‘Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story’ Episode 6 Explores Trauma and Illusion

Episode six of FX's "Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story," titled "Bed and Breakfast," offers a poignant, albeit fictionalized, exploration of trauma, illusion, and the search for transcendence. The narrative interweaves Lizzie Borden's attempts to conceal her crimes with Aileen Wuornos's deeply personal, hallucinatory encounter with Borden.

The episode highlights Lizzie's efforts to manage the aftermath of her father and stepmother's murders. She masterfully fakes a nervous breakdown, leading to multiple morphine doses, and colludes with her uncle, John Morse, to create a fabricated alibi in exchange for financial assistance. However, her attempts at misdirection, such as presenting a bloody handkerchief as a sanitary napkin and burning bloody clothing while police are present, prove less effective.

Early forensic examinations, influenced by prevailing sexism, suggest that the brutality of the killings could only have been perpetrated by multiple men. Lizzie's inconsistent account of the day's events is initially accepted, even as she expresses regret over her father's death, though not her stepmother's. The graphic depiction of the victims' dismemberment serves as a gruesome counterpoint to the narrative's more introspective moments.

Meanwhile, the episode introduces a significant apocryphal element: Aileen Wuornos and her girlfriend, Shelby, visit the Lizzie Borden house, now a bed and breakfast. For Aileen, this visit becomes a profound, transformative experience. She engages with the house's history, seeking solace and connection. A key scene unfolds as Aileen, engaging in a solitary communion, believes she is speaking with Lizzie Borden. In this imagined exchange, Aileen recounts her own life of abuse and violence, finding a spectral understanding and acceptance from Borden.

This imagined encounter is juxtaposed with the return to Lizzie's storyline, where the misdirection ultimately fails. Forensic findings point to Lizzie as the perpetrator, and she is prepared for her arrest, while Bridget, her associate, disappears. The episode culminates in a memorable scene where Lizzie and Bridget share a final dance to Bronski Beat's "Smalltown Boy" in a dovecote, a moment underscored by the song's themes of ostracization and escape.

The episode's thematic core lies in the characters' retreats into their minds as a coping mechanism against harsh realities. Lizzie, Bridget, Aileen, and even the victims, Andrew and Abby Borden, are portrayed as individuals living in mental landscapes that offer refuge from their actual lives. The series suggests that this persistent reliance on internal worlds can lead to a poisonous relationship with reality, sometimes manifesting in violence. As the narrative posits, while adversity can sometimes foster growth, it can also lead to deterioration—a difficult truth that "Monster" confronts.