We all think we know the story of Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding. A foolhardy plan and a vicious attack just weeks before the 1994 Winter Olympics garnered relentless media coverage and brought newfound attention to the figure skating world. But viewed through the lens of 90s misogyny, a nuanced set of circumstances has been reduced to a catfight between “beauty and the bitch.”
For years, we treated the infamous figure skater as a punchline and her rival like an ice princess. It wasn’t until Craig Gillespie’s frenetic I, Tonya that we began collectively reconsidering the way we tell this story.
As they continue their exploration of Olympic crime, Joe and Jenn take one final trip around the rink with Gillespie’s Oscar 2017 darling. In the latest episode of Bloody FM’s Murder Made Fiction podcast, they’ll discuss the exciting needle-drops, shocking violence, and breathtaking performances that bring this notorious tale to life.
Next week, they’ll swap the rink for a wrestling mat with Jon Greenhalgh’s 2016 documentary Team Foxcatcher.
And if you want even more Murder Made Fiction, be sure to check out the pod’s Patreon feed, where Jenn and Joe have ~130 hours of content including a bear attack double feature with Grizzly Night and Cocaine Bear and discussions about the powerful documentaries The Perfect Neighbor, Predators, and Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke.