Were the Menendez brothers Monsters or Victims? Netflix revives the tragic story of the Menendez brothers with a Limited series based on the case.
After the success of the Jeffrey Dahmer crime anthology series, the same creators decided to bring another classic crime story to the eyes of a new audience.
The series “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” was released to viewers on September 19, 2024. Within its first week, the series received 19 million views, along with charting in the top ten on Netflix.
While the show is just as controversial as the case, the creators produced a well-received version of a twisted story. They also presented the audience with a plot that slowly reveals the major events of the case and how the outcome came to be.
Lyle and Erik grew up in a very wealthy household because of their father, Jose Menendez, a successful businessman. Kitty Menendez was a stay-at-home mother whose dreams had become subordinate once she married Jose.
The household was broken, and the brothers murdered their parents due to the sexual abuse their father caused while their mother did nothing. The brothers are opposites of each other, and their personality differences play a huge role in the story when it comes to making decisions after the homicide.
Lyle’s personality consists of extroverted energy and tough love; whereas Erik, the younger brother, is sensitive and has an introverted personality.
The two brothers go on a lying guilt spree, as well as an actual shopping spree after their parents’ death. Erik, being the emotional one of the two, could not handle the guilt and became suicidal.
On Halloween day, Erik confessed to his therapist, Dr. Oziel, that he and Lyle killed their parents. Not long after his confession, the two brothers were arrested. After the arrest was announced publicly, the media created many motives for the boys including that they killed for greed.
During two different trials, the public began to believe that the boys were psychopaths. The brothers’ lawyer tried to push the jury to sympathize with the defendants because of the abuse they endured while their parents were alive. Both Lyle and Erik took the stand in court to defend their case. Lyle testifies first and nearly wins over the jury; however, the jury did not buy their allegations.
This scene is the most emotional scene of the series, especially since it completely replicates the real-life testimony. After the two long unsuccessful trials, Erik and Lyle were sentenced to life in prison.
This case has many documentaries based on the truth about the traumatic events of their childhood. Many of these stories have resurfaced today along with new evidence of the suffering of the two boys during their crime. The Los Angeles County district attorney George Gascon is currently appealing to a judge to offer a lesser sentence for the pair.
The show visually demonstrates the incident and the traumatic childhoods of the brothers. Comedic relief is also displayed many times throughout all nine episodes. Due to the success of the American biographical crime drama anthology television series “Monster,” Netflix will be introducing more intriguing seasons to come.
by JC Roberts
