How Did Marcia Clark Meet Christopher Darden? 'The People Vs. O.J. Simpson' Sheds New Light On Their Past

The People V. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story has been asking some interesting questions lately. Episode 6 aired on Tuesday and it was... what's the word? Juicy. It was a pretty juicy episode. Particularly concerning the prosecuting attorneys and a possible liaison in the midst of the Trail of the Century. So how did Marcia Clark meet Chris Darden? They were working in the same district attorney's office but were virtually strangers before being thrown together for O.J. Simpson's trial.

It wouldn't take long for them to bond, though. As a relatively new face with little trial experience, Darden had his work cut out for him. And as the only woman trying the case, Clark was walking around with a huge red target on her back. Her boss, Gil Garcetti, suggested she get a media consultant (which apparently really happened), and she got pretty emotionally beaten and bruised by tabloid media for not being attractive enough. In the most recent episode, she received little support from anyone, fought her ex-husband for custody of her 2 sons... she couldn't even go to the grocery store to buy tampons without some grocery clerk making a not-remotely-clever joke about her PMS affecting the trial. The only person she seemed able to rely on was her co-counsel, Chris Darden. The question being now, were they just friends? Or was something more tantalizing going on behind the scenes?

There have been some pretty broad hints on The People V. O.J. Simpson. And neither Darden nor Clark seem to be going out of their way to dispel the rumors. If you saw the episode, you would have seen Clark crying on Darden's shoulder over some topless photos of her that were leaked to the press. Darden's reaction on the show? "If it helps any, you do look mighty good in that picture."

So clearly, he was a supportive guy. But was he her lover?

The two lawyers began working closely together after Darden was brought on as her co-counsel in the Simpson case. They became friends. Possibly more than friends. Both Darden and Clark have been asked about the nature of their relationship, and both have addressed the question (kinda, sorta) rather ubiquitously.

According to Vanity Fair, Clark had this to say about their close relationship:

There’s been a lot of speculation about whether Chris and I were lovers. And if there’s any one of you out there with lingering curiosity on this point, I’m truly sorry. The question is irrelevant. Fact of the matter is, Chris Darden and I were closer than lovers. And unless you’ve been through what we went through, you can’t possibly know what that means.

I actually really love her response. Because Clark, as The People V. O.J. Simpson is so eloquently pointing out, needed something more than a lover in those days. She needed an ally. Someone she could lean on. And it turns out Darden was the right man for that job.

Whether he was the right man for the other job... well I guess we won't know until one of them decides to 'fess up, and, honestly, it's not anyone's business.