American Crime Story
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Start your timers, folks.
Tomorrow morning, Bill Clinton testifies in the Paula Jones suit.
After that,Newsweekwill run a story about the president and the intern.
Monicas a young girl; shell cooperate quickly.
As for the mission ID?
From the get-go, this sting feels shady.
We cant do this without Linda!,is irresistible to her.
Long may she relish this brief summer of her own significance.
Monica cries, which is, I think, an appropriate reaction.
We want to help you!
Itll only take a minute!
Also, weve got recordings of you, so dont play dumb.
When it finally dawns on Monica how this all came crashing down around her, she gets ferocious.
Monica screams through the hotel doors, LINDA, WHAT DID YOU DO?
If this is prom night, the presidents girlfriend is Carrie.
Starr sends in Jackie to take a second pass.
When she asks to talk with her mom privately, Jackie threatens to charge Marcia too.
This is a mistake.
If we know anything about Monica, its that she doesnt accept the wordno.
She might be young, but shes not a dipshit.
She is, for example, savvy enough to convert an affair with the president into a private-sector job.
You gonna arrest me if I walk out of the room?
When Monica calls Marcia from a mall pay phone, Marcia convinces her not to warn Bill.
Ginsburgs first piece of counsel is to order Bernie a tequila shot.
I dont know about you guys, but I think this will probably be fine.
Meanwhile, Mike and Jackie are infighting.
When Frank doesnt answer, he even offers her a public defender.
Their first stop is Crate & Barrel, except there is no Crate & Barrel at Pentagon City.
Its just not that kind of mall.
If you need home goods at Pentagon City, Id have to send you to Macys.
Maybe she is just deeply ambivalent about bringing more people into whats happening.
Monica can still stop this somehow, she thinks, or at least control how big it gets.
She seems more worried about her dad finding out and her grandmas disappointment than the possibility of prison.
No ones ever going to marry me.
No matter if she cooperates or not, this moment is life-upending.
If Monica calls Betty, and Betty calls Bill, his lawyers cancel the deposition.
Tipping off the White Houseishow Monica saves herself.
When they refuse, she insists on calling Dr. Bernie so that theres another witness to the immunity offer.
Sitting next to Bernie, of course, is Ginsburg.
Shes not under arrest.
If anything, this is unlawful detention.
Back at the Watergate apartment complex, Monica considers some pills she finds in the bathroom vanity.
She examines a pair of scissors.
She sobs painfully in the shower, and her mom sobs too, listening in.
Monica doesnt warn Bill about whats coming nor does she turn on him.
Operation Prom Night is a bust.
As we all know, Monicas resolve cant keep the dominoes from falling.
This is a coup detat, and were the coup, she calls brightly.
If the tapes are too boring to take down the Clintons, theyll just have another go.
Its a pathetic scene but not more pathetic than Linda Tripps face when the FBI dismisses her.
With Monica in the room, she is no longer needed.
In fact, she was barely needed.
Her moment in the sun is over.
Smoke in your Laura Ashley living room, be nasty to your kid.
Tell Paula Joness lawyers your only friends deepest secrets.
Convince yourself youre saving Monica from a predator.
Convince yourself youre saving the country.
Inhale the scent of British Rose because youre definitely a British Rose person.
Pause for long enough and you might even catch a whiff of what youve done here today.
There are lots of us busy elves working away in Santas workshop, Coulter toldNewsweek.
