HBO’s 8-Part Miniseries Masterpiece Finally Hits Netflix and the True Crime Case Still Doesn’t Make Sense
True crime has always had a tight grip on pop culture, but one case was so confounding that it was covered twice. The horrifying events surrounding political candidate and author Michael Peterson were first explored in the controversial 2004 documentary, The Staircase. These events were revisited in 2022 with the true crime television series of the same name. Premiering on HBO, The Staircase stars Colin Firth in a story that still inspires much debate. Now, as it hits Netflix, viewers have another chance to untangle the confounding details of the case in the brutal series.
Firth is haunting in the series as Peterson, a successful author who one night frantically calls 911 after discovering his wife Kathleen (Toni Collette) bleeding at the bottom of the staircase in their North Carolina home. Authorities arrive on the scene and determine Kathleen has died, and though Peterson maintains that the death was accidental, law enforcement quickly hone in on her husband for premeditated murder. This splits the Peterson family down the middle, with many defending their father while others disputing his innocence. As the case progresses, possible motives arise and a curious pattern of violent behavior. The Staircase also covers the documentary that was filmed over the course of a decade and a half, and Peterson’s ultimate release from prison, which adds additional intrigue to this already perplexing case.
‘The Staircase’ Defines Archetypes of a Whodunnit Case
It is only natural for anyone tuning in to a true crime series to expect answers. Any good mystery carefully lays out the clues and leads audiences to the answers. Just like the documentary, however, there is no cut-and-dry answer. There are many theories as to what contributed to Kathleen’s shockingly violent death. Peterson always claimed that his wife’s death was accidental and that, after some wine, she fell of her own accord. There is another theory that Peterson was the culprit, and an even stranger one after a feather was found in evidence. Some offer the theory that an owl had flown through an open window and attacked Kathleen, causing her almost inexplicable injuries at the base of the staircase. At the end of the HBO series, these are all still questions, leaving any conclusive answer up in the air.
The Staircase remains more than neutral and actually confronts the audience with many of the possible events. Kathleen’s death is shown in multiple different ways, trying on each theory for size. The series did this purposefully to make viewers come to their own conclusion instead of putting their own biases into it. This also has a level of irony as Peterson creates a personal connection with the French documentary crew covering the story. Sophie Brunet (Juliette Binoche) is the editor for the documentary and was criticized for taking a specific point of view in the story because she was in a relationship with Peterson. The HBO series, on the other hand, doesn’t resolve this easily for the audience, instead pointing at all the conflicting evidence purposefully.
Michael Peterson’s story could not have been told in its entirety without the inclusion of the documentary film crew. Capitalizing on this family’s tragedy was an element practically from the beginning. Instead of typical true crime series like the exhaustive Monster anthology on Netflix, the creatives behind The Staircase have no interest in creating a glamorized version of events. Instead, it shows the opposite, critiquing how Peterson’s story was already in the works of being delivered to the audience as content rather than fact.
The Staircase depicts practically every single element that comes into play and every perspective. Even characters from lawyers to law enforcement are interested in weaving their own narrative to achieve their goals. Kathleen’s sisters, who never really liked Michael, are quick to jump on his complicity. The documentary film crew is the most guilty of this, as the series shows them literally cutting and editing a film that is completely editorialized. This questions how ethical true crime shows are as a whole and how much viewers can really trust the material. The Staircase is the rare true crime case that invites questions, making it an even more fascinating watch. Viewers can catch the limited series currently streaming on Netflix.
