American Crime Story S03E03 is the third episode of the third season of the true-life crime FX TV drama anthology series. Entitled “Impeachment” this season revolves around the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal and is based on the book A Vast Conspiracy: The Real Story of the Sex Scandal That Nearly Brought Down a President by Jeffrey Toobin.
Entitled “Not To Be Believed”, American Crime Story S03E03 continues to develop former White House staff Linda Tripp’s (Sarah Paulson) personal vendetta against then-President Bill Clinton (Clive Owen) and the lengths she – and other Republican Party players – would go to, in order to oust the Democrat leader.
In the middle of the coming storm is White House staffer Monica Lewinsky (Beanie Feldstein) – whom had an affair with the married President – which will ultimately turn her life upside down. It’s obviously politics and the series is an interesting reminder of what a political sex scandal looked like in the 1990s.
One of the Republican party players aiming to bring Clinton down is Ann Coulter (Cobie Smulders) who is given a prescient line of dialogue – “But after this just think what kind of flabby conmen will see a path to the White House, the corruption, the lies, the hundred million cocktail waitresses he’s groped, or worse.” An almost perfect description of Donald Trump (whom Coulter supported!), who would become President over 20 years later.
READ OUR REVIEW OF AMERICAN CRIME STORY SEASON 3
The real victim of American Crime Story S03E03 is the truth. We see the beginnings of the Drudge Report – a pioneering gossip website masquerading as a source of news – foreshadowing the internet misinformation prevalent in the modern day. There is an ugliness and toxicity in US politics and American Crime Story S03E03 does not shy away from depicting this – warts and all.
Unlike the first two seasons, there are no grisly murders and no psychotic murderers. However, the sociopathic characters on display in American Crime Story S03E03 can be just as difficult to watch, and certainly almost impossible to emphatize with. But the message is clear!
… still there’s more …