Lizzie enjoys her acquittal, of course. She thanks the jurors individually per Nance’s advice, then stands before the unfamiliar flashbulbs of the press and announces her intention to create an animal sanctuary. (Oh god, Lizzie Borden is going Carole Baskin.) She marches out of the courtroom and travels in her carriage to the triumphant strains of the Andrew Oldham Orchestra’s version of the Rolling Stones’ “The Last Time,” familiar as the basis for the Verve’s hit “Bitter Sweet Symphony.” She’s just vibing joyfully…but she’s doing it without Bridget, who disappears for the entire trial and is only glimpsed in hallucinations and wishful thinking.
But then I think about the literal acting lessons Lizzie received to win a not guilty verdict. I think about the old-school cinematic irises that have transitioned us in and out of different scenes. I think of that curtain opening at the start of the show, revealing a toy piano played by unseen hands. Is The Lizzie Borden Story hallucinations and wishful thinking all the way down?
I reviewed the penultimate episode of Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story for Decider.
Tags: decider, horror, Monster, monster: the lizzie borden story, TV, TV reviews