Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story

The season makes female rage, repression, and women’s freedom major parts of the story. Lizzie and Bridget’s romantic relationship is a continuing queer storyline. The show also links several female killers through a shared idea of anger against control and abuse.

The story repeatedly presents the family, marriage, male authority, and social rules as systems that trap women. Andrew’s power and sexual behavior are shown as major causes of harm. The trial also highlights the belief that a woman could not be capable of violence, although the setting is historical rather than a direct modern political debate.

The show turns the unproven Lizzie and Bridget rumors into a central romance. It invents sexual events involving Andrew and Bridget and adds a fictional connection to Aileen Wuornos. These changes strongly reshape the historical record through identity and sexuality.

Viewers across social platforms complained that the lesbian plot was historically unsupported and that the case was being sexualized. LadBible reported the same complaints from Netflix viewers. Other criticism targeted the invented female-killer links and the show’s feminist framing. The reaction received some media coverage but did not become a major national campaign.

Ryan Murphy has a strong record of LGBTQ-centered and identity-focused productions, with a stored score of 80. Ian Brennan has a milder but clear history of social themes through Glee and The Politician, with a stored score of 49. Their season interviews directly describe female rage and gender-based limits.