I've watched the netflix documentary and the 3 episode spotify podcast of the brother's interviews that were used to make it, and it's amazing how different, but alike can erik and lyle be. ofc they have both grew and healed, but lyle seems to understand more how bad their parents were, but even tho erik also understands that he puts so much emphasis on the love he feels and felt and how he wanted to be loved, everything he suffered really took an obvious toll on him :(. also, in their healing process erik took a much more introspective route and released everything through art, while lyle took a much more extroverted route by creating programs mainly abt forming communities through trauma.

i genuinely feel so so bad for these brothers, i watched the documentary and im watching the testimonies + listening to the podcast, it's so heartbreaking to hear what they've been through and all the abuse they needed to endure, i really really hope they get released in november

omg i don’t know you from a can of paint but i love your energy and vibe through my screen lol KEEP GOING ❤❤

please watch the new ryan murphy show grotesquerie!! (i love your reactions so much)

I know this video is nine days old so you probably won’t see this, but Erik is not gay he has said it multiple times the actor Cooper Koch is gay and the brothers never had a weird relationship thing going on.

Can the theme of this one actually be "Craig Haters Club" ?

not the WIG SNATCHING

Great commentary! And I absolutely adore your smile :)

The mother was also abusive. She enabled jose and protected herself as much as she could. There were times she would get the boys in trouble so it would take the heat off her. She came off a sadist, she didn't protect them. She didn't pack up and take the kids away from that p*do. It's sickening the cases there are when women enable the husbands/boyfriends. She resented the boys she hit the boys and lyle said there was assult by her, like why have kids if you don't want them? But it was a perfect cover for Jośe, much like a serial killer when they have the white picket fence, the housewife and a bunch of kids. Both their parents were disgusting

One of my favorite things about the show was how in episode one in Eriks memorial speech he talks about how his mom always cared for the injured birds in front of their window to in this episode how Lyle talks about how she hated birds and shot them simply because they would get on her nerves. As someone who went into this show knowing nothing about the case. The first scene made me think “if she was such a great mom why did you kill her” and the fact that they bring up the birds here but in a completely different context and light really symbolized to me how the show completely flipped the narrative and perspective throughout and made the viewer go from doubt to empathy and understanding by introducing more and more aspects of this complicated family dynamic.

oh yay! i love that you’re also going to be reacting to the documentary! i love the way you react and explain things ♥️

Will you react or maybe just discuss the documentary released after you finish the series? I really like your theories on the show and even behaviour and body language etc. Also would love a Scream reaction the first 2 are my favourites.

19:20 I watched a lot of the court testimonies and it truly broke my heart how Lyle described that Erik always wanted to be involved and chime into a conversation but the dad would just yell at him to shut up or even physically hurt him. The parents made Erik feel so worthless it’s sad.

The prosecutor actually could not find one positive character witness for Jose with the exception of his secretary. People that even had minimal interactions with him have said he was intimidating, aggressive, etc. someone had said something along the lines of he was the scariest man they’d ever met. Defense experts have said Lyle was more similar to Jose, while Erik was more like Kitty. So you’re spot on with your analysis.

I hope both parents had a first class ride to hell . The shit those boys now men went through.

I’m not sure if I misunderstood what you got from commenters. The boys never were in an incestuous relationship. Nor were either gay. These were both extremely painful rumors the prosecution & media pushed because they didn’t believe the boys were victims of sexual abuse. At the time. They didn’t believe it was possible for males to be abused “they lacked the proper equipment”. I highly recommend the very newest Netflix documentary done on their story after you finish the series.

21:19 no he isn’t gay , he is married

Honestly could watch hours of the prison life scenes cause its interesting but added some comedy. How Nicholas yells Dimes cracks me up

11:12 aww noo i was waiting for the, "DIMES, DIMES, DIMES, MF DIMES" part 🤣

Episode 4 and episode 5 is so heart wrenching.

Again thank you for seeing the truth through the inaccuracies. Lyle mentioned that if it weren't for Erik, he would have taken the death penalty before confessing what he went through. He really struggled with the mentality that [men should take responsibility and suck it up kinda]. The show’s portrayal of him wanting to escape is just as inaccurate as the portrayal of his anger. His family always said he was a kind person. He did write a long letter to Erik, but it wasn’t an escape plan. They didn’t even use it in court because it made Lyle look better; in the letter, he says that he and Erik know they didn’t do it for money and that only they understand what happened in the house and why they felt they had no choice. So the prosecution couldn't use it for their [they did it for the money] argument. Also, the family fully supported the brothers then and still do now. Kitty and Jose’s sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles-all believe the parents were capable of the abuse the brothers described. Some of them were confided in by the boys when they were kids, Some witnessed things that all made sense once they heard the allegations. It’s heartbreaking, but they’re all still fighting for justice for Lyle and Erik.

i’m loving your reactions so much!! can’t wait for the next one! ♥️

Love Leslie (mother is mothering) and love that you love Leslie lol. Most people love her today though she was a bit unpopular at the time because she was defending the brothers. Imo people also didn't like her unapologetic personality. I think her kind of abrasive personality rubbed some people the wrong way. She didn't fit the feminine ideal of the period. The abuse by Lyle wasn't ongoing

37:54 ooh girl you’re not the villain, we all love her

If you're looking for suggestions for next series maybe Hannibal🤔 it's my favorite show and has a lot of creative shots, if you haven't watched it.

you're so right, it's a vicious cycle. and I loved when you said that's horrible the menéndez brothers have to suffer because karma had to get their parents. I adore your insightful reactions :D

You should watch the sneak peek trailer for the Menendez' Netflix documentary, it's about the letter that Erik was supossed to destroy. And yes, he kept it because it was a precious item to him since Lyle opened up about their suffering. Later on, it would force them to confess about the abuse.

Lyle and Erik did not actually come up with an escape plan, they were already separated since they were first arrested/put in prison

❤ 🎥

Why didn't you analyze the scene where Lyle kisses Erik?

33:35 I complete agree! Nicholas Chavez did a great job on acting as if he's "fake acting" as Lyle to get sympathy

It's interesting that viewers are picking up on the brothers' childlike decision making. While the show has inaccuracies, the theme of immaturity is real. Therapy experts testified Lyle and Erik had the mental capacity of 8 to 10 year olds at the time of the crime. Their parents' financial control and abusive treatment trapped them in a childlike mindset, making it much harder for them to just "leave" as adults.

There is literally NO evidence to corroborate that the brothers had an incestuous relationship! No witnesses,family or friends have ever mentioned such weird interactions happening. The only ONE person to postulate this concept was the prominent Author and Hollywood producer ‘Dominick Dunne’ who is known to sensationalise some topics. Seemingly Ryan Murphy ran with this concept as ‘Dunne’ had a theory that due to their history of abuse and childhood trauma with each other (explained more in depth later in the series), that the brothers had an incestuous relationship with each other. Although, this was just a theory from an outsiders perspective with no factual evidence, and was used more as a shock factor to gain attention. It is IMPORTANT to note a-lot of Murphy’s context and knowledge of the Menendez case is presented through ‘Dominick Dunne’s’ literary perspective (and ‘Dunne’ will physically crop up later in the series). Murphy has acknowledged and credited that the series is contextually derived in parts from Dunne’s viewpoint. So it does make sense to why some of the directive choices were made this way. Source below: Murphy breifly states Dunne’s connection to the series. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jXrEh4eGlKurptUsi=BfoBQTyNslfdZvrw

BEWARE: This drama portrayal of the case really is beefed up and showcase’s Murphy’s bias on the case. There is a-lot of embellished fiction integrated into the storyline. Lyle’s caricature is wildly out of character and is very nefariously portrayed. Like in addition to Murphy’s strange incestuous sexualisation of the brothers together (which their is 0 proof of). Lyle’s character later in the show is villainously shown to be lying to a reporter ‘Norma’ saying “he faked his emotions in court ”. In the real case this never occurred but he did say he had hopped him showing his true emotions would help get the jury on the brothers side etc… It really just takes a villainous approach to the brothers. A-lot of aspects of the case are fudged or embellished. The crazy thing in the 90’s the brothers were widely believed to be faking their abuse allegations. Retrospectively from a 21centuary lens many psychological profiles of the boys proved that they had all the hall markers of abuse. But in the 90’s the prosecution and public labeled the brother’s allegations as the “abuse excuse” and argued that “men could not be raped as they do not possess the necessary gear”. There were LOADS of family members/teachers/doctors/psychologists that corroborated elements of abuse they had noticed which built an overall horrifying picture. There were literally naked pictures taken by Jose (the dad) of the boy’s genitalia. Which was disgusting as they showed them to everyone in court. And recently there has been more evidence with people coming forward of being abused by Jose including a members of ‘Menudo’ a boyband under Jose’s record label at the time. As well as letters the Erik had written about the abuse to his cousin etc… But I guess everyone is readily able to portray and believe what they want to believe in relation to those case etc… But PLEASE keep in mind lots of aspects of the case are adapted to Murphy’s portrayal. I’d recommend you look into the case in your own time as it is fascinating as it was the first criminal trial for the court proceedings to be aired in real time to the general public.

I think you had a gay vibe from Erik because the actor who is playing him is gay irl. The show also portrays Erik as gay character but Erik himself said that he is not gay but only questioned it. Now, he is married to a woman

I would really love for you to watch the menendez brothers trial it was heartbreaking when i first saw clips of it

This show is so gross it’s inaccurate and Ryan Murphy’s responses to the backlash is icky

Erik isn't gay and the brothers weren't in an incestuous relationship, no idea why Ryan needed to make that a storyline.

The neighbors did hear the gunshots they just thought it was firecrackers. One of the neighbors son wanted to call the police but she stopped him and said it was Chinese firecrackers. The coach that Erik called after Lyle called the police was Mark Heffernan. Mark went to the police station and then the brothers slept over at his house. For some reason they have Mark Heffernan become his coach after the killings Marta Cano Erik’s aunt had Mark Heffernan go from Erik’s part time coach to full time after the killings because she was worried about Erik and wanted someone to basically be with him all the time. Lyle was also coached by Mark Heffernan but he kinda stopped playing tennis after new years. Erik has said he is not gay. They never bring this up in the show but the prosecutors tried to argue that the reason Erik and Lyle killed their parents was because the parents found out Erik was gay. Lyle’s friends in college and his probation report said that he never did drugs they also said he was a light drinker and preferred wine coolers to beer. The brothers are not in love with each other the show portrays their relationship very different to how it was in real life. Lyle was like a father to Erik and was his protector. Carlos Baralt was Jose’s brother in law and Brian Anderson was Kitty’s brother Lyle was named after his dad and his grandpa and his great grandpa and great great grandpa. All first born sons in the family were named Jose. Jose was obsessed with Lyle because he was the first born. A lot of pressure was put on Lyle to carry on the legacy. In 1987 Erik and his friend Craig spent three days at a cabin writing the screenplay. Craig and Erik were trying to find out a reason why the main character who was 18 would be rich. They threw out a bunch of ideas. Then one of them had the idea that the main character got the money by killing his parents. Craig and Erik don’t remember who came up with idea and because of that the screenplay was ruled inadmissible. Also in real life the brothers never claimed it was the mafia.

35:12 you said Lyle flipped a switch and that reminded me of this quote from him: "Unfortunately I don't have a switch. If I had a switch, I'd be fine. But I don't. I just have to go with what I feel... In my head it comes, the pain inside you, but that is no guarantee that it's going to come up" He didn't say this in a press interview or anything btw this is from a recording of a conversation he was having with a close confidante. Just an interesting thing in relation to his characterization.

Thanks for another insightful reaction! Couple things to note with this episode: 1) Lyle didn't do drugs. I don't know where that came from tbh. 2) Ryan Murphys approach to this show was to incorporate all opinions about this case into the show, even the more outlandish ones. There were claims that Erik was gay, which he repeatedly denied. He married a woman (as did Lyle). Murphy also incorporated implications of an incestuous relationship between Lyle and Erik, which has gotten the show a lot of flack and is probably its biggest controversy. That theory was pushed by a writer named Dominick Dunne, who you'll meet later in the show, and is generally considered an absurd and baseless claim. 3) Yes Lyle was a junior (ish. Joseph is an anglicized form of Jose). There's actually some really interesting testimony about that relationship. The defense basically testified that Jose considered Lyle the most important relationship in his life. His side of the family had a strong, strong emphasis on eldest sons and the carrying of the family name. "You're a Menendez". Lyle allegedly had a lot more pressure on him to succeed than Erik did. Erik meanwhile was characterized as being rather pushed to the side and very much ignored by Jose, which played a role in the psychology of his abuse. The show touches on that later so I won't get into it. Lyle testified that when his dad used to get home from work, everybody would come to greet him. Jose would hug or tussle Lyles hair, maybe acknowledge Kitty, and ignore Erik completely. Lyle took up most of his father's free time - he was always at his sport matches, they'd repeat phrases Jose wanted him to memorize to guide his life by for hours in living rooms, they'd break down every aspect of Lyles day at the dinner table while Erik and Kitty got no attention. Lyle and Kitty had a very bad relationship. He felt she hated him and said she said that he'd taken Jose away from her. Personally I feel all this time with Jose impacted Lyles personality more than it did Erik's, just from the way he can come across in interviews, books, recordings etc. Imo he has a bit of arrogance to him, though not in the ostentatious way Ryan Murphy shows it. It's the sort of thing you only catch onto after talking to him for a while. Erik was closer to Kitty and Lyle closer to Jose as a result of this dynamic. 4) Lyle never threatened Erik's life 5) As you seemed to catch onto, one of the things the prosecution actually latched onto was the boys never telling Oziel about the abuse. Pam Bozanich, one of the prosecutors, also argued that men "lack[ed] the equipment" to be raped 😬. It was also incredibly difficult to get Lyle to open up about the abuse at all and there's a quote from him that goes something like "if it weren't for Erik, I would've taken the death penalty rather than admitting that". I think that says something about why they didn't talk to Oziel... That and the guy being a scumbag 💀

The new ryan murphy show on hulu is Grotesquerie! The guy that plays lyle is also in it, only 2 episodes out but it’s def interesting

This show isn't bad but there are so much that didn't happen in real life, also everyone who knows lyle says he's not this angry person. I definitely believe them and no children should live that, they should be free

Loved the video and I actually watched this with my mum and I would say in my opinion I feel like most of the things were not 100% accurate about what happened but yet again we don’t know what happened in real life 💗

in my opinion if you hurt your children in that way then you had it coming. Everyone cheers for Gary Plauche and other swhen he kills his son's molestor or their rapesist but suddenly from people with the brothers it's "doesn't matter they still murdered". I've never seen a case show people to be such hypocrites.

I look forward to further in depth commentary as we get deeper into the episodes.