WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for episode 9 of American Sports Story.
The penultimate episode of FX’s American Sports History: Aaron Hernandez smartly shifts the narrative focus from Hernandez to his ex-fiancée Shayanna Jenkins. American sports history episode 9 “What’s Left Behind” puts Hernandez’s ex-fiancee, Shayanna Jenkins, in the spotlight as she chooses to defend Hernandez through his arrest and conviction for murder. The contents of the box that Hernandez asked Shayanna to discard remain a mystery both on the show and in reality.
Since the first two episodes of American sports historyAaron Hernandez’s life and NFL career were headed toward a tragic and frightening end point that resulted in former New England Patriot and star tight end receiving life sentence for the murder of Odin Lloyd. Since emerging as an offensive weapon on Urban Meyer’s legendary but controversial Florida Gators team and receiving the coveted John Mackey Award, Hernandez began his life sentence on April 15, 2015, just months after the Patriots won their fourth Franchise Super Bowl.
Shayanna being the focus of American sports history, episode 9 was perfect
With Hernandez’s fate determined, Shayanna took center stage in the narrative.
American sports history episode 9 wisely gives Shayanna the spotlight in its penultimate episode, when Hernandez is arrested and imprisoned following the murder of Odin Lloyd. At this point in the series, Hernandez has made many decisions, several of them openly violent and criminal, which have placed his fate in the hands of the American judicial system. Jenkins then became the one whose autonomy and choices would have the greatest impact on the story, as Hernandez completely ran out of luck and privilege as an NFL celebrity.
Jenkins was the key person in Hernandez’s murder trial that could have led prosecutors to the discovery of the murder weapon, especially since she chose to testify in exchange for immunity. Based on this agreement, it was somewhat expected that Shayanna would be more open about the mysterious box and its contents, but instead claimed to ignore its contents and comply with Hernandez’s request to discard it. This created a natural tension in the story that made the decision to give it all the attention of the episode necessary and well executed.
American Sports Story Episode 9 Averted an Aaron Hernandez Issue With Its Focus on Shayanna
Shayanna’s circumstances became more tense and compelling in episode 9
Keeping the focus on Hernandez as he went through the process of being admitted as a prisoner and awaiting trial from June 2013 until the trial began in April 2015 would have been the least compelling creative choice. In this case, the episode would have to have taken place entirely in the prison or courtroom, which is arguably less interesting and not as likely to be rooted in the real story, given the lack of access within the walls of Hernandez’s prison. Shayanna’s experience is easier to explore and gives the show another focus besides Hernandez, which ended up providing a better narrative angle in American sports history episode 9.