Many may argue that Netflix's new series "Making a Murderer" isn't a balanced and fair assessment of the trials of Manitowoc County, Wisconsin's Steven Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey. They will say that the series is biased towards the idea that Avery and Dassey were wrongfully imprisoned and didn't receive a fair trial. There is some validity to this claim. But at the same time, the series needs to be slanted and biased. Why? Because to propagate the views and sides of the District Attorney and the Manitowoc police would be to bolster an argument and opinion that has already been well-established. The result was the convictions. To take an opposing point of view, as this documentary series does, is the duty of the makers and is sorely needed in the name of truth and justice.
Feelings of frustration, anger, and disbelief may arise in the viewer over the course of the ten episodes of season 1 of "Making a Murderer." The miscarriage of justice is totally palpable, and the argument that writers/directors Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos put across about the wrongful convictions seems like the truth. Yes, they may have made the prosecuting attorneys and the police look like lying, deceiving, and repugnant characters. But, this was necessary to get their point across succinctly.
The way that the series is edited and filmed is totally riveting, making use of voice over dialogue, interrogation video clips, news report footage, and trial highlights. There is a sense of elation each time the Defense team makes a revelation about police cover-up, corruption and the planting of evidence. But at the same time, there is an impending sense of doom as the trial progresses - a feeling that justice will not prevail.
The series speaks volumes to the disadvantages of the disenfranchised when it comes to legal matters. The less money you have, the less chance you have of assembling a worthy defense team and case for you. The allegations against Avery and Dassey are horrifying as is the nature of Teresa Halbach's murder. In the murder trial, it doesn't seem like the guilt of Avery is established beyond a reasonable doubt. Still, the jury is apparently biased from the beginning and Avery's guilt is assured in the end.
Dassey's situation is equally dire and unforgivable. The way the interrogator bait and goad the youngster, who is intellectually-disadvantaged to begin with, is appalling. It is a mystery how a jury could not notice the obviousness of how interrogators used the power of suggestion and manipulation to lead the impressionable Dassey to confess to something that apparently never happened.
This is a fantastic Netflix original. It will be interesting to see if the second season continues to explore the mishandling of the cases and whether the justice system can redeem itself. All in all, "Making a Murderer" is nothing more than a microcosm of the United States Justice system and how corrupt and wayward it can be now and throughout history.
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