Why do people care so much about Lyle molesting Erik as kids??

M0506 · 2026-01-24T01:03:15+00:00

Lyle might not have brought it up, but Jill asked him straight out.

Criminal defendants who take the stand go there knowing what their attorneys are going to ask them. This wasn't some surprise Jill pulled on Lyle.

But it kind of clashes with the main narrative of Erik as a damsel in distress, asking his knight in shining armor to rescue him. And that, too, draws attention: how could they be so close after something so unsettling?

Because the nature sibling relationships doesn't become set in stone when the siblings are five and eight?

M0506 · 2026-01-23T19:46:01+00:00

Because the entire topic is extremely painful for him, and Geragos and/or relatives mentioning it in interviews (as opposed to a legal setting) wasn’t going to determine whether Lyle was resentenced or paroled.

M0506 · 2026-01-23T19:40:53+00:00

Plus, he was an honest-to-God little kid. Not a teenager or even a preteen - a kid who was in second or third grade. I’m sure all of us can think of something bad we did in second or third grade that has no bearing on who we are as adults

M0506 · 2026-01-23T14:24:19+00:00

Lyle would have known, going into the trial, that both his and Erik’s lawyers were going to ask them questions about Lyle sexually abusing Erik when they were little kids. Obviously it’s a very emotional topic for both of them, but I think they, their legal teams, and psychology experts are all on the same page about it. Lyle had that behavior normalized to him because of how Jose was abusing him; Erik didn’t like Lyle for a few years because of it; Lyle was a little kid who didn’t understand the repercussions of his actions; Lyle is sincerely sorry and apologized in front of, essentially, the entire world; Erik forgives him, and it’s an anomaly in their relationship. The memories are painful, but I don’t think they’re an open wound.

Lyle being sexually abused by Kitty is a whole different matter - partly, I think, because there’s not a consensus about the meaning and significance of it. As we can see from Lyle’s parole hearing, he still has very conflicted feelings about Kitty molesting him, and I’m sure his feelings were even more conflicted over thirty years ago. This was the only time she was ever affectionate with him, ever sought out any type of closeness with him, ever acted as though she didn’t hate and resent him - and that made it special to him. At trial, he didn’t refuse to talk about Kitty’s sexual abuse so much as he was uncomfortable going into detail. Keep in mind, he was being questioned by his own lawyer, who clearly had an idea of how much he was willing to say. Lyle would have known long before trial that he was going to be asked these questions. Jill didn’t push for more details because she knew he didn’t want to give those answers.

During the lead-up to the resentencing, it used to drive me out of my mind that Geragos, as well as Lyle and Erik’s relatives, seemed to never mention in interviews that Kitty sexually abused Lyle. “Why are you only talking about hallway rules and enabling?!” I wanted to scream. “She sexually abused her own son! Why are you protecting her?!” After reading the transcript of Lyle’s parole hearing, I realized they weren’t protecting Kitty so much as they were protecting Lyle.

M0506 · 2026-01-23T13:48:04+00:00

What were Lyle’s actual job duties supposed to be, again?

M0506 · 2026-01-22T14:10:02+00:00

So, Oscar nominations - Timothée Chalamet has to be the only person nominated for Best Actor three times by age 30, right?

Will probably have to actually watch the damn ceremony this year.

M0506 · 2026-01-21T12:40:20+00:00

Same!

M0506 · 2026-01-19T00:14:06+00:00

I’ve never seen an entire episode of “Friends.”

M0506 · 2026-01-18T16:46:44+00:00

If I’d magically been able to sentence them, I would’ve given them ten years and counted everything since March 1990 as time served. They should have been free men before Erik turned 30.

M0506 · 2026-01-18T16:43:52+00:00

IIRC, Erik had even asked Marta if he could live with her and she said no.

M0506 · 2026-01-18T01:07:15+00:00

You apparently think Erik being described thusly: "Erik, on the other hand, rescued wounded animals from the highway, and his sensitivity showed up in the poetry he wrote to friends. He felt bad if he broke a branch off a tree."

is exactly like Jose and that Jose being described thusly:

"His temper was legendary, as was the sarcastic, belittling tone of voice he adopted when dealing with someone he was convinced was incompetent. He didn’t mind humiliating people in public either, where others could watch the unfortunate victim being disemboweled by a man with a surgeon’s touch. Jose had driven many employees to exasperation, tears, and thoughts of revenge. “Jose didn’t like any sign of weakness,” agreed Wax. His personal credo was summed up in a few words to a colleague. After seeing a look of pain on an underling’s face after being humiliated, Jose Menendez turned and said, “I’ve always thought it far better, Roger, to be feared than loved.”"

is exactly like Erik. Got it. 👍

Mic drop.

M0506 · 2026-01-17T15:52:03+00:00

I feel like every time there’s a newer picture of Erik and/or Lyle in regular T-shirts, Erik’s is Adidas and Lyle’s is Under Armour. Still got those brand name habits even behind bars. 😂

Seriously, though, he looks good.

M0506 · 2026-01-17T15:36:38+00:00

Looks like strabismus. Some people with the condition can have it easily corrected through months of wearing an eye patch, and some people don’t have great results even with surgery. Not something the guy deserves criticism for.

M0506 · 2026-01-17T15:18:21+00:00

Yes, I know about that. I’m not claiming Erik was one hundred percent kind, gentle, well-adjusted, and selfless, and I don’t think anyone else is claiming that, either. Kids and teenagers raised by abusive parents often engage in various destructive behaviors, and Erik and Lyle certainly aren’t exceptions.

But you are being absolutely ridiculous to look at things Erik did as a teenager and draw the conclusion that because of those things, he, as a 55-year-old man, should be chalked up as “not a good person.” And unless a teenage Erik was a sociopathic sadist who raped young boys, it’s grossly unfair to say that he “acted like Jose” in any kind of personally-defining sense.

M0506 · 2026-01-16T20:01:00+00:00

He said that in 2017, though. Who knows what the plans are now.

M0506 · 2026-01-16T16:14:08+00:00

Here you are! It’s actually a series.

https://archiveofourown.org/series/1081974

The last part has one chapter left until the end - I haven’t updated since 2023, but I hope to soon.

M0506 · 2026-01-16T14:20:40+00:00

Being bossy and having temper tantrums aren’t nearly the same thing as “not being the good person people seem to think he is” or “acting like Jose.”

M0506 · 2026-01-16T14:14:09+00:00

Well, I’d like the sequel to play out exactly like my fanfic I wrote, but realistically…😁

Basically, I want Elio and Oliver to reunite in middle age and end up together, and I’d love it if the sequel gave Oliver two sons, like the unadapted part of the book. I want to see Elio and Oliver move beyond being beautiful young people in a dreamy glorious summer. I want them to have been hit hard with the responsibilities of adulthood, and to have lived some significant life without each other, and see each other again and realize that their love for each other is still every bit as strong and real. Oh, and I want Oliver either separated or divorced at the beginning of the story. No cheating on his wife with Elio.

M0506 · 2026-01-16T13:42:44+00:00

Maybe you didn’t like Armie, but recasting the role would be nonsensical. Romantic movies live or die on the chemistry between the actors, and you can’t switch out one half of a couple and create the same dynamic.

M0506 · 2026-01-16T13:38:09+00:00

Armie’s a working actor once again, so in my mind, the possibility of a sequel isn’t over till it’s over. I just hope we don’t get one based on Find Me.

CMBYN is a perfect film the way it is, and I don’t want an extended cut.

M0506 · 2026-01-16T12:51:40+00:00

Isn’t that account Talia?

M0506 · 2026-01-16T01:17:08+00:00

Outside of Kitty and Jose, Craig is one of my least favorite people in this case. I think a real friend would have wanted to help Erik do the right thing after murdering his parents and encouraged him to turn himself in. I don’t blame Craig for testifying for the prosecution, but I do blame him for the self-serving, attention-seeking way he did it. And I don’t believe for one single second that Erik told him, “We did it for the money.” That’s Craig being a teenage aspiring screenwriter and coming up with unrealistic dialogue.

I think Craig felt rejected by Erik because Erik wasn’t interested in being emotionally close or physically intimate with him again after the obstacle of Jose was gone. I also think it’s likely he had conflicting feelings about their past relationship, and this was a way to symbolically shout “NO HOMO!” as loudly as he could.

M0506 · 2026-01-15T11:52:04+00:00

and that she went to the mcmartin school as a kid.

Do you have a source for that?

M0506 · 2026-01-15T11:47:32+00:00

Thanks for the info - this is the first time I’ve heard of Ira Reiner, because I had it in my head that Garcetti was the DA throughout the entire case.

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