The latest episode of FX's Love Story series explores the connections between John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette's experiences with media scrutiny and the tragic death of Princess Diana, highlighting the public spectacle and personal struggles of the couple.
The new “Love Story” episode offers fresh insight into how the royal tragedy affected America’s doomed couple. Spoilers ahead.Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette drew a line between the central couple and Princess Diana .
In the penultimate episode of the Ryan Murphy-produced FX series, the feverish tabloid similarities snap into focus when Carolyn turns on the TV to see news of a car crash in Paris. A couple of stray lines serve as a harbinger of the horror unfolding in the French capital even before the news reports reveal why Carolyn’s sister Lauren has called in a panic. As soon as John mentions the day is August 30, my ears pricked up. Even more so when Carolyn notes the next year is 1998.But the series isn’t trying to be subtle about the hounded-by-the-press parallels or how the public spectacle of this Parisian tragedy ties back to John-John’s experience as a child. Of course, there are also comparisons toin how creator Connor Hines draws on first-hand accounts and depicts imagined dialogue between the public figures in private spaces. Not to mention the, the princess crossing paths with Carolyn remains off-screen. “I just saw her at Gianni’s funeral. I sat right behind her,” says Carolyn highlights how the loft has become her refuge. When John gets home from a “violently fine” book party in Midtown, the topic turns to all of Carolyn’s issues with the Kennedy compound getaways.“I feel like I am on display,” she says. Her comments about how everyone scrutinizes whether she is drinking alcohol illustrate the obsession with the couple having children, which is coming fromangles. Much like Princess Diana, Carolyn has married into a family with plenty of rules .. Their two wedding gowns couldn’t be more different , but each woman made a permanent mark on), Pidgeon is impossible to look away from. Sadness and disbelief are etched on Carolyn’s face as she cannot turn away from the endless news coverage. Whereas John ducks out of the apartment to go for a run, Carolyn is glued to the screen like she is watching a version of her future play out. Of course, we are watching these scenesThe two-hander that unfolds in “Exit Strategy” begins on August 30, then cuts to a year later, when the marriage is even more fractured than before. In that window of time after John returns home from his run, the dialogue hammers home the Diana connection. “She’s dead. They killed her. She did everything right, posed for every photo, gave them everything they wanted, and theyWhen John simply refers to this update as “very sad,” Carolyn’s reply is visceral: “It’s monstrous. She was their princess, and they treated her like prey.” At its core, the push-pull is in how they handle the spotlight. John is like a Labrador puppy, happy to pose for some shots to get them to leave. Meanwhile, Carolyn refuses to play that game and suffers the slings and arrows. The very machine the show is critiquing is part ofThe spacious loft becomes the setting for two battles between the couple, which makes it seem like Carolyn hasn’t ventured out in a year. Instead of artfully smoking, Carolyn now lies underneath the glass coffee table, still trapped by circumstances. If the first 20 minutes revealed a couple willing to do anything for each other, the second half portrays a couple weighed down by expectation and the fame machine.. “I didn’t tell you to let the tabloids ruin your life. But you know what? I think there’s a part of you that enjoys this s--t with the press,” John says bluntly. It gets worse. “You relish it. It’s like you have no identity outside of your own victimhood,” he adds. Yikes!how hated I am. Of course you do because you’re America’s son, and I am just another tragedy you bravely endure.”Come the Emmys in September, I can see this clip accompanying what should be a guaranteed nomination for Pidgeon. Then, the Tony nominee can walk the same award-winning path as Debicki for another Princess Diana connection. In the early fight, John’s initial response is avoidant, then churlish, before Kelly leans into a boyish desperation. He disagrees that this is similar to what happened with his dad, citing that Diana’s kids are literal princes. The Kennedys don’t have official titles, but there is no denying they are essentially America’s royal family. What he is willing to admit is that the ongoing paparazzi scrum that greets the couple wherever they go is similar to what Diana faced. But it isn’t death behind the wheel that John fears. No, he is scared that Carolyn will never leave the house ever again.
John F. Kennedy Jr. Carolyn Bessette Princess Diana Ryan Murphy Tabloids
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