Entertainment News - TV

THIS ISSUE: American Crime Story, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., American Idol, Shadowhunters TOP MOMENT OF THE NIGHT The Verdict Is In FX BECAUSE: You heard the man: "If it doesn't fit... you must acquit!" Johnnie Cochran's famous words, spoken by the still startlingly good Courtney B. Vance, rang through the courtroom of the United States' most famous murder trial all over again on Tuesday night. And though we knew it was coming, O.J. Simpson's fate, and the trial that determined it, was perhaps just as shocking now as it was in 1995. The verdict: NOT GUILTY. READ OUR RECAP The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story FX WHAT HAPPENED: That "not guilty" verdict has already been read by The People v. O.J. Simpson finale's halfway point: "And that fact is near the top of the episode's many smart decisions," says EW recapper Joe McGovern. "Like the ship sinking in Titanic, we know that Simpson is going to be found not guilty." The prosecution's closing statements focused largely on the verified domestic violence against Nicole Simpson in O.J.'s past, with one flourishing dramatic moment from Chris Darden; the defense preached a sermon, one including Cochran's famous glove line. In tight close-ups and a genius use of split screen that included the four corners of this saga -- Cochran, Simpson, Robert Kardashian, and Marcia Clark -- director Ryan Murphy showed the full range of reactions to the jury's verdict. After the clerk reads "not guilty," the finale zooms in on the isolation that each of those big players: Kardashian vomits in a sink; Cochran cries as he watches President Bill Clinton acknowledge the racial divide in America; Clark is ashamed of herself (though it's worth noting that above all other characters, Clark has been most vindicated by this mini-series); and O.J. Simpson... WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING: As Marcia Clark predicted in an interview with EW last week, O.J.'s final depiction is as someone who's been "thrown out of his life." Clark thought the showrunners might focus on Simpson's ejection from the Riviera Country Club, his isolation from his pre-trial world. And that's exactly what they devoted the final 10 minutes of the finale to, as Simpson stands dwarfed by his own image holding a football, knowing that's not the thing for which he'll be remembered. And The People v. O.J. Simpson has truly offered us a story to remember, though as the A.V. Club points out, so very much of it was not about Simpson himself. The People v. O.J. Simpson'ssolution to offering suspense in a case we already know the answer to, "was to focus on the characters rather than the crime. And what's more, to focus on the attorneys, the jurors, the judge, the speculating media, the friends and acquaintances and family of the deceased... The trial of the century was the People v. O.J. Simpson but in American Crime Story, we witnessed everyone else take the stand." READ OUR RECAP Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. ABC WHAT HAPPENED: Tuesday night's episode of S.H.I.E.L.D. deals with Charles Hinton, an inhuman capable of showing the future to anyone he touches. When Daisy comes into brief contact with him, she gets a few freaky flashes: Lincoln's face covered in blood; Fitz and Simmons alone in some snow; and, definitely the kicker -- Coulson walking into a room and shooting her. But Daisy thinks she can change that fate, and Coulson tries to accommodate (y'know, because of the predicted murder ) by swapping May for Daisy in the mission to rescue Hinton; but when Andrew shows back up to surrender himself before he goes full-Lash, May stays behind, and Daisy is forced to face her fate. And as it turns out -- the future's not so bad: Lincoln was totally fine; Fitz and Simmons were actually laying on the ashes of a burning building; and Coulson was shooting at a reflection of Daisy in a two-way mirror, taking out the Hydra agent who was trying to kill her. WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING: How's that for A Christmas Carol-themed switcheroo? And though May and Andrew's final goodbye was touching, Vulture felt that its poignancy only served to point out the thinness of Daisy's fate-plot: "You could argue this is a clever middle ground between ' the future is inevitable ' and 'the future can be changed'... But even that generous reading can't forgive the narrative contrivances required to make Daisy's vision seem frightening... Fate may be a powerful force in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s narrative, but at the end of the episode, it's the screenwriters' hands that can be felt most heavily." We'll have to hope for more in future episodes. (Eh? Eh?!) READ OUR RECAP American Idol Fox WHAT HAPPENED: Wait a second...did American Idol just have a whole "American Dreams" special to reflect on the show's 15 year span only to end the whole thing with some heavy hinting that this season might not be the talent show's last? After reflections on Paula Abdul and that time Ryan Seacrest taught the world to text (he... really... kind of... did?), the special tacked on one last segment where producers heavily insinuated that the show could very well be brought back, just in a more cost-effective format. So... La'Porsha, Trent, or Dalton might not be the last American Idol winner, but they probably will be the last expensive American Idol -- that's the kind of pride money can't buy. WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING: And if you liked Tuesday's trip down American Idol memory lane -- hey remember when Ellen DeGeneres was a judge? Or when Nicki Minaj was a judge? Or when Mariah Carey was a judge??? -- then you're going to love this: Rumors are swirling that the series finale will featurethe return of two American Idol legends: Brian Dunkleman -- the Dunk! -- and William Hung -- the Hung. To that we say, yes please, and to the two-part finale beginning Wednesday night, we say, bring it on... even if it is seeming more and more like we may have another AI finale to look forward to. READ OUR RECAP One More Thing... Shadowhunters Hunts the Last Shadow Freeform BE MY VALENTINE: Freeform's Shadowhunters aired its season 1 finale on Tuesday night, and as EW recapper Lincee Ray says, "The writers tie all of our story lines up into a tidy bow on a lovely package. Then they metaphorically rip that package and toss the bow out the window in the final minutes of the episode." At least we know we have another season of shadow hunting to figure it all out.