Hello. The Sundance channel is showing the 8 part documentary "The Staircase" every Monday night. They've shown 2 so far, but you can get caught up via the internet if you'd like to join in.
It's about a woman in North Carolina who was found dead at the bottom of the staircase at her home in 2002, and her husband who is charged for her murder. The filmmakers were given all kinds of access throughout the case and it's filled with unreal twists and turns.
It was released a few years ago. However, The Sundance Channel is showing it now because there are 2 more new hours to be revealed with an update on what has happened. I highly recommend it.
The great thing about this movie is that with each hour, new and crazy shit is introduced that makes you rethink things. I have no idea what happens or what the outcome is (SO DON'T TELL ME!!!), so I'm just learning as the documentary goes. Thanks to Netflix, I've watched through part 4.
The revelations each hour are awesome, but even better are the "characters" that keep popping up. Seriously, it's one of those things that you just can't make up. If you saw these people in a fictional narrative, you would've believe it.
You need to watch this for these people! In episode 2, there's a witness coach/expert who is unintentionally hilarious. In episode 3, the defendant's ex-wife is quite possibly the weirdest person I've ever seen in my life. And in episode 4, there's a guy who is part of the defense team who is assigned to operate the video screen during the trial. He's supposed to bring the photos up as the main lawyer is saying things, and he keeps missing his cues.
It reminded me of the rehearsals at Tosh. Their working on the presentation and he keeps fucking it up, and the lawyer is just yelling at him for being an idiot. Cause he is one.
Anyway, this probably sounds not all that great from my description, but trust me, it's fascinating. If any of you get on board and don't jump ahead, I'd love to discuss...
11 comments:
I saw this when it came out a few years back and it was FASCINATING! Whatever you do, DO NOT internet search anything about it until you've finished watching! I didn't know there were new hours; I will have to check that out.
I was living in Durham, NC when this happened, and had somehow forgotten all about it. I've never heard of the documentary,though. I'll have to check it out. It is a crazy story.
Thanks for turning me onto this show, Hack... fascinating!
OK, so I searched Netflix for this because it sounds fascinating. Am I just a doofus? I couldn't find it on streaming. Is it only available via DVD?
I had to go to the Sundance channel (which isn't an HD channel, it's on the basic tv channels here), then once I found the Sundance channel, I had to search for The Staircase, and the first 3 episodes popped up. Hope that helps.
Let me back up.... here's what I did....
-- go to On Demand
-- go to Freezone
-- go to Cable TV Showcase
-- go to Sundance Channel
-- search for The Staircase.
Hopefully you have On Demand.
Good Luck
yeah, on netflix, it's only available via dvd.
I just watched all 8 episodes yesterday! Totally got sucked in. I also ordered the book "Written in Blood" by Diane Fanning to get more scoop. Can't wait for the new two hours (though I spoiled myself and read up on wiki)
1) What was up with Mike Peterson's hair?
2) What was up with the DA lady's makeup?
3) Did the Peterson family live in the house with the blood stains on the hallway area that whole time up through trial?? That seems really creepy.
4) I found Martha & Margaret's adoration of their dad also kinda weird. (not as weird as the witness coach or the ex-wife, but still)
Thanks for sharing. Please keep the tv & book recommendations coming!
Thanks! I have neither cable nor a DVD player. Will perhaps have to find an illegal way to watch this. :)
Thanks for yet another fantastic TV recommendation! I became obsessed with this after the first 5 minutes of the first episode, then watched like 5 in a row, then agonized while I waited for the next episodes to show up on OnDemand. Anyhoo, I finally watched Episode 8 (the original ending) last night, and am DYING to see what happens in the update episodes.
I also wondered about the family home. The blood was still on the halls when the jury did the walk-thru, correct? So it's been sitting there the whole time?
But my biggest question is about the film crew. Like, how did they approach Petersen with the idea of filming his trial? Did it start out as some boring documentary, and they just lucked out with all the crazy twists and turns? I just don't understand how it happened. And don't really understand how/why the entire family agreed to have it filmed.
And once the last two episodes have aired, I'd love to hear your opinion about what really happened to his wife (unless there's some crazy confession in the last episode, which would be MIND BLOWING!)
And finally, watching this series has gotten me into Dateline on Friday nights. I can't get enough of the murder mysteries right now.
I have been watching this the last week and have gotten so into it. I am completely baffled about the family continuing to live in the home with the blood stains on the wall. I've been searching for an hour now online about this. To me, that's very freaky. Why didn't they have it cleaned or painted? Is there a reason they left the stains?
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