In the 90’s there was no bigger love story than the love story of John F. Kennedy Jr and Carolyn Bessette, There was such a mystery that surrounded them, but also these two gave you an idea that love is a possibility for even the biggest of cynics. There was always an idea of what love should be, but the way that John would look at her was the way we all wanted someone to look at us. We all knew that there love wasn’t perfect, but we knew that it was… and that’s what we all wanted.
A love that was because it existed.
I think that the hardest thing about telling any love story is that the people who really knew what happened in that love story aren’t always around to tell. John and Carolyn’s love story isn’t over for one reason – it’s because the world still has a fascination with them, which keeps everyone hanging on every documentary and every book that can be written. While I love watching Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, I know that it’s not perfect. I also know that it is not all real. It’s a show that is “based on” and don’t think for a second that I have forgotten that.
It’s hard to “review” things sometimes, because people want this critical review of peoples lives or characters that are created. When it’s real people that you are staring at – well people playing real people – it’s hard to think that anyone has the right to judge what could have or didn’t happen.
Carolyn Bessette was and still remains a mystery. Watching someone portray her on the screen makes me want to tell a young me that no one deserves to live in a fish bowl. The Kennedy’s will always remain a mystery and I don’t really think that they ever won’t be.
Watching this episode I felt for John and Caroline – having to go through all of the things that Jackie left and that they had to sell in order to pay the inheritance tax. I would have loved to see more of their time with Jackie or even mourning her. I know that the show is about John and Carolyn – but I do believe that in oder to understand John, we need to understand his relationship with his family.
And maybe we’ll get that in future episodes.
If you are a Kennedy, you can’t outrun that name. It doesn’t matter what you do and where you go. It’s just life. Though, I don’t think that the Kennedy name isn’t the same as it was in the 90’s. I respect the privacy that is given to Caroline Kennedy and her family now. It’s just watching this, I wonder – if that was given to John and Carolyn would their life be different and they still be here.
Carolyn doesn’t want to be seen with John in public and I can respect that. Love and relationships don’t need to be on public display. She wanted to just love and be loved. She wanted the moments that were between them.
John, he didn’t know how to not be public – because his whole life was that way. But Carolyn, she seemed to change him in ways. She seemed to believe in who he was as a person and not who he was to the world. You can tell that it affected him – everything affected him when it came to her.
The whole episode is about the evolution of their relationship. It all comes to crossroads when it’s Carolines birthday and John bringing her without telling her what the dinner is for. Carolyn prides herself on being a person that is respectful and honest.
I think that Caroline’s come to Jesus moment with her brother at the dinner was necessary. She needed to remind him to grow up and treat Carolyn with more respect.
Carolyn has to miss a planned outing with John the next day. She misses his football game and when she sees him at home he’s distant. She can tell that something is wrong. The interaction between the two – over a letter that was left in his bag and things were not kind to her. He seemed to believe the letter and she had every reason to be angry over that.
She has every right to not want to hear his excuses. While I get his indecision and fear of being used, it is not fair to not have a conversation about it. Instead he seems to tell her that it has to be real – the words that someone wrote on a page affected him that much? It’s his sister that tells him that he needs to get it together.
If he cares about Carolyn he has to figure it out and try harder.
I have to wonder, what kind of coward puts a letter in a bag versus talking to his friend. John – well he lives his life with the world getting out of his way. He doesn’t know reality sometimes and so he let that get in the way.
The last ten minutes are the powerful of the episode. John and his sister talking and him explaining why it is that he needs to get it together. Him, having the super let him into her apartment and them putting all their feelings on the line. The exchange of “i love you” and the vulnerability that came with that for both.
But it was the article that made its way into the newspaper and the look on her face as she saw it. There was no hiding anymore. The world knew her name at that point.
Carolyn Bessette fell in love with John – not JFK Jr. and that’s what we need to remember. There is a difference between a public figure and who a person truly is. I think that we all need to take a second to remember that.
While you can google who she is and all of the things that happened, the reality is we’ll never know what exactly happened. We’ll never know, because the people that were involved are gone. I do believe that JFK and Carolyn loved each other, but because we saw so many volatile moments between the two we’re never going to see their truth. And that’s okay.
Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette has been made for a reason – the world is still fascinated by their love and the way they came together.
And that fascination will keep people watching the good and the bad. I have a fascination with them and i’m okay with being judged over that.
OTHER THOUGHTS
- John outside her building made me laugh cause of course he’s making sure that she’s not screening calls made me LOL
- Her meeting Johns friends was so good to me – especially when she’s just herself and doesn’t let it af
