"Unbelievable" on Netflix

[sasha_feather]

Unbelievable is a limited series on Netflix, based on a true story. It has parallel narratives, the first being about Marie, a young woman who was raped and then gaslighted (gaslit?) by the people around her and bullied by police. The second narrative follows two detectives, in a different state, investigating and trying to identify the serial rapist.

I would recommend this series, but I also recommend that you skip the first episode. I tried a couple times but could not watch beyond the first 5 minutes of that ep; from what I can tell it focuses solely on Marie's horrific experiences. I did listen to the pop culture happy hour's discussion of this series (link), which gave it a glowing review, and to the This American Life episode "Anatomy of Doubt" (link) which discusses the real-life cases this show was based upon.

The two detectives are played by Merritt Wever and Toni Collette, and they are fabulous. I appreciated so much about this show: the focus on survivors, discussion of domestic abuse within the police force, and just how hard the detectives worked to solve the case. It's nice to see a procedural that is not about murder. It's refreshing to see a serious show about women, one in which they don't smile much, and are dressed normally, and are focused on work. I loved that the detectives got to be angry.

Other content notes: Brief scene at the beginning of ep 2 in which Marie contemplates suicide; PTSD; brief scene of a dead animal. Some drug and alcohol use, guns and weapons are shown.

Comments

[sophinisba]

So, just to offer another perspective, I did watch the first episode and found it harrowing but also good television, particularly as far as understanding what could have called the police and especially Marie's foster moms to misunderstand the situation so badly.

It was helpful to me to have listened to the PCHH episode already and to know that the other episodes wouldn't be as bleak as that one. I did like the rest better for sure!

[sasha_feather]

Thanks for this perspective! You talking about liking the show helped me give it a shot. The This American Life episode also gets into this issue a bit, how the community came to doubt Marie. TAL is quite sympathetic to all the parties involved, which I personally am not.

[sophinisba]

TAL is quite sympathetic to all the parties involved, which I personally am not.

Yeah, I also listened to the podcast and that aspect of it made for some uncomfortable listening, especially when the one person was like "Well I shouldn't say this because it'll make me sound like a terrible person" and then she said something really terrible. I also found that the Netflix show including the first episode was very sympathetic toward the foster moms but less so toward the detectives and that worked for me. I really liked the way both the first and last episodes centered Marie's perspective, even though my fave parts to watch were the ones with the detectives.

[jesse_the_k]

Thanks for your encouragement. I just swallowed episodes 2-8 in one sitting. It was so gripping to see the detectives address serial rape with dedication, intelligence, and teamwork. A welcome change from the magic science fixes all routine most US crime dramas depend on.

I was also surprised and pleased by how Merritt Wever’s detective was sensitive to faith issues — her dashboard-note Bible quote raised my hackles, and then she’s very respectful of a Druid’s religious boundaries.

The directors make great use of the gorgeous Colorado setting, which helps to buffer the painful subject. All in all, outstanding!

[sasha_feather]

I'm so glad you enjoyed it!!