i think it's pretty obvious from the way she described her behavior during their time away from new york that she pretty much dissociated to a degree and engaged in a lot of willful ignorance. it's just unfortunate that the horrendous relationship she had with this asshole affected far more people than just the two of them.
either way, not enough leon
a fun addition if you liked the vice documentary. derryl tickled the fuck out of me, too. the entire section of him talking about kelly clarkson and the way the doc ends on him talking star trek is just chefs kiss.
a heads up: early on you see clear footage of the bomb on brian wells going off. it isn't exactly graphic but it's certainly very startling.
if you enjoyed vanished, you'll enjoy this. it's a story about the weird and bizarre circumstances surrounding two famous cases in erie and the accounts of those connected to them. that's where the value is -- not so much in the actual conclusions to the cases or the remaining, unsolved aspects. i like the personal anecdotes from the friends and family of the suspects and witnesses, and they're interspersed with interview footage and phone audio, as well as members of law enforcement recounting the case. all of the perspectives are really interesting; you just have to remember that the reason the whole story behind the crimes is so weird and complex is because the people involved are weird and complex. the crimes themselves weren't; they were just murders, plain and simple, and expecting anything more will make it hard to enjoy the story.
there are a lot of people who will benefit from seeing this. i hope they all watch it, and learn something. the way that anthony handles expressing himself and his feelings is something i'm still learning how to overcome in my thirties and something i watched my brother go through, too. an affect like this isn't a sign that there's nothing there; it's a sign that there's so fucking much there that it'll choke you if you feel it.
it's honestly mind blowing what vfx is capable of. really immersive and interesting. plus if you're a millennial, look forward to googling things while you go "idk that sounds fake" and finding out that way more has changed than just some dinos having feathers. like wtf new zealand is part of a submerged CONTINENT
very much worth the watch if you like the genre of true crime but are tired of the more exploitative media. this was handled very respectfully and imo there were some truly meaningful moments with the families of victims and survivors and even the judicial branch that aren't often seen in true crime documentaries. something that also makes this vastly preferable to the ted bundy iteration of this series? you don't actually have to listen to gacy nearly as much as you might fear you have to. the show does a good job of only including monologue that hasn't been heard for the most part and briefly intersperses it between other people's accounts and experiences.
there's also a great moment where on the tapes he's asked what he'd want done differently and he starts to say having the story told the way he wants it told; then someone reaches into frame of the old-fashioned tapecorder that's "playing" the tapes and stops it, shutting him up, and god, if that isn't a vibe for criminals like john wayne gayce.
one of the better true crime pieces put out lately by netflix. if you feel like getting more aggravated after watching this—vallejo's police also participate in a pastime called badge bending.
the taglines and trailers for this were a little unnecessary; i think the director did right by the family and i'm glad that steven stayner's children and wife got a chance to tell their story the way they wanted it to be heard. hulu didn't need to market it as a mystery or salacious true crime story because it's not really a mystery for anyone familiar with the genre and certainly not one for anyone from that part of california. its a devastating story and it's a worthwhile watch even if you're familiar with the case (having the actors who played the brothers read interview transcripts was fascinating, honestly), i just think whoever decided how this would be advertised played into exactly what this series highlighted about the way media behaves around human tragedy.
my main criticism is the inclusion of the mitigation specialist's remarks about the stayner family history. i think that shouldn't have been mentioned at all unless it was going to get addressed by someone other than a member of the defense team.
haven't finished it yet so can't say for sure, but i love the acting in this. all incredible actors playing people who are at times stupid, obnoxious, and pitiable. i've got emotional whiplash from how back and forth i go on david tennant's character in particular.
i'll be honest: there are a lot of closeups and repeated video segments of karla and paul that could have far easily been omitted or just used once, and more time could have been dedicated to the victims and what their lives were like before they were killed. a lot of series purport to want to draw more attention to victims and then do nothing of the sort.
i sat through the first two episodes sincerely hoping the second two would be closer to reality, and they are. i'd say this series is best as an introduction to the case and not something that provides a great deal of new information. i will say i love how law enforcement continues to be featured on true crime docs only to be surprised when everyone is disgusted with how little remorse they show. i mean, there are people who wept on screen about this case and what it did to them and none of them were members of law enforcement who could have prevented this from happening at multiple turns.
mostly worth watching for law professor alan young's constant indignation, he's pretty representative of how everyone feels about karla homolka.
someone in an article i read described this as uncanny valley and tbh it really is the uncanny valley of production vibes. half dramatization half "reality" 100% unpleasant to watch. i'm quitting after episode one.
