> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://go-fug-yourself.ghost.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Fug the Show: The People vs. OJ Simpson recap, episode 5, "The Race Card"
- URL: https://go-fug-yourself.ghost.io/fug-the-show-the-people-vs-oj-simpson-recap-episode-5-the-race-card/
- Published: 2016-03-08T17:00:33.000Z
- Updated: 2016-03-08T22:43:32.000Z
- Author: Jessica  
- Tags: #wp, #wp-gallery, #slideshow, #Import 2026-10-07 07:46

## 1985

![The People Vs OJ Simpson Recaps](https://storage.ghost.io/c/bf/b9/bfb99790-924d-4e41-a7e6-5e3c6e04fe57/content/images/static-gofugyourself-com/uploads/2016/03/img_2801.jpg)

We open with an unsettling and upsetting flashback, wherein Johnnie Cochran is taking his two adorable and smart little girls to dinner at Hamburger Hamlet in Westwood (where, fun fact, I once sat across from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who was eating a shrimp cocktail) when he is pulled over by a traffic cop because -- as he puts it -- he's a black guy driving a nice car in a mostly white neighborhood. And although Johnnie tells the cop to run his plates and find out who he is, the cop makes him get out of the car and cuffs him, all of this happening in front of Johnnie's two sweet little kids. (Who, before the police officer gets to their car, get a lesson from Johnnie that they've obviously heard before: SAY NOTHING TO THE POLICE AND ALWAYS ASK FOR YOUR LAWYER.) When the cop DOES run the plates, he comes back and apologizes...to ADA Cochran. And Johnnie gets back in the car -- having been treated like a criminal for no good reason in front of both his kids and all of Westwood Village, and one of his little girls asks if the cop called him the n-word (which she says). "He didn't need to," Johnnie tells her, before telling the girls that he doesn't ever want them to use that word. "It's a terrible word. You hear me?"

This whole scene was really effective, I thought -- both in terms of reminding us of the many reasons Los Angeles residents, especially people of color, disliked and distrusted the LAPD; in terms of setting up so much of what this episode is about -- literally, at one point, that specific terrible word; and in terms of continuing to portray Johnnie Cochran as a hugely sympathetic character, a good lawyer, and a really really good Dad. He is so reassuring and kind to his girls, it broke my heart. It's also extremely disheartening to see this scene and think about how little progress we've made in the last thirty years.

## Hats

![The People Vs OJ Simpson Recaps](https://static.gofugyourself.com/uploads/2016/03/IMG_2803.jpg)

Back into the future, a bit. Here in 1995, Johnnie and his wife, Dale, are at church and Dale's hat could not pass by without compliment, because it's awesome. (As are all the background hats, of course. I love the yellow one even though it seems like it might be impeding that woman's eyesight.) This also seems like a good place to note that I think Keesha Sharp is extremely pretty, and I find all of her scenes with Johnnie to be really effective.

## Press Conferences

![The People Vs OJ Simpson Recaps](https://static.gofugyourself.com/uploads/2016/03/IMG_2804.jpg)

I must additionally note that apparently this church service or, at the very least, everyone's exit from church, was on local TV. I don't REMEMBER that -- but I was for sure asleep on Sunday morning when this would have been happening. Here, Johnnie basically announces that Darden is only on the prosecution's team because he's black. And this sends Darden for a loop. Darden is obviously a good lawyer, but he suspects that he IS on the team in part because he's black, because it would be bad optics for the DA to be trying OJ with an entirely white table of lawyers. (He's also, of course, on the case because he knows Johnnie better than anyone -- and Johnnie knows him, and therefore knows that this is a way to get at him.) Darden's struggle with this is really compelling and moving, as it would be -- and while Marcia assures him that he's there because he's the best man for the job, I don't think that either of them believe that to be the complete story, and Marcia doesn't handle any of this with anything better than vagueness and hand-waving.

## Important Artwork

![The People Vs OJ Simpson Recaps](https://static.gofugyourself.com/uploads/2016/03/IMG_2805.jpg)

So, this was another piece of brilliance. I don't know how based in fact this is. But, here, Shapiro is having a total tantrum about F Lee Bailey because Flee leaked to the New York Daily News that Shapiro is in over his head. (When he FINALLY joins the defense team meeting, he calls Bailey, "Judas," to which Bailey retorts, "I suppose that makes you Jesus? WHY DON'T YOU BLOW IT OUT YOUR ASS, BOB?" Elegant!) That he does this all in front of a print of [the famous, iconic Norman Rockwell painting The Problem We All Live With](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The%5FProblem%5FWe%5FAll%5FLive%5FWith?ref=go-fug-yourself.ghost.io), which depicts six-year-old Ruby Bridges on her first day as the only black student in a newly desegregated elementary school, really drives home the point that Shapiro has NO PERSPECTIVE ON ANYTHING. ([If you are unfamiliar with Bridges's story, you should absolutely read her Wikipedia page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruby%5FBridges?ref=go-fug-yourself.ghost.io).) You are whining about an unfavorable story about yourself in a tabloid in front of a painting of A SIX YEAR OLD CHILD who had to desegregate a school ALL BY HERSELF. You need to GET A GRIP ON YOURSELF, BOB. (It must have taken Carl here all his strength not to just hit Bob with a file folder. Especially when Bob is like, "Lee knows what he did," and Carl is like, "Maybe, but I do not.")

## Building the Case

![The People Vs OJ Simpson Recaps](https://static.gofugyourself.com/uploads/2016/03/IMG_2807.jpg)

These dueling scenes were interesting. Both the defense and the prosecution seem to believe they have a slam dunk -- I have to think that, in reality, it was more nuanced than that -- while we're going to see in this episode that, in fact, Marcia does not have a handle on her case at all. (The Vulture piece to which I linked in the intro has additional intel on that, as well. I have to say, I know that Marcia Clark is happy with Sarah Paulson's portrayal of her -- and so should she be -- but it has to SUCK to know that your greatest professional misstep is now also TV's most acclaimed drama.)

## John Singleton

![The People Vs OJ Simpson Recaps](https://static.gofugyourself.com/uploads/2016/03/IMG_2808.jpg)

Shout-out to director John Singleton, who of course directed *Boyz in the Hood*, starring Cuba Gooding Jr, as well as a TON of other stuff, including *Higher Learning*, which filmed at UCLA my freshman year, and which must have been in post-production when the events of this case were unfolding. (I am in that movie, along with literally everyone I knew at college, because they used us students as extras, and we all signed in and did extra work between classes and then wandered off when we needed to go to school. The continuity of extras in that movie has to be A MESS.)

Here, Darden is dealing with Mark Fuhrman, and it's fascinating: He gets his number right off the bat (and Steven Pasquale is giving a great performance as a dude who is clearly off, but not in a way you can really nail down specifically...until you later find out that the "World War II medals" he collects are NAZI ONES, and his response to being asked if he'd ever used the n-word is, basically, "WHY? WHAT HAVE YOU HEARD?") I don't personally know that I believe that Fuhrman planted evidence -- and the show definitely does not believe that he did. But I do believe that he's a liar and a racist, and that certainly opens the door for Reasonable Doubt in a jury in Los Angeles in 1995 (and now). It opens the door and it invites Reasonable Doubt in for cocktails.

## Dominick Dunne

![The People Vs OJ Simpson Recaps](https://static.gofugyourself.com/uploads/2016/03/IMG_2811.jpg)

[In case you're wondering if Robert Morse is good casting](https://www.today.com/id/32572362/ns/today-today%5Fbooks/t/dominick-dunne-author-crime-stories-dies/?ref=go-fug-yourself.ghost.io#.Vt4dAxg0o9I). This is exceptional and perfect, and Judge Ito closes this scene by showing Dunne a signed photo that Arsenio Hall sent him, and there is no better way to convey to the audience that MAYBE Judge Ito is a little too hot on how much attention this case is getting than that, which Dunne's face says eloquently. (And I had no idea that the Judge handed out seating assignments for press -- that's very interesting. Vanity Fair gets a good spot right next to the Goldmans, because Ito thinks Dunne will be kind to them, in part because Dunne's own daughter was tragically murdered, and he has unfortunate first-hand knowledge of what they're going through.)

## Poor Chris

![The People Vs OJ Simpson Recaps](https://static.gofugyourself.com/uploads/2016/03/IMG_2818.jpg)

After Darden argues that Furhman's previous use of racial slurs is too inflammatory to be allowed as evidence, and Cochran gets up and just destroys him verbally, his terrible horrible no good very bad run continues: the *Times* runs a story where a variety of people refer to him as an "Uncle Tom" and 76% of African Americans polled admit that they don't believe he is doing a good job. Poor Chris; this obviously just guts him, and of course it would. It also leads to a good scene with Marcia where he talks about how, in college, he felt like everyone just assumed he got in thanks to Affirmative Action, and now he feels like he's HER Affirmative Action, and it really makes him feel shitty. Chris is so sensitive and smart and has so many FEELINGS and Marcia...does not, it seems to me, deal with FEELINGS very well. Marcia kind of doesn't have time for feelings. She has time for the smart, but not the sensitive. Which is unfortunate, as Chris is (a) her friend and (b) about to be an important part of her team, and ergo it might behoove her to give his emotions some thought.

## Bedrooms

![The People Vs OJ Simpson Recaps](https://static.gofugyourself.com/uploads/2016/03/IMG_2820.jpg)

Let us admire the fabulousness that is Johnnie's bedroom, and also his dressing gown. (This scene, where he practices his opening arguments for his wife, and then starts to make out with her, before they're interrupted by news that Shapiro screwed something up, is honestly a delight. I would watch an hour of Courtney B Vance just delivering speeches as Johnnie Cochran while Keesha Sharp gives him notes.)

## IMG\_2828

![The People Vs OJ Simpson Recaps](https://static.gofugyourself.com/uploads/2016/03/IMG_2828.jpg)

Seriously. I would have remembered this. Vulture's Fact Checking Piece seems to think that this is the episode that -- so far -- takes the most artistic license, and this seems like the most extreme example of that on a show that's otherwise pretty good at not stretching the truth too much.

## Dinners with Dominick Dunne

![The People Vs OJ Simpson Recaps](https://static.gofugyourself.com/uploads/2016/03/IMG_2832.jpg)

This is the part where I thought I accidentally switched over to *Downton*. Dominick Dunne is holding court here, telling these nosy old rich white people all the gossip he knows about OJ and Nicole and OJ's girlfriend and it's...astounding. Especially when the servants come in to deliver dessert and everyone just stops talking and waits for them to leave. Those fifteen seconds basically tell you all you need to know about the world in which Dunne is dining out on stories from this case. (FYI, his book about the case, *Another City, Not My Own*, is a very good read -- or at least it was when I read it, when it first came out. I have no idea if it's held up.)

## Redecorating

![The People Vs OJ Simpson Recaps](https://static.gofugyourself.com/uploads/2016/03/IMG_2834.jpg)

So, Johnnie decides that if the jury is coming over -- which they are, which is UNUSUAL -- they better redecorate OJ's house, which... it seems unbelievable that it was allowed, but it was. Gone are the sexy pictures of various ladies, replaced by African art, pictures of attractive families (who OJ doesn't even know, which he mutters when he sees them), and a portrait of OJ and his mother. The final change: replacing a Rockwell painting of two football players with Johnnie's print of The Problem We All Live With.

(Trivia: I grew up in a home where Rockwell painted several of his more famous pieces \[he lived in Southern California for a time in the 30s when he was depressed; our house used to be part of a colony of artists and animators and was owned by a friend he used to stay with.\] I have NO IDEA if the Rockwell details here are at all accurate, or if the filmmakers just wanted to use The Problem We All Live With -- I assume the latter?)

## Heismans

![The People Vs OJ Simpson Recaps](https://static.gofugyourself.com/uploads/2016/03/IMG_2839.jpg)

"DUDE! It's the HEISMAN TROPHY," is basically what this juror said and I cannot blame him, because while I am not sure that I would have said that aloud in his shoes, I ABSOLUTELY would have thought it. (But I honestly might also have said it.)

It's also fascinating to see OJ wig out on Darden when he sits on a bench in OJ's yard, in front of jurors. I wonder if that actually happened, because you have to think it undid a fair amount of the work Johnnie's redecorating did, in terms of OJ's Personal Optics. This show is doing a great job of showing us how many balls Johnnie Cochran has in the air, beyond just the facts of this case -- his bickering legal team, his unpredictable client, redecorating with no help from Bob Shapiro, etc.

## Hello?

![The People Vs OJ Simpson Recaps](https://static.gofugyourself.com/uploads/2016/03/IMG_2843.jpg)

Just wanted to give a shout-out to this enormous cordless phone. Here, Chris's Dad is being his Get-a-Grip Dad and telling him to just go out there and do a good job, but also that maybe Johnnie is trying to help him when he tells him to make a white person question Mark Furhman (advice which Chris then takes). You do have to wonder: How much of this is Johnnie playing Chris, and how much of it is him being a mentor? The show walks that line beautifully.

## DISGUSTING

![The People Vs OJ Simpson Recaps](https://static.gofugyourself.com/uploads/2016/03/IMG_2846.jpg)

And then we cut to Fuhrman's house, where he's lovingly cleaning his Nazi trinkets whilst Wagner plays in the background. And [If you're wondering how the real Mark Fuhrman feels about this programming, turns out he's not in love with it](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/03/mark-fuhrman-people-v-oj-simpson?ref=go-fug-yourself.ghost.io). What a surprise!

[Fug the Show: The People vs. OJ Simpson recap, episode 5, "The Race Card"AGAIN, apologies for how late this is. Last week's Oscars workload got ahead of me -- plus, the Downton series finale -- but here we are, under the wire. From here on out, these should be available to you with greater timeliness. (I am from the era of recaps when you had the entire week to crank them out; that's a hard habit to unlearn.) This was a very interesting episode, as always, and there was a lot to unpack. I find the continuing relationship between Chris Darden and Johnnie Cochran to be endlessly layered, and so fascinating -- and, my god, doesn't this show make you think, "If I were accused of murder in 1994, I would be on the phone with Johnnie immediately"? He is obviously the most skilled legal mind in the entire courtroom (in addition to being, as am I, a lover of alliteration), and Courtney B. Vance has created such a complete and nuanced character here. Moreover, I think the way the show is using the Darden/Cochran relationship to further explicate the racial issues inherent in this case -- in terms of the way the case was tried, in terms of public opinion, in terms of the way these characters see themselves and other people see them -- is both smart, and moving. As much as I want this show's version of Johnnie Cochran to be my legal defense mastermind should I need one, I also want to hug its Chris Darden. Sterling K. Brown is so, so sympathetic in this role, and the ins and outs of Darden's relationship with Cochran are really compelling. That moment where Johnnie comes up to Chris at OJ's house and tells him to "let a white person" interrogate That Asshole Racist Mark Fuhrman was so good. Because I think we all wondered: Is this advice, or gamesmanship? Or both? (I, for one, think it was advice that also worked as gamesmanship.) The way that relationship weaves from mentor/mentee to fierce opposition, and maybe back again, is riveting, and you get the sense that Johnnie is in control of it the entire time. Also compelling this week: DUDE. How did I forget that Johnnie's opening arguments were so good they gave poor Bill a HEART ATTACK IN COURT? Well, because THAT actually never happened, per the must-read Vulture fact-checking column. (Which I was relieved to hear, honestly. If I had forgotten watching Bill pass out in court, I would be worried about my own memory.) Additionally, that intel about Cochran redecorating OJ's house is riveting, and that bit is true; also, this week's Vulture piece discusses the way the in-court debate about the n-word impacted the Los Angeles Times's newsroom, and also covers the fact that Cochran's off-mic aside to Darden, in which he drops said n-word, never actually happened -- but that Cochran is on record as having wanted to say just that; I have to think that Johnnie, in heaven, appreciated getting his wish. That's not even mentioning the fact that THERE ARE LITERALLY NEW DEVELOPMENTS INTHE CASE SINCE LAST WE TALKED. Let's talk about this episode.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/bf/b9/bfb99790-924d-4e41-a7e6-5e3c6e04fe57/content/images/static-gofugyourself-com/uploads/2016/03/img_2801.jpg)](https://go-fug-yourself.ghost.io/fug-the-show-the-people-vs-oj-simpson-recap-episode-5-the-race-card-03-2016/)