Before the latest season of Monster had even debuted on Netflix, co-creator Ryan Murphy was bracing himself for controversy.
The true crime anthology series has been met with backlash throughout its previous incarnations, with the latest run of episodes – centred around the real case of Lizzie Borden in the 1800s – proving to be no exception.
During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter back in August, it was pointed out that season four would mark Monster’s first time dealing with a figure who had been acquitted of the crimes which they’d been accused of.
Asked whether this made the creative team hesitate before taking on the Lizzie Borden case, Ryan responded: “I find [Monster] to be very interesting because you know that no matter what you do, it’s going to be controversial. That’s baked into the cake.
“I’m always interested in, not glorifying these characters, but the Monster franchise is only about one thing: ‘Are monsters made, or are they born?’.”
Ryan said season four was an “interesting one”, pointing out that through examining Lizzie Borden, he was able to bring in the stories of Aileen Wuornos and Countless Elizabeth Báthory.
“So we are kind of doing this fantasia of women vs. the system, and it’s not what they did, it’s the question of: ‘What made them do it? Why did they do it, if they did it?’,” he continued. “That’s what the show is about. And it has three really great ‘monsters’ behind it: Lizzie Borden, Aileen Wuornos and Elizabeth Báthory.”
Ryan went on to defend the season, insisting it’s one that he “loves”, before praising the work of director Sarah Adina Smith, who directed two of its eight episodes.
“I thought it was really interesting to explore the themes that are modern,” he concluded.
Ella Beatty takes the lead in Monster’s fourth season, with Vicky Krieps on double duty as the Borden family’s maid, Bridget “Maggie” Sullivan, and Countless Elizabeth Báthory.
Aileen Wuornos, meanwhile, is portrayed by Murphy-verse regular Sarah Paulson, who recently spoke out in defence of her performance.
Monster’s four seasons are all streaming on fifth, with speculation already rife about the possibility of a fifth.
