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The second season of Netflix’s show Monsters became one of the most streamed series on the OTT platform. However, the biographical crime drama anthology has faced criticism for its portrayal of certain real-life incidents, with some viewers finding it misleading. (Also read: Vashu Bhagnani claims Netflix owes him ₹47 crore; OTT platform denies it: Report)
Monsters Season 2 faces criticism on social media
Season one of Monsters covered the Jeffrey Dahmer murders and sparked widespread controversy for initially being seen as disrespectful to the victims and their families. Now, in season 2, the show is once again facing criticism on social media. Monsters is based on the true story of brothers Lyle and Erik Menendez, who were 21 and 18 years old respectively when they murdered their parents, Kitty Menendez and Jose Menendez, on August 20, 1989.
Ryan Murphy defends Monsters
Executive Producer Ryan Murphy defended his series by saying, “If you watch the show, I would say 60 to 65 percent of our show, in the scripts and in the film form, center around the abuse and what they claim happened to them,” reported by Greek Reporter. He further stated that, “We do it very carefully, and we give them their day in court, and they talk openly about it,” he added. “We present the facts from their point of view.”
Erik Menendez questions accuracy in Monsters
The brothers, who are incarcerated, haven’t seen the show. Despite this, Erik made a statement about it through his wife, Tammi Menendez. According to the publication, Erik’s statement read: “I believed we had moved beyond the lies and ruinous character portrayals of Lyle, creating a caricature of Lyle rooted in horrible and blatant lies rampant in the show.” In Tammi’s message, it was explained that Erik felt the inaccurate portrayals, were done so on purpose. She pointed out, “It is with a heavy heart that I say, I believe Ryan Murphy cannot be this naive and inaccurate about the facts of our lives so as to do this without bad intent.”
Other controversy over Monsters Season 2
Many people are reportedly upset about how Monsters portrays sexual abuse. They believe the show doesn’t accurately show the trauma and misleads viewers about what really happened. Monsters shows the two brothers confessing to murdering their parents and admitting they did so due to years of sexual abuse from their father and physical abuse from their mother.
The series also implies that Lyle and Erik had an incestuous relationship. In episode 2 of Monsters, the brothers Erik and Lyle share a kiss. While in the 6th episode their mother catches them showering together.
Monsters is created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, It is available for streaming on Netflix.
