I Just Watched the First Episode of ‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez’ & I Have Thoughts

As I watched the first episode of Ryan Murphy’s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, two questions lingered in my mind. First, what exactly makes someone a bad person, or shall I say, a "monster?" And are all monsters ultimately the product of toxic and abusive family dynamics?

It's interesting to think about, considering the other real-life examples I've seen. There's Jeffery Damer, who grew up with an emotionally absent father and became a loner. Then there's Ted Bundy, who reportedly felt "unloved" by his mom and resented his stepdad. And now, there's The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story—a new Netflix docuseries that depicts the real-life case of two brothers who were convicted of murdering their parents in 1996. While most argue that the motive was money, the siblings insist that they retaliated due to their parents' abusive and cruel behavior.

Murphy's nine-part docuseries, which stars Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch as Lyle and Erik (respectively), sheds new light on this old case, and I must say, it's already off to a pretty intense start.

I'm just one episode in, but I feel like I already know these boys well. At first glance, they're shallow and spoiled, but both are haunted by their actions—and their responses are vastly different. Lyle can walk the walk in public although he's a ticking timebomb. And Erik is slowly unraveling as he's plagued with suicidal thoughts. Chavez and Koch both deliver solid performances here, because their psychological torment and anxiety are so palpable that a part of me feels sympathy for them. In fact, there's one jolting scene where Erik relives the murder in a dream, and when he wakes up, he looks genuinely terrified.

But let me back up a bit and mention the brothers' parents, because these two characters are also quite intriguing. José (Javier Bardem) and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez (Chlo? Sevigny) aren't exactly the best role models—José is pretty much the Hulk in human form and Kitty has drinking problems. So, it's especially fascinating to see the shared scenes between these parents and their kids—to see in real-time how their actions may have driven the boys to do something so extreme.

I really like that Murphy blurs the lines and doesn't clearly distinguish between the monsters and the victims. Rather, he challenges viewers to see the whole story and judge for themselves. To acknowledge that these brothers are both guilty of a heinous crime and, quite possibly, victims of years of abuse. And as for the parents, they were both insensitive and cruel and victims of a brutal murder. No one is completely innocent here. But does this help explain why so many criminals with problematic upbringings tend to go to the extreme?

It's certainly worth pondering. And seeing these events unfold in Monsters really got me thinking about themes like mental health, revenge, nature vs. nurture and even generational trauma. So, I'm curious to see how these topics are tackled as I continue to devour the rest of this gripping crime drama.

PureWow Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

This captivating docuseries features great performances and sheds new light on one of the most fascinating real-life cases. It explores themes like childhood trauma, mental health and revenge, and it will also get viewers thinking about who the true victims are.

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story is now streaming on Netflix.

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