Carolyn Bessette faced a trial by fire at the Kennedy compound in the latest episode of Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, where family matriarch Ethel Kennedy appeared to put the nervous Calvin Klein publicist through an intense political dinner initiation.
From being called out for wearing her fashionable scarf at dinner to not being told she had to sign up for breakfast, it almost seemed as though Carolyn's betrothed, John F. Kennedy Jr., set her up for failure with Ethel. Executive producer Brad Simpson shared that John didn't fully prepare Carolyn for the Kennedy family’s strict traditions and intense expectations, leaving her feeling unready during her early visits to Hyannis Port.
And while those early visits were tough, Ethel actually became quite fond of Carolyn to the point of being protective of her, especially after learning of her nephew and Carolyn's explosive Central Park encounter depicted in the episode. “Ethel was surprised when Carolyn admitted to insecurity related to John,” J. Randy Taraborrelli wrote in his 2019 book, The Kennedy Heirs via People. Ethel said to Carolyn: “But you’re so beautiful ... and so smart. Why?”
Ultimately, Carolyn gained Ethel's respect. “I went through that with Bobby at first. Then I finally got it that the only way to survive in this family is to look in the mirror and say, ‘You know what? I’m enough.’ Eventually it will sink in and no one can ever take that way from you. Not even the Kennedys," Taraborrelli wrote in Ethel's voice, adding, “I think you’re more powerful than any of the other women John has dated."
Taraborrelli told People, “Ethel was tough, but then she also tries to protect Carolyn.”
Simpson wanted that first visit to the Kennedy compound in Love Story to convey the complexity of Carolyn's relationship with the family dynamics. “We knew that Carolyn had a complicated relationship with the Kennedy compound,” he told TV Insider. “She went there a lot. I’m sure she had tons of good memories there, but it was a very specific place with a very specific set of rules. This becomes even more prevalent in Episode 8 when they actually fight about the rules. She very much felt on display there. She was married to the crown prince of the Kennedy family. Everyone’s a cousin in the Kennedy family, but he was the ultimate cousin.”
Ryan Murphy's Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on FX and streams the next day on Hulu.
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