The Hurt Man – The episode opens with Erik Menendez (Cooper Koch) waiting to speak with his attorney in jail. Leslie Abramson (Ari Graynor) pities him because he is imprisoned. Removing her cigarettes from her bag, she asks if he smokes. He says no but Jose Menendez (Javier Bardem) did and it was disgusting. She regrets ever starting and enjoys a cigarette. He claims his new friend helped make it more tolerable but now he is gone. She claims to have talked to Lyle Menendez (Nicholas Alexander Chavez) about their sexual allegations against Jose. Erik also alleged Lyle sexually abused him. He says it was a relief to tell someone about it. She asks if he believes Lyle’s allegations. He says yes. She suggests his situation was much worse than Lyle’s. He says Lyle was his protector and he never feared him, even when, he was sexually abusing him. He claims Lyle asked him if he enjoyed it because he could run away. He says it wouldn’t work because they would find him and it got worse. He describes his family as an octopus that he could never escape from. Lyle recalls Jose massaging him after tennis or swimming when he was six. He believes Jose liked Lyle, not him because he was weak. Kitty Menendez (Chloe Sevigny) and Jose locked him in the closet and basement because they knew he was terrified. Jose was tender to him when they were in the shower but hit and called him names in front of his family. The abuse started with oil massages. It was those times when he felt Jose loved him.

Erik claims to have tried to reject Jose’s advances but he forced him to do it. He says Jose insisted on utilizing toothbrushes and other objects when he was in second grade. He was eventually forced to utilize his mouth but Jose was too big. He says the “naked mouth massages” made him feel dirty. When the “nice sex sessions” lasted a long time, he wondered where everyone was at. Eric suggests the objects were preparing him for a much bigger penetration. He tells Leslie that Jose made him penetrate him. He finds it difficult to talk about at times. The sexual abuse turned to rape. Jose placed a slat under the doorknob and Erik cried because it hurt. Erik was heartbroken when Jose began comparing him to Lyle. Leslie asks how often it happened. He claims it happened two or three times a month from age 11 until several months before Jose was killed. Leslie says Jose raped him hundreds of times. He claims Jose finished in his mouth and he put cinnamon on it to make it taste better. During rough sex, Jose made him kneel on the headboard and punch him to toughen him up. Leslie assures him that it isn’t normal for fathers to sexually abuse their sons. Erik’s voice fills with anger. He professes to love Jose and questions if Jose is in heaven thanking them because what he did was wrong. He says they can finally love him. Leslie tells him that she is impressed by his bravery after everything he endured. Tears fill her eyes while she talks about her estranged father. She assures him that it isn’t necessary for him to forgive Jose. She vows to never forgive her father like her brother did. She asks where was Kitty when all this was going on. He says Jose had affairs. Lyle told him that he caught Jose raping Kitty. Erik claims his mother inspected his penis when he was 16 for signs of AIDS. He believes Jose made him a girlfriend.

Leslie questions why Kitty feared he had AIDS. She admits to not being a good mother. She insists Kitty could have done something to stop Jose and they deserved better than her for a mother. He recalls his mother calling them sociopaths and at times he thought she was right. He blames the sexual abuse on his falling in love with a teenage boy at 16. Their sex was nice, nothing like Jose’s abuse. He calls himself the “Hurt Man.” A tear runs down his cheek. He admits to shooting Kitty in the face and doubts he will ever be free again. The episode ends.

 

Monsters The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story Review

After a rushed dramatization of the killing, the audience is treated to a nearly 40-minute explicit explanation of Erik’s sexual abuse at the hands of his father. Much of which is a repeat from previous episodes. Just a way to drag the story out for nine episodes. Cooper Koch’s performance is outstanding which is probably the highlight of the episode.

The episode deserves a 4.5 out of 10. Get more Monsters The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story recaps here. Join our newly established forum to see what others are saying. Support our site by donating. Learn about our advertising packages here.