A Black gay semi-famous actor fakes a racist attack to gain fame and attention.
There is nothing new here. It's the case as you know it and basically no new details as there are no interviews with anyone on the Smollett side who knew about the details. We do get an interview with the 2 brothers he hired to attack him. They are very fun and overall it's extremely well-edited and fun all the way. Only the last episode is a tad pointless as it's just interviews that we have already seen. The rest are amazing. Super fun to watch. The story is structured very well with comedic events, fun interviews, lots of passion, and good explanations for each step of the story.
There are some pundits I would say are a bit weird. They invite some right-wing pundits that overplay their hand a bit. Kim Foxx is known for freeing murderers in Chicago that later ended up killing people. She is a Democrat prosecutor the like we see in California and New York. As she has a D next to her name she can't be removed from power in Chicago so she keeps being voted in. These kind of people are extremely lenient and soft on crime. So no wonder cops and Republicans dislike her. But the people interviewed are a bit too emotional about this and don't fully explain the stats and events that made her disliked. Then he let Smollett go with not even a warning. While half recusing herself. Basically saying it while not really doing it. She was still controlling the prosecution and one day just decided to not charge him. Maybe because of a call from the Chicago power couple, the Obamas.
There are also some very progressive women being interviewed too. One supports Smollett and says the police are lying. And that the brothers were likely beaten by the cops to make them tell this fake story. I think this is a bit much too. I don't really think many can believe this when the brothers themselves even now say the police were very nice to them. She is creating a giant conspiracy. In the voluntary interview here the brothers are smiling and telling jokes. I don't see any evidence whatsoever of them making up this story. So her story really needs to be expanded upon. I know her group, BLM, still supports Smollett too. But they too seem extremely biased and confused about even simple matters. I think this story is so clear that these interview segments don't really change the perception overall and won't confuse viewers.
They did miss a few facts. There were a lot of messages between Kim Foxx and other people making deals. Kim Foxx basically laid out the Jussie Smollett tactic telling him to keep to his story. As she was the lead prosecutor he followed this advice and instead of coming clean kept lying. Then his case was dropped - as she clearly had promised him indirectly. But as she had said she recused herself, but not done it, other prosecutors could now retry the case without it leading to double jeopardy. The documentary doesn't really explain any of this and skips most of these messages. But it's still super fun and I'm sure the brothers were paid very well for this. Probably a few $100K each if not more. Honestly, only issue is that it's way too short. The story needed 2-3 hours more to be told fully.
