Age of The Nerd
If someone were to ask me the best way to describe ‘The Staircase‘, I would most likely tell that it has the same addictive binge-worthiness as the series ‘Making A Murderer‘, but with a few very marked differences. In the case of ‘Making A Murderer‘ Stephen Avery was seemingly taken advantage of by a corrupt system and while this eerily similar to what happens to author Michael Peterson in ‘The Staircase‘ the way in which these two individuals are forced to defend themselves is completely opposite.
In ‘Making A Murderer‘ Steven Avery is portrayed as being from very low class and from the wrong side of the tracks you could say, however in Michael Peterson’s case, he is a very wealthy upper- class citizen and is certainly able to afford a much better defense team than in Avery’s case, as he was forced to deal with poorly trained and corrupt public defenders and ultimately ended up losing his freedom in the end.
If we had seen Peterson in the same financial predicament as Avery than the way the story of ‘The Staircase‘ played out thing’s would have had a completely different ending. I would also recommend any law student to watch this film, as it shows the inner workings of lawyers and the court system.
‘The Staircase‘ is a riveting look at the murder trial of Michael Peterson charged with the murder of his wife, Kathleen Peterson in 2001. ‘The Staircase‘ was directed by Oscar winner Jean-Xavier de Lestrade, and originally aired on French television as an eight-episode mini-series. With all the twists and turns during the trail, the director added two episodes to the series, and Netflix added three more episodes that follow Peterson’s life during and after the trial.
My one complaint is that the documentary seems a little one sided with mainly only getting the point of view of the Peterson clan. Michael Peterson comes off as a little odd and will make viewers ponder if they are really watching a killer speak. There are only a few scenes featuring the deceased wife’s family members, but they come off as cold and angry.
I highly recommend ‘The Staircase‘ for it’s look into the tragic death of a wife and mother down a staircase, and the events that occur to a man that looks like to be on verge of losing it all at any moment, but laughs them off. It could be ego or it could be fear. The interior operations of the lawyers that work the case is intriguing. Ultimately, however it’s the internal struggle of the Peterson children that will get the emotions flowing. ‘The Staircase‘ that is streaming on Netflix now.
