From the Ashes of Tragedy
- Episode aired Feb 2, 2016
- TV-MA
- 58m
The murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman lead the LAPD to the home of O.J. Simpson.The murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman lead the LAPD to the home of O.J. Simpson.The murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman lead the LAPD to the home of O.J. Simpson.
- Judge Lance Ito
- (credit only)
- F. Lee Bailey
- (credit only)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe episode won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Limited Series or Movie.
- GoofsAccording to Marcia Clark, the phone call that informed O.J. of Nicole's death was slightly different. She says that the police officer told O.J. that Nicole was "dead" and that Simpson's response was "Who killed her?", something the police found suspicious since they had not specified that she had been murdered, as opposed to having died accidentally.
- Quotes
Detective Phillip Van Atter: [on tape] O.J., when was the last time you saw Nicole?
O.J. Simpson: [on tape] Yesterday, when we were leaving our daughter's dance recital. It ended at about, uh, 6:30, 6:45, something like that.
Detective Phillip Van Atter: [on tape] And what time did you get back home?
O.J. Simpson: [on tape] Oh... 7:00-something. I'm trying to think... Did I leave? You know, I had to run and get my daughter, uh, recital flowers. Then I called my girlfriend Paula as I headed to her house. And Paula wasn't home.
Marcia Clark: What... what did he say? Did he buy flowers before or after the recital? Did he even go to Paula's house?
Gil Garcetti: Shh.
Detective Phillip Van Atter: [on tape] And when did you park your Bronco on Rockingham?
O.J. Simpson: [on tape] 8:00-something. 7:00. 8:00... 9:00--I don't know, around that area. And then I was sitting with Kato. He hadn't done a Jacuzzi, so we went and got a burger.
Marcia Clark: '7:00, 8:00, 9:00.' That's not an answer. Guys, lock him to a timeframe. Pin him to a version of the story he can't change later!
Detective Phillip Van Atter: [on tape] And what about your left hand there? How did you get that injury?
O.J. Simpson: [on tape] Oh, I don't know. Uh... the first time I was in Chicago. Yeah, and I got back to the house, and I was running around and, uh, I broke a glass. Yeah, and then one of your guys just called. Uh, actually, uh... uh, I cut it before. Maybe I opened it. But it's no big deal. I bleed all the time. I golf, you know.
[chuckling]
O.J. Simpson: It's always something. Nicks and stuff, yeah.
Gil Garcetti: [stopping the tape] That's it.
Marcia Clark: Well, I can't tell. Did he cut his hand in Los Angeles or Chicago? How did he injure himself? This is a fiasco! Why did the cops tolerate it?
Gil Garcetti: 'Cause they're not used to grilling a star. He's The Juice. He rushed more than 2,000 yards in one season.
Marcia Clark: I have no idea what that means, but you know what? It shouldn't matter. He got away with beating her, he's not gonna get away with killing her!
- ConnectionsFeatured in The 68th Primetime Emmy Awards (2016)
O.J. Simpson (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) is in his Chicago hotel when he receives a phone call from the L.A. police telling him that his former wife has died. Soon Simpson realizes that he's a prime suspect so he hires Robert Shapiro (John Travolta) to defend him while Marcia Clark (Sarah Paulson) builds her case.
I've seen so many documentaries on the O.J. Simpson case that I almost feel like an expert in regards to the subject. I really wasn't sure what to expect from this television series but it actually gets off to a very fast and entertaining spot. The film manages to hit on the biggest moments of the early stage including the murder, O.J.'s reaction and of course the early evidence that leads to the now infamous Bronco chase.
I will comment more on the performances after the series was over but I will say that some of the name-dropping is a tad bit annoying. With that said, even though most people are going to be familiar with the case, this episode does a very good job at building up some tension and there's a brilliantly done sequence with O.J. walking into his ex-wife's funeral.
Episode: A-
- Michael_Elliott
- Feb 15, 2016
Details
- Runtime58 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.78 : 1