By Isabella May
The second season of the Netflix series Monster came out on Sept. 19, 2024, revealing information once again about the crime that Lyle and Erik Menendez committed on Aug. 20, 1989. The series portrays different sides of the story as to why Lyle and Erik Menendez killed their parents. The show left the audience with many questions about the truth and sparked debate over whether the brothers should be released.
How well did the actors portray their roles as the Menendez brothers?
“I felt that the actor who portrays Lyle was a bit more aggressive and almost moodier than Lyle seemed in court,” said Maya Nakar, a sophomore at Indiana University. “I had a similar thought with Erik’s portrayal but not as extreme.”
“I felt like the actors did a great job. They look just like them,” said Rachel A., a junior at Marian University.
It was reported by college students as well as fans worldwide that Cooper Koch (Erik) and Nicholas Alexander Chavez (Lyle) were excellent in their roles.
Erik Menendez takes the spotlight
Episode five focuses on Erik and the abuse he faced as a child up to his adult years. Was this too much focus on one character, or was it important to learn his side of the story?
Nakar said, “I think it’s always important to make sure every character’s story is told. Based on the trial, it seems like it would be important to give Erik’s perspective a lot of screen time.”
While it is important to point out the forms of abuse, maybe by doing this, Lyle’s story was left behind.
“I do think that by doing this it can undermine Lyle’s abuse and almost portray Erik’s abuse as being much worse than Lyle’s,” said Nakar.
Rachel A. said she agrees with the director’s choice to focus on Erik’s story.
“I think it was important to learn his side because his abuse lasted longer than his brother’s. He had suffered longer and had more to tell than his brother,” said Rachel A. “Also, he was abused by his brother as well, he suffered at both their hands.”
Should the brothers be released?
It’s not just the show people are discussing; the conversation has shifted to whether the brothers should be released from prison. Is this fair, or should they remain incarcerated for the crimes they committed?
Nakar said, “I think the trial should definitely be reopened, and I do hope they get a new sentence. I think their trial was handled differently than it would have been today, just based on the time period, and that with new evidence arising, they may have a chance of being released.”
Rachel A. said, “I think they will live with the abuse and what they did to try and stop it for the rest of their lives. Prison will not change anything that happened, nor does it rehabilitate them from their years of abuse.”
While two students believe in the brother’s freedom, one has a different opinion.
“I believe they should not be released. I do not believe their defense for the reason they killed their parents,” said Andrew Vasey, a student at Eckerd College.
This leads us to the ultimate question: What defines reason? Are there ever valid reasons for committing a crime, or is a crime just bad, no matter the circumstances? The Menendez brothers went through some monstrous forms of abuse, but does that give them a free pass for killing their parents? Even after a show comes out on Netflix more than thirty years later, we are left with more questions than we started with.