I haven't watched the Ryan Murphy show because this whole story is actually REAL - so a fictionalized show feels inherently destined to be sensationalized. Based on the show's backlash, my instinct seems correct. I'd rather watch a docuseries or documentary on the case...and that's what I just did - I just finished the separate Netflix documentary.

I already knew the general story - yet every time I hear about this case, I get emotional. It feels like a story about 2 humans trapped in torture, whose only escape was to enter a different kind of trap: prison for life.

A few new items caught my attention:

1) I didn't know there was a mistrial, which led to the 2nd trial, swiftly resulting in the final verdict.

2) I didn't know Lyle had his conversations taped by Norma Novelli while in jail awaiting trial #2. That really highlighted for me how a) the 2 brothers were so incredibly naive about "the real world" and b) how they were repeatedly betrayed by confidantes (their parents, the therapist, etc).

3) As a gay person, I got gay vibes from Erik watching his body language and way of speaking during the documentary's footage. I could of course be reading into something not there - but I found it compelling that after watching, I went down a Reddit rabbit hole and discovered this was a theory supported in the Murphy show, and that was also examined in the case's coverage in real time. I had no idea about that. Of course, with abuse being involved, that complicates things greatly - and I can understand how that argument could be used both for and against him - but it was a big takeaway for me that made matters even more complex.

The ultimate takeaway for me though, was how society failed these 2 men. Yes - they 100% killed their parents. But from start to finish, I believe they were prisoners that society (and the justice system in particular) failed to understand. In that sense, it's a reflection of a certain time and culture.

Thoughts?