American Crime Story S03E05 is the fifth 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 “Do You Hear What I Hear?”, American Crime Story S03E05 is probably the closest we get to the real meat of the scandal without really getting there yet! Certainly, this tension-filled episode will keep the “Impeachment” faithful on their toes to witness how Monica will respond when she finally discovers Linda’s betrayal.
And that is really what this season of American Crime Story is about – not the scandal, not the impeachment, not the political intrigue behind the scenes but how one woman Linda Tripp lied to and betrayed another woman, her so-called good friend Monica Lewinsky to serve her own desires.
American Crime Story S03E05 marks the halfway point of this season and in hindsight the creative folks behind “Impeachment” probably made the right choice in diving deep into the Tripp-Lewinsky relationship so that when the shit hits the fan in the next episode, we the audience will be able to truly feel the sting of betrayal suffered by Monica. Yes, she was incredibly naive through this episode BUT she was a very young woman at the time and Tripp is despicable for taking advantage of that.
Once again, both Sarah Paulson and Beanie Feldstein, excel in the lead roles, embellishing Tripp’s manipulative nature and Lewinsky’s gullible innocence brilliantly. One might argue that some of the cast may be slightly hammy and over the top but Clive Owen’s Bill Clinton has enough of the dodgy charisma that reeks of the real thing. On to the main event next time out! Still highly recommended.
READ OUR REVIEWS OF AMERICAN CRIME STORY SEASON 3.
… still there’s more …