RECAP: The People v. O.J. Simpson American Crime Story — If The Glove Don’t Fit You Must Acquit [Episode 7]

This week’s takeaway from “The People v. O.J. Simpson” episode 7 “Conspiracy Theories” about the court of law is this, “If there’s going to be a media circus, you’d better be a ringmaster.” Harvard Law 101. And Johnnie Cochran is the perfect ring leader, isn’t he? If only he’d worn the jacket and top hat, what a sight.

Across the country, during a law class lesson, a professor writes a message to Jonnie and faxes it to the courtroom. (He just happens to have the number memorized.) The message suggests Johnnie mention possible drug cartel involvement. (Enter circus music) Johnnie dramatically acts out having his throat sliced, suggesting it was Faye Resnick’s fault that Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman were murdered because she owed the drug cartel money.

Back at the office Marcia and the boys have a good laugh at the drug cartel theory, but Chris Darden sets them straight on the jury’s reaction – they woke up and stopped playing tic tac toe at this suggestion. He warns them that they need to up their game. The detective are told to go dig something up.

Meanwhile Bob is trying to reach out the LAPD insisting there are just a “few bad apples” in the bunch, but what he’s really doing is trying to salvage his career post-trial of the century. Who knew a pin on the lapel would cause so much inner turmoil among the dream team.

Also a problem for the dream team is a public interview of Johnnie’s ex-wife and ex-mistress about the double life Johnnie lived. “He’s the smoothest man in L.A.” says the mistress. Then the interview turns to the domestic abuse and Johnnie quickly turns off the TV. How embarrassing, but when Marcia Clark hangs out by the men’s bathroom to watch the reporters skewer Johnnie with this new information, she is sadly disappointed because Johnnie handles it like a ringmaster. Marcia’s disappointment doesn’t last long because Darden asks her out for a “date” to unwind at his friend’s party. She agrees to go.

Back at dream team headquarters, Shapiro tells Kardashian that he may be culpable in this mess because he’s on tape carrying O.J.’s garment bag with the possible murder weapon in it. Poor Robert Kardashian, his conscience is getting the best of him. He wonders if O.J. didn’t do it, who did? He goes home and opens the garment bag with A.C. as his witness. Whew! No knife is found. This must mean O.J.’s innocent, right?

The detectives hit pay dirt when they are allowed to go through Nicole’s boxes removed from her townhome and discover her credit card bill when she purchased the same type of gloves found at the murder scene a few days before Christmas. Party time for the prosecution.

Much of the episode is spent on those dreaded gloves. Should they have O.J. try them on or shouldn’t they? Many say this is when the case was lost, but hindsight shows that you shouldn’t sequester a jury for eight months – come decision time they will agree to anything in order to go home.

At the birthday party, after many shots of tequila, Marcia gives a very animated explanation of what it would take for police to frame O.J. I couldn’t help but think, why doesn’t she act like this in front of the jury? Take a few tequila shots and she would have the jury’s undivided attention. But in the end, she couldn’t convince Darden’s friends of this possibility either. After the party, Darden’s friends tell him to make his move on Marcia, however, nothing but an awkward good night takes place between the two.

Back in court, during recess, Shapiro sneakily tries on the gloves and realizes right away they are too small. He smirks and reports his findings to the dream team. No need to object to this one, boys! But Marcia is against it. F. Lee Bailey tells the prosecution if they won’t have O.J. try them on, he will. So O.J. puts on a pair of latex gloves then tries to put on the gloves and does a very good job of acting like he’s struggling. O.J. announces to the jury the gloves are too small. In the background, Fred Goldman and daughter Kim are crushed.

In his office later that evening, Darden, all alone, watches the clip of O.J. trying on the gloves over and over. He picks up the phone and leaves a message for the Goldman’s apologizing for what they witnessed in the courtroom.

 

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