Monsters: The Lyle & Erik Menendez Storyhas garnered a lot of attention due to what the real Menendez brothers have said about Ryan Murphy’s adaptation. Netflix just released their second season ofMonster, which covers notorious true crime incidents in a fictionalized setting.Monsters: The Lyle & Erik Menendez Storyrecounts the deaths of José and Kitty Menendez at the hands of their children, Lyle and Erik Menendez. According to the prosecution,Lyle and Erik Menendez killed their parentsbecause they were motivated by money, while the Menendez brothers insisted that their parents sexually abused them.
Both seasons ofMonsterhave done really well with Netflix audiences—Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Storybecame the third Netflix show to reach an important milestoneof one billion hours watched within the first 60 days. However, despite the massive successMonsterreceived from Netflix viewers, the show is notorious for the backlash it receives from various sources.Monsters: The Lyle & Erik Menendez Storyrecently received criticism from Erik Menendez himself, directed at Ryan Murphy and Netflix’s portrayal of the ordeal.
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Erik Menendez recently criticizedMonsters: The Lyle & Erik Menendez Storyon the Menendez Brothers' Facebook page, particularly focusing on Ryan Murphy’s portrayal of the brothers.Menendez felt that Murphy did a disservice to their story, creating an adaptation with malicious intent. He said that Murphy “created a caricature of Lyle rooted in horrible and blatant lies rampant in the show,” and Netflix’s portrayal of the brothers was “dishonest” and “painful.” Erik Menendez goes as far as to say that this adaptation “takes several steps backward.”
Erik Menendez believes that the show promotes the prosecution’s story, “a narrative [built] on a belief system that males were not sexually abused, and that males experienced rape trauma differently than women.“Lyle and Erik Menendez have continued to voice their opinions of the adaptation ontheir Facebook page,focusing on Ryan Murphy’s exploitation of Lyle and Erik Menendez’s childhood trauma. They post their opinions on each episode, explaining what is and is not accurate. Although Lyle or Erik does not run the Facebook page, these are still their opinions, and someone close to them manages their social media.
Monsters Has Received Backlash For Implications About Lyle & Erik Menendez’s Relationship
Monsters: The Lyle & Erik Menendez Storyalso received a lot of backlashforsuggesting there was more to Erik and Lyle’s relationship. Ryan Murphy added the storyline of Lyle sexually abusing Erik, and the brothers also share a kiss in season 2, episode 2, “Spree.” Furthermore, inMonsterseason 2, episode 7, “Showtime,” a journalist suggests that Erik and Lyle had an incestuous relationship, even showing a hypothetical scene of Erik and Lyle showering intimately together. The brothers were hypersexualized in the adaptation, which is a gross injustice in portraying their story, especially considering the sexual abuse they endured.
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Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Storyalso received a lot of backlash, but not for the same reasons as the second season.Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Storyreceived backlash for several reasons, but primarily becausethe victims' families did not want this show to move forward. They were vehemently against the adaptation from the beginning, even more so afterMonster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Storyomits facts about the serial killerto humanize him more.Netflix also received widespread criticism for taggingMonsteras LGBTQ+, although they have since removed it.
On the other hand,Monsters: The Lyle & Erik Menendez Storyprimarily received criticism from the titular roles of Erik and Lyle Menendez. They endured traumatic sexual abuse as children, and the adaptation favors the prosecution’s side of the story despite including the trauma. Ryan Murphy’s adaptation only hints at the sexual abuse, which suggests the brothers made up their trauma entirely. It is quite clear that Ryan Murphy’s adaptations of true crime stories are motivated by appealing to mass audiences; there is no care or sensitivity to those involved.
Ryan Murphy should pay attention to the true crime debate Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story ignited and incorporate feedback into the show’s third season.
Technically,Monsterdid fix some criticism in its second season, but the show ignited a new slew of criticism. WhileMonsterseason 2 focused on the justice system, it only did so to favor the prosecution, ignoring Lyle and Erik’s story.Monsterseason 3 plans to cover serial killer Ed Gein, andit is imperative that Ryan Murphy consults with the victims' families and listens to the criticismsin order to create a respectful adaptation. Ryan Murphy should pay attention tothe true crime debateMonster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Storyignitedand incorporate feedback into the show’s third season.
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story
Cast
This true crime drama delves into the infamous case of Lyle and Erik Menendez, two brothers who were convicted of murdering their parents. The series examines the complex family dynamics and legal battles that captivated the nation, highlighting the motivations and repercussions of their actions.
