The Lizzie Borden Story has viewers dissecting more than the infamous 1892 axe murders. A dinner scene featuring celeriac soup has also drawn attention, with the show’s depiction of the Borden household raising questions about what Lizzie Borden and her family actually ate.
The scene appears early in the series, which premiered on September 17 and stars Ella Beatty as Lizzie Borden, Charlie Hunnam as her father Andrew Borden and Rebecca Hall as her stepmother Abby. Because a local druggist testified that Lizzie had attempted to obtain prussic acid, a poisonous chemical, shortly before the murders, the incident eventually acquired significance. Netflix describes the drama as a fictionalized interpretation built around details from the historical record. That detail comes from historical trial records rather than the Netflix dramatization. The Netflix series takes that historical episode and substantially reworks it. The real case contained evidence that prosecutors used to build their case, but the Netflix series also changes or rearranges parts of the historical record. The show’s creators have described it as a fictionalized interpretation rather than a literal reconstruction of every event.
She reportedly said she wanted it for a sealskin cape.
