Josh, the realtor, explains that the city of Los Angeles has two sides – the “haves” and the “have nots”. Literally, the famous Hollywood mountain divides the two areas into San Fernando Valley and Beverly Hills. We have decided to divide the storylines for both protagonists separately in this first recap for your convenience.
Nick Prugo – the attention-hungry introvert who met an attention-hungry extrovert
Nick’s story begins with a humble beginning. He was born to a working-class family in the Granada Hills region of Los Angeles. Despite his humble beginnings, Nick quickly became addicted to the celeb lifestyle. He worked on Zoey 101, a show that starred Britney Spears’ sister. This gave him a taste of this frenzy and he could never let go of his marauding obsession to live that life. As he grew older, Nick’s addiction to the celeb lifestyle only grew stronger. He started spending more and more time at home watching TV and eating junk food. His parents were starting to get concerned but Nick was too focused on his career to care. One day, after years of struggling, Nick made it big in the entertainment industry. But even then, he couldn’t escape his addiction to the stars and their lifestyles.
Nick’s family was a source of support for him as he struggled to come to terms with his homosexuality. Despite their modest financial endowments, they stuck out like sore thumbs in Calabasas, an extremely affluent suburb in the Valley. Nick’s family was a source of support for him as he struggled to come to terms with his homosexuality. Despite their modest financial endowments, they stuck out like sore thumbs in Calabasas, an extremely affluent suburb in the Valley.
Nick met a girl called Rachel in school. She was beautiful, carefree, and confident. She helped Nick get out of his shell and got him hooked on the “fast life”. One night, they jokingly pulled on a car door and it opened. They found credit cards inside and shopped on them. ..
Nick and Rachel started checking cars for keys and stealing cars to score more money. They were spending as much as they were stealing. They needed another score.
Eden Shizzle is the first person to be robbed on MySpace. He posted a video of himself on the internet about how he was robbed earlier this week. The robbers got into his home by breaking into the back door, which was unlocked. ..
In 2008, they hit Paris Hilton in Beverly Hills. The front door was just open and they let themselves in. Nick also explains how they planned the burglaries. First, they would search the internet for the address of the celebrity. Then, they would look at maps to study the terrain; and finally, check when the house would be vacant. Nick also validates the bling ring film scene of the Hilton house, clips from which are sparingly used. With each hit, their score got bigger.
Paris didn’t even notice that her stuff was gone. She didn’t report it and they went back again, although she was still in the city. This time, the door was locked, but they found the key under the mat. And then burgled the house again 4-5 times. Nick also took a friend one time. Her house became their “personal ATM”. After drying her up, they went for the safe but got Courtney’s coworker Roy Lopez involved to avoid culpability when Paris would report it. He cleaned it out and then Hilton reported it. Almost 2 million in jewelry were wiped out. Lauren, a personal stylist, explained the mind-blowing worth of all the stuff they were stealing, showing how unknowingly, they became millionaires.
Alexis Neiers – a victim of her beauty, societal expectations, and drugs
Alexis had a contrasting childhood to Nick. Her father was the DoP on “Friends” and she spent her time going from one green room to the other on sets. Her father married Andrea Arlington, a famous, upcoming young actress but soon separated after she found out he was having an affair. She has a sister, Gabbie, who lived with her and their mother separately. Alexis was damaged and had anger over how her childhood unfolded. But it was difficult for the women.
Andrea was running into huge debts. Excesses bogged them down. They had to finally file for bankruptcy and Andrea then started training to become a minister at the Church of Religious Science. It inspired the film The Secret, which is heavily discussed in the first episode. Two things Andrea incorporated into their lives; the “Vision Board”, which gave cause to one’s life; and an “Affirmation”, to attract what they want – work in the entertainment industry.
It became an everyday morning routine. Tess, her best friend moved in with her. They became models. They were only 16 and took all those jobs that they probably shouldn’t have. They got a job in Marilyn Manson’s video as background dancers. Both were underage but enjoyed the experience a lot. It was, in Alexis’ words, probably the beginning of her drug problem. She met Nick through Tess and her connection of friends. He was introduced as a stylist. He then started going with them to clubbing. It is still not certain if Gabbie and Alexis knew at the time that Nick wasn’t a stylist and was the thief breaking into the house."
In the reality television era, access to celebrities was often determined by their fame on television. Celebrities would often go on shows like Cribs and 50 questions, where they would answer questions about their lives and what they did for fun. Paris Hilton also went this route, leaking her sex tape to get fake attention. Kardashian sisters also made it this way, highlighting the ugly face of the hunger for fame and popularity.
The Episode Review
The first episode of this limited series made a strong case for why the city should be on the lookout for a new serial killer. It was unafraid to explore dark secrets and unveil shocking truths about the people behind some of LA’s most heinous crimes.
The structure of the novel was quite unique, with characters speaking over and after each other to corroborate or dissuade each other’s claims. It was thrilling to see the actual masterminds involved in it retell their own stories.
The makers of the series want to explore the idea of technology and its impact on society. They want to show how it can be used for good or bad, and how it can be used to manipulate people.
Episode 1 explored how social media and mass hysteria about true crime dramas has democratized fame. Another thing I liked was how they pointed out the frivolity of the excesses that the celebs live on without demonizing the extravagance. ..
