The Lizzie Borden Chronicles
Episode 1.8 “Capsize”
Directed by Constantine Makris
Teleplay by Richard Blaney, Gregory Small
Story by by Richard Blaney, Gregory Small, David Simkins
Starring Christina Ricci, Clea DuVall, Chris Bauer, Cody Ray Thompson, Matthew Le Nevez, Amy Forsyth, Michelle Fairley
Lifetime
Air Date: Sunday, May 24th, 2015, 10pm ET

This is the end! It’s the last episode of the really fun ride known as The Lizzie Borden Chronicles! Spinning the tale of what life was like for Lizzie and Emma Borden (Christina Ricci and Clea DuVall) after the sensational trial of which she was acquitted, the story lands back in Fall River, and the blood never stops flowing.

Lifetime’s The Lizzie Borden Chronicles comes to an end tonight, and I think I might miss it most of all. This fun and campy limited series, a continuation of the Lifetime movie, Lizzie Borden Took An Ax, gave us a fictionalized account of what Lizzie Borden’s life was like once she was acquitted of the murder of her parents. That life, which interwined real and unreal (really unreal!) characters, was a bloody romp. That couldn’t have happened without Christina Ricci and Clea Duvall, who played Lizzie and Emma Borden, respectively. Nor could it have happened without the writers Greg Small, Rich Blaney, Barbara Nance, Jason Grote, and David Simkins.

I had interviewed Rich and Greg previously, and then got the bonus chance of interviewing David Simkins, veteran TV writer and producer of such shows as Charmed, Roswell, Warehouse 13, Dark Angel, Grimm, and so much more.

The Lizzie Borden Chronicles
Episode 1.7 “The Sisters Grimke”
Directed by Constantine Makris
Written by Richard Blaney, Gregory Small
Starring Christina Ricci, Clea DuVall, Chris Bauer, Ronan Vilbert, Steven McCarthy, Gage Munroe, Robert B. Kennedy, Adrian G. Griffiths, Gianpaolo Venuta
Lifetime
Air Date: Sunday, May 17, 2015, 10pm ET

Last week was the unofficial finale of sorts for The Lizzie Borden Chronicles. We know, thanks to writers, Rich Blaney and Greg Small, that originally the plan was for 6 episodes. Then, when two more were ordered, after the arc was pretty set for those six, the last 2 episodes were really an “opportunity” to explore, leaving the 6th episode with a finale-like feel. And boy! They weren’t kidding!

The Lizzie Borden Chronicles debuted on April 5th, 2015, on Lifetime, as a continuation of the Lifetime movie, Lizzie Borden Took An Ax. It tells the fictionalized story of what life was like for the Borden sisters, Lizzie and Emma (Christina Ricci and Clea DuVall), after the sensational trial of the murder of their parents, of which Lizzie was acquitted. As can be expected, life in Fall River was not ponies and rainbows, but chock full of more death and tons of blood.

Geeks of Doom got the chance to speak with 3 of the writers (Part 2 with David Simkins posts Monday) of this campy series (think 1890s Evil Dead-y), and while they didn’t give us spoilers, they did give us some insight into the story process, Christina Ricci’s dynamite input, and how lucky they were with the fantastic casting.

The Lizzie Borden Chronicles
Episode 1.6 “Fugitive Kind”
Directed by Howard Deutch
Written by David Simkins
Starring Christina Ricci, Clea DuVall, Cole Hauser, Bradley Stryker, Jeff Wincott, Dylan Taylor, John Ralston
Lifetime
Air Date: Sunday, May 10, 2015, 10pm ET

Last week on The Lizzie Borden Chronicles, the tableau I mentioned really was art. Isabel (Olivia Llewellyn), sprawled, newly killed on the bed, with Spencer’s head tucked neatly between her legs. That’s not the kind of thing you can unsee. The lesson here is… check behind doors when you hear a suspicious noise. When Lizzie (Christina Ricci) was revealed behind that door, I screamed “Run!” at the TV. And even though Hilliard (Jeff Wincott) had been with Siringo (Cole Hauser) pretty much the whole time, it seems Siringo is damned. I KNEW she was dead meat as soon as she and Siringo hit the hay, and talked of the future. They will not get a happy ending. That is not this show.

One thing that is surprising is how long Skipjack (Bradley Stryker) has lasted. I pegged him to be offed in Episode 2.

Check out the “Body Count” video and the clip from last week’s episode below.

The Lizzie Borden Chronicles
Episode 1.5 “Cold Storage”
Directed by Howard Deutch
Written by Jason Grote, Barbara Nance
Starring Christina Ricci, Clea Duvall, Cole Hauser, Bradley Stryker, Jeff Wincott, Olivia Llewellyn, Dylan Taylor, John Ralston
Lifetime
Air Date: Sunday, May 3rd, 2015, 10pm ET

Last week’s episode upped the killer creativity ante. If you check out the episode 4 body count video below, you’ll know that Nance (Jessy Schram) is dead and that Lizzie “shocked” Mrs. Kenney. I totally called that before I saw it. Nance maybe would be alive if she didn’t go looking for trouble, but who are we kidding? Lizzie (Christina Ricci) would have gotten to her eventually. Emma (Clea DuVall) turned down Leslie’s (Dylan Taylor) offer to move forward in their relationship after some masterful Lizzie manipulation.

The Lizzie Borden Chronicles
Episode 1.4 “Welcome To Maplecroft”
Directed by Russell Mulcahy
Written by Jason Grote
Starring Christina Ricci, Clea Duvall, Cole Hauser, Bradley Stryker, Jeff Wincott, Olivia Llewellyn, Dylan Taylor, Jessy Schram, John Ralston
Lifetime
Air Date: Sunday, April 26th, 2015, 10pm ET

The Lizzie Borden Chronicles 1.4 “Welcome To Maplecroft” brings up to the halfway point in our bloody Lifetime series. Before that review, let’s recap last week’s episode.

“Flowers” centered on Lizzie’s (Christina Ricci) new business partner, Mr. Flowers (Jonathan Banks). He took care of that nasty little Spencer business for her. An unforeseen loose end is Skipjack (Bradley Stryker) taking the playwright’s ring. Mr. Flowers seems like a useful person for a rich serial killer to have around. Why… someone like that can get goons to beat up annoying Pinkerton detectives, and leave them/him on some train tracks like a damsel left by a twirly-mustached villain. I really enjoy Siringo (Cole Hauser) onscreen. I was hoping he would last til the end. He will, won’t he? Won’t he?

The Lizzie Borden Chronicles
Episode 1.3 “Flowers”
Directed by Russell Mulcahy
Written by Barbara Nance
Starring Christina Ricci, Clea Duvall, Cole Hauser, Bradley Stryker, Jeff Wincott, Olivia Llewellyn, Dylan Taylor, Kimberly-Sue Murray
Lifetime
Air Date: Sunday, April 19th, 2015, 10pm ET

We are three episodes in for Lifetime’s “The Lizzie Borden Chronicles” limited series event and I am thoroughly enjoying this undiscovered little jewel. But before we get to reviewing 1.3 “Flowers,” let’s recap last week’s “Patron of the Arts.”

There are some spoilers if you haven’t watched “Flowers” yet.

What we probably knew before and definitely know now, is that Lizzie (Christina Ricci) enjoys her notoriety. She and Emma (Clea Duvall) attend a risque performance, and get invited to an afterparty because of Lizzie’s fame. There they meet the playwright, Spencer, who tries to get Lizzie to be his “patron” for his next play. He also tries and fails at seducing her. Lizzie rescues a prostitute, Adele, from her terrible lot. She goes to see Mr. Flowers about it, and they politely compare the size of their d***s. Siringo (Cole Hauser) and Lizzie do a silent dance around their enmity, while having a polite conversation. Siringo tries to insert logic into the investigation, but it falls on deaf ears. Spencer tries to rape Adele, so she sticks him with a pitchfork, then panics and gets Lizzie. Lizzie finishes him off.

The Lizzie Borden Chronicles
Episode 1.2 “Patron Of The Arts”
Directed by Stephen Kay
Written by Richard Blaney and Gregory Small
Starring Christina Ricci, Clea Duvall, Cole Hauser, Bradley Stryker, Jeff Wincott, Olivia Llewellyn, Dylan Taylor, Kimberly-Sue Murray
Lifetime
Air Date: Sunday, April 12th, 2015, 10pm ET

Let’s recap Episode 1 of Lifetime’s limited series, The Lizzie Borden Chronicles, before we get to this week’s review.

Last week’s episode ended with a smile. Lizzie Borden’s (Christina Ricci) smile, that is. Her smile contained the promise of an evil little secret, one that the audience is in on of course. I’m not sure I would not have believed Lizzie either. Ricci plays her excellently.

Four months after she was acquitted of killing her parents, Lizzie and Emma Borden (Clea DuVall) still live in the same house in the same town. She is infamous and frightening to most of the townsfolk. As well they should be. Detective Siringo (Cole Hauser), a Pinkerton man, rolls into town to quietly do some of his own investigating into the Borden murders. I hope he doesn’t find himself on the wrong end of a blade, rope, horseshoe, whatever. Lizzie and Emma bail their brother William out of jail, and he proceeds to make demands and threats to the sisters, which we know does not bode well for him.

The Lizzie Borden Chronicles
Episode 1.1
Directed by Stephen Kay
Written by Richard Blaney and Gregory Small
Starring Christina Ricci, Clea Duvall, Cole Hauser, Bradley Stryker, Jeff Wincott, and Dylan Taylor
Lifetime
Air Date: Sunday, April 5th, 2015, 10pm ET

On January 25th, 2014, Lifetime premiered the movie Lizzie Borden Took An Ax starring Christina Ricci in the title role and Clea DuVall as her sister, Emma Borden. After her father and stepmother were found brutally murdered with a hatchet, based on a true story, the TV movie took them through the investigation and trial of which Lizzie was eventually acquitted. The ending revealed that she did kill her parents. The movie had high ratings, so a six-episode limited series was ordered, which was recently increased to eight.

The Lizzie Borden Chronicles 1.1 review: The episode opens with some little girls playing jumprope singing the famous Lizzie Borden poem. These words flash across the screen – “Four months after the acquittal of Lizzie Borden for the murder of her parents.” The girls jumping are interrupted with flashes of a raised ax dripping with blood. It’s not just little girls who think Lizzie is a murderer despite the verdict, pretty much the whole town does, with whispering stares.