Lorena

We all know about the severed organ.....I was a teenager when the story broke and the sensationalism surrounding it simply CAN'T be overstated. What this series manages to do is not an easy feat....the actual ORGAN becomes the least interesting part of the story. This series explores a lot of issues which are sadly just as relevant as they were in 1993. We get an in depth look into the characters of John and Lorena and are given ample information to draw conclusions without ever being TOLD what conclusions to draw. John Bobbitt is a brute with a long, documented record of abuse against women. He is NOT an intelligent or insightful person, yet I wasn't totally devoid of sympathy for him. Lorena on the other hand is thoughtful and purposeful and has turned her life into a meaningful one, yet I still have a nagging suspicion that she was TOTALLY lucid when she did the deed. In short, this is not a story of good vs evil....it is much more nuanced. Even in todays day and age rife with mass shootings and hate crimes I suspect that this same crime would be just as newsworthy as it was in 1993. One of the Escorts at the Bunny Ranch said the most poignant quote in the entire series...."You have hundreds of female circumcisions every day in Africa but one man gets his P*N&S severed and the world comes to a screeching halt"

This comprehensive documentary throws a lot of light on the circumstances of this infamous event. Yes, most people knew what had happened and I like many others in those days, gave it a superficial overview and made up our minds who was guilty. Full stop.

Now many years later and really beginning to understand the many facets of this complex story, I have come to a different conclusion. John Wayne Bobbitt was no angel, but an abuser and liar, yet also a victim, but not because of Lorena's action. He had also been abused in childhood. Lorena committed a crime, but under the circumstances, perhaps not in control of her own free will.

I am glad to have watched this show, with actual video recordings of the trials. A real eye opener, giving food for thought. There were no winners, only losers. We have all done annoying things in our youth, but with age you may become wiser.

This series shows factual evidence of news clips, video clips from the courts and testimonies from all that are involved such as family, friends, neighbors, doctors, psychiatrists, etc. As a survivor of abuse, it was hard to hear everything that was being said. But the footage of the entire Bobbit trial gave all the evidence needed to see another side of the story.

It's amazing to watch this as an adult. As a kid I saw bits on the news, but never the whole picture of her abuse. After the trials you heard his torrid stories. This show you get the whole picture. You see where they are now and that she's grown as a person, and he's still clearly not.

I was probably around 18 years old when I lived this trial in my country. I was glued to it as it opened my eyes as a young woman newlywed to an abuser. My abuser told me don't you ever dare do that to me. He knew he deserved it somehow. I was younger than Lorena but living more or less the same. Thanks to her (and not to you, mom or MIL) I learned that rape does exist in a marriage and that we are to give consent.

And it is absolutely amazing to see all of this through the eyes of a mature (and of course divorced) woman. I rage when I hear how they try (the men) to bring down her testimonies because this is how I felt. I felt alone and terrified and still lived with that MF for 3.5 years and slept in the same bed. This is a case of how far we have come in woman rights and how we still have lots to go. Feminicide is up now in the pandemic as millions of women have to live 24/7 with their abusers. Time to do more! Anyway, great watch, nice to see it all behind doors as the NYT wrote on this doc and nice to have now a safe and mature mind to go over the case.