The Lizzie Borden-centered installment of filmmaker Ryan Murphy’s true-crime anthology series Monster has remained controversial since its September 17 release.
What started with viewers being left queasy by an “unnecessarily graphic” projectile-vomiting sequence soon expanded into criticism of the show’s lesbian plotlines.
The series later brought notorious homicidal offender Aileen Wuornos into the story, “baffling” netizens with how two women from different centuries could fit into the same narrative.
Now, just when audiences thought the eight-part production had exhausted its ability to shock them, another moment has sparked a fresh wave of outrage.
One particularly displeased individual demanded that “everyone involved should be blacklisted.”
A dance sequence from Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story had viewers up in arms
Lizzie was accused of ending the lives of her father, Andrew, and stepmother, Abby, with a hatchet in 1892.
She was tried for the crime but was never convicted, making the case one of the most discussed unresolved criminal mysteries in America.
A series with such a serious theme would be expected to stay dark through and through, but Ryan Murphy chose to explore that darkness in an eccentric way.
He incorporated an anachronistic dance sequence featuring the titular character, played by Ella Beatty; the Borden family’s live-in maid, Bridget, played by Vicky Krieps; Aileen, played by Sarah Paulson; and Aileen’s girlfriend, Shelby, played by Jessie Lee.
The criticism that followed the move was swift, with one netizen questioning, “Why does every single show need a dance scene? It’s always re**rded and cringe and completely irrelevant to anything else happening. Who’s pushing this?”
“The makers should be jailed for this,” added another.
The tune accompanying the scene, a synthetic pop number by Bronski Beat, also invited its own backlash.
“Why is Lizzie Borden dancing to Smalltown Boy? What even is this show?” one asked.
“Murphy tried to appeal to TikTok tards,” explained another.
A third addressed those who said the sequence “eats,” saying, “It makes me pretty sad, as not everything needs to eat, serve c*nt, go viral, be a moment, be chic, etc.”
“Do any of these think more than surface level about what they are watching? It’s so gross,” they added.
The series has faced consistent criticism for its overly dramatized portrayal over the past week
While Lizzie was never proven guilty of the homicides, Netflix paints her as the perpetrator from its opening imagery itself, showing her attacking her parents.
“So sad because Lizzie didn’t even do it and Ryan could show people that she really isn’t a monster, but he decides to make a tragedy into his sick idea,” an X user lamented.
The next deviation from what actually happened more than 130 years ago, according to viewers, was the intimate relationship between Lizzie and Bridget.
No historical evidence has ever tied the two women together, and Bridget never returned to Lizzie after the case was over for a romantic reunion, unlike what the show establishes.
“Ryan Murphy is the worst. He turns historical tragedies into gay fan fiction,” another X user said, referring to the plotline.
“We need to lowkey ki** the True Crime genre now,” a third voiced.
The dance scene also reignited debate over Sarah Paulson’s performance
A netizen was quick to express disappointment with the actress channeling “Wednesday Addams” during the sequence, while a second accused her of participating in Netflix’s attempt to make the production “as chaotic as possible.”
“She looked kinda stupid,” remarked a third.
Paulson has also faced comparisons to Charlize Theron’s portrayal of Aileen Wuornos in the 2003 Monster film.
The latter, who won an Academy Award for playing the paid intimate companion who claimed the loves of six men, has been declared superior.
“Charlize became Aileen. Unreal performance,” one wrote.
“No one beats Charlize Theron,” said another.
Commenters debated whether figures like Lizzie and Aileen even qualify as “monsters”
Lizzie, as mentioned earlier, was never convicted of the crime she was accused of.
Aileen, on the other hand, testified during her trial that she victimized the men because they attempted to violate her.
Netizens argued that a woman who was never found culpable and another who claimed she acted in self-defense were being painted as extreme villains when there is no shortage of actual goners.
“Not sure how they are a monster. To me, a monster is John Wayne Gacy, the kids from Columbine High School,” one said.
Wayne Gacy, for the unversed, was responsible for the violation and demise of at least 33 young men and boys between 1972 and 1978 in Chicago.
He became widely known as the “ki**er clown” because he regularly performed at children’s hospitals and charitable neighborhood events as his alter ego, Pogo the Clown.
The “kids from Columbine High School,” meanwhile, referred to Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, two teenagers who carried out a highly planned firearm violence resulting in the passings of 12 fellow students and one teacher.
They only used firearms after explosives they had planted in the school’s cafeteria failed to detonate as intended.
“I’m glad I never fell for the Monster propaganda,” a netizen said
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