Ryan Murphy’s newest drama has everything a fan of his would expect – dramatic storylines, heavy extremes and any opportunity to invoke his key “baroque” style. “Love Story: JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette” is a nine-part series about the high-profile marriage of John F. Kennedy Jr. (Paul Anthony Kelly) and Carolyn Bessette (Sarah Pidgeon) through their meeting in 1990s New York City, their intimate wedding in Cumberland Island, Georgia and the tragic plane crash off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard resulting in both of their deaths.
Picture New York City in the 1990s. Taxis were hailed by yelling and raising arms, movie tickets were under $10, and JFK Jr. was the American Prince – handsome, charming and a hot topic in the headlines…even when he did not want to be. One of the first scenes of “Love Story” depicts a dejected JFK Jr. trying to navigate through the bustling streets of NYC while avoiding the glaring headline: “The Hunk Flunks…Again.”
Meanwhile, over in Midtown, Carolyn Bessette had the city at her fingertips. Rising through the ranks at Calvin Klein, Bessette would eventually assume the role of fashion publicist, bringing names such as the then-unknown Kate Moss into the limelight with her fresh ideas, even impressing Mr Klein himself. The two were at completely different points in their careers, yet their meeting seems to change everything.
Here is where things begin to complicate. In “Love Story,” the two meet because Calvin Klein brings Bessette over to Kennedy Jr., murmuring, “You’re gonna thank me for this,” right before. But did this meeting actually happen? A recent GQ article questions this but notes that, whatever Klein’s role was, he was integral to their meeting. Based on many books about both Kennedy Jr. and Bessette, other stories of their meeting include Kennedy Jr. spotting Bessette at a party and Klein selecting Bessette to fit Kennedy Jr. for a custom suit. While it is unclear whether Klein actually introduced the two, this meeting is certainly impactful on the trajectory of “Love Story.” Kennedy Jr. is smitten, and while it takes Bessette a moment to see him for more than just a pretty face (with slightly less pretty brains), the two fall in love, and the rest is history, albeit a tragic and difficult one, as we continue to see over the next episodes.
Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of President John F. Kennedy, nephew of Kennedy Jr., and a congressional candidate in New York’s 12th District, has also noted the inaccurate material in “Love Story” and recently expressed his disdain for the show. In an extended interview with CBS Sunday Morning, Schlossberg did not hold back on his thoughts regarding Murphy and his creation: “If you want to know someone who’s never met anyone in my family, who knows nothing about us, talk to Ryan Murphy. I just want people who do watch the show to watch it with one letter in mind: capital ‘F’ for ‘fiction.’”
Additionally, actress Daryl Hannah, a former girlfriend of Kennedy Jr., who appears in “Love Story” and is portrayed as “an adversary to what you want narratively in the story”, according to one of the show’s producers. Similar to Schlossberg, Hannah addressed the inaccuracies in the show, noting that “The character ‘Daryl Hannah’ portrayed in the series is not even a remotely accurate representation of my life, my conduct or my relationship with John,” and “It’s appalling to me that I even have to defend myself against a television show. These are not creative embellishments of personality. They are assertions about conduct — and they are false.”
This show is not a new concept to the Ryan Murphy (“Glee,” “Pose,” “Monster”)-verse – the American writer and director has created many series based on real individuals, full of horrifying graphics and memorable scenes, many of which are not entirely accurate. For example, when the “Monster: The Ed Gein” story was released about the 1950s killer and grave robber, there was a similar media wave of articles addressing what was and was not true. But what sets “Love Story” aside is that it makes a drastic shift. One goes into this show thinking it will be a fun watch full of 90s NYC content and iconic outfits from both Bessette and Kennedy Jr., but it quickly turns dark as Bessette becomes increasingly involved in the Kennedy family. Soon, it doesn’t even seem like the fun romance you thought it would be.
New York Times critic Wesley Morris has an interesting take on the evolution of “Love Story,” comparing Carolyn Bessette’s life pre-JFK Jr. to “Sex and the City,” while her life afterwards (which is the focus of the majority of the show) to “Rosemary’s Baby.” While this is a fairly drastic comparison, I cannot help but partially agree because, in several ways, much of “Love Story” follows Bessette as she descends into a life of fear and darkness — a stark contrast to the exciting, glamorous world she once experienced. Morris notes a scene I found moving as well, in which Bessette is lying alone beneath a glass coffee table in her living room, pressing her palms against it. She has become a caged animal. As Morris puts it: “The only reason this show was called ‘Love Story’ is because ‘American Horror Story’ was already taken.”
My thoughts? This is certainly not a must-watch (my personal favorite Murphy work is “Glee” – watch for Mercedes and Kurt), but if you want to take a deep dive into one of America’s most famous families, this is not a bad start. It moves away from the typically glamorous perception of this family and provides a new insight into one of the most famous women of the 90s, whom we never really knew. Food for thought.
