Cheezwiz

For some people, creative pursuits are a complicated intertwining of enjoyment and abject terror. It sounded like she was a very self-critical person, and a perfectionist which can make consistent output difficult at times. I also can't help but wonder that the praise heaped upon her LA Magazine article may have placed an added layer of pressure on her. And then factor in the horrific subject matter she was dealing with and the psychological effects it would have on a person. She wasn't just banging out an extended re-tread of her article - it sounded like the investigation was a constantly changing series of new rabbit holes. As someone who is a notorious procrastinator, I feel like I understand where she was coming from 100%. It's often when you're at about the half-way mark or just past it that you feel like you're losing your way, you second-guess everything and it seems like you will never get to the finish line. You just want it OVER, but completion feels a million miles away. So much sad stuff in this episode, but it was so well done. I've been most impressed with this series so far.

Colour me shocked at her behaviour (in a good way). I generally loathe Dorit and her uber creepy husband, but outside of her ridiculous custom closet, she actually seemed halfway human this episode.

That little corner of Georgia certainly seemed to be serial killer central at that point in time didn't it? And frankly, I think I'd lump Rob in with them, 'cause he's just THAT creepy!

Both Kyle and Kim have always been completely delusional about their mother. The speak about her in reverential tones as if she were a saint, when in fact she was an alcoholic who spent her life using and discarding men for money. She trained her daughters to follow in her footsteps & snag wealthy husbands. When Kim was still a kid, she used to have to go searching for her Mom and fish her out of The Beverly Hills Hotel Bar. Man this was a boring return from hiatus or whatever that break was. I'm not fond of Aaron - he's a weirdo, but I'm still firmly on Team Denise. Man these crazy women will NOT let it go. I wish Denise would quit running away from them, but I can also sort of understand why, because nothing she says will ever satisfy them. I have seriously lost track of how many procedures I've seen Kim have - why do producers think OR scenes with plastic surgeons are interesting to viewers? Although I don't think Sutton necessarily picks the most flattering outfits for herself, her store did look quite nice. And much as I loathe Rinna, that dress she tried on did look amazing on her. Her rant about Chicago seemed completely unhinged. I also can't stand Erika, but I completely understood the look on her face watching Rinna yammer away in that moment. I wonder who Garcelle's date was?

That's super-cool! Alison does seem to be a terrific human being, someone I'd love to be friends with. I think I've mentioned it upthread umpteen times, but I highly recommend her book "Confessions of a Prairie Bitch" - a highly entertaining account of working on "Little House" and of the TV industry in the 70's. She's incredibly smart, funny, and strong.

Agreed - he figured out something (he may have hired someone to abduct Patrice) and made sure to create an alibi for himself. That had to be one of the skin-crawliest interviews I've ever seen on TV - he started out somewhat measured at the beginning, and then went right off the deep end into crazy-town. I was so aghast by the end, that I'm surprised he didn't pull a skin-suit out of his closet for all to see. He may have studied criminology, but he definitely flunks self-awareness.

I have no doubt that half the population of that shitty little town probably knows exactly what happened. The problem is compelling them to talk, especially when the police are completely indifferent and uninterested in pursuing the case - which is closed as far as they're concerned. i felt terrible for Alonzo's family - how frustrating, feeling absolutely no one was on their side.

I've had "I'll Be Gone In The Dark" on my to read list for ages, but hadn't gotten to it yet. I've heard that it's excellent but also a bit disjointed due to Michelle McNamara's sad and untimely passing. I must say this has been a great intro to the case - I'm so impressed with what they have pulled together for the first episode, (my provider is releasing episodes on a weekly basis, so I'm unable to binge). Not knowing anything about the Golden State Killer going in, I was utterly shocked that so many of his early crimes were concentrated in such a tiny area - basically homes backing on to one another, or kitty corner to one another. Just shocking, and the fact that the police dragged their heels on warning the community was terrible. So much misery could have been spared had people been on high alert. Back in the 70's I'm sure there was a lot of trauma and stigma surrounding the crimes, and victims were probably reluctant to confide in anyone. This show makes me shiver, because I was a kid living in a suburban neighbourhood during that same era. Unbeknownst to me, some really bad stuff was going on in my part of the 'burbs, but I was blissfully ignorant, and didn't find out about it until adulthood. The rapist's MO during his attacks was utterly bizarre - it sounded like he stalked people and watched their movements, but didn't seem to care if a spouse or children were home when he moved in on his victims. And the fact people saw him running around the neighbourhood wearing a ski-mask with no pants on, and he STILL wasn't caught? Mind-blowing. Felt so sad for the victim's accounts - especially the woman who can no longer play the piano. Just awful - and right at Christmastime too. The details of Michelle's and Patton's relationship were poignant and heartwarming. She sounded like not just a talented empathetic writer, but a wonderful human being - someone I would have loved to have been friends with. I too really liked the juxtaposition of the Black Lagoon footage and the narration at the end. Impatient for more episodes!

I finished watching the final two episodes. I know people like to mock the UFO & paranormal episodes, but The Berkshires episode was more interesting than I expected - more so for the portrait of the town, rather than the UFO incidents themselves. Clearly a bunch of people independent of each other experienced something extremely weird on the the same night, and it's had a profound effect on them ever since. How sad they were ridiculed and ostracized by their fellow citizens - and in one case driven completely out of town. It reminds me of some of what Shirley Jackson said about her time in New England: beneath the veneer of idyllic small town Norman Rockwell life, people were extremely insular and unwelcoming, quick to expel anyone who didn't fit in. I wasn't very engaged with the final episode, as there was no mystery whatsoever, just a heinous psychopath who manipulated her daughters. I felt bad for the trauma the daughters endured, but there was nothing mysterious about the case. The only thing unsolved was where the missing daughter's remains wound up, and my guess is most likely she was disposed of in exactly the same manner as Sandy's previous husband. Infuriating that she would up with custody of her grandson when she's a cold-blooded murderer. Those young women just looked so beaten down by life - the eldest daughter Brandi is probably a good fifteen years younger than me, and looks my age or older.

Yes, exactly - quite a clever way to keep people from making too much of a fuss. If everyone feels guilty and complicit, they're less likely speak up and cause problems. Sadly there are a lot of people who still consider these girls as prostitutes who voluntarily offered up their services for pay, rather than vulnerable underage people who were lured in with the hope of a better life. Yeah, that was a whoa! holy cow! moment for me as well - there are SO many ways that could have gone horribly wrong, but apparently her instincts were right and it was a gamble that paid off, because it seems she's still married to the guy, and he's been supportive of her.

I just watched Episode 3 - the Alonzo Brooks case. So heartbreaking for his family - 15 years with no answers. Clearly a hate crime, someone hid his body somewhere and then dumped it once the official police searches looked like they had been concluded. My big fear was that his friends from Gardner might have deliberately set him up and then abandoned him, but I don't think that's the case. I could be wrong, but I sure hope not anyway. If I were the one friend who had gone out for cigarettes and gotten lost, I'm not sure I could have coped with the guilt of not getting back and picking him up. This episode was a reminder that there are some truly nasty little towns all over the place. I bet there are a TON of people in LaCygne who know exactly what happened that night, who was responsible, and have clammed up all this time.

I just recently stumbled on some YouTube videos of Patrick & Matthew Labyorteaux being interviewed about their time on Little House. Not sure exactly when the interviews were filmed, but it looked fairly recent (like within the past five years or so). They both said this was their favourite episode on the show. I had a bit of a crush on the Albert character when I was young, so it was interesting to see them grown up, as I'm close in age to them. Matthew is still pretty cute in my opinion.

Something they didn't mention on the show - wouldn't the smell have been overpowering at some point? Maybe that's what finally led them outside.

Just watched the Dupont de Ligonnes episode last night. That was truly tragic and horrific. I feel like The Count was alive for at least awhile anyways, not sure if he still is, but his exit seemed almost like it was intentionally staged, and just a bit too tidy. He was so methodical and precise in his planning, that I don't think it was implausible that he could have escaped and started life elsewhere. Yes, there are cameras everywhere, but as the detective in the show mentioned, he was an extremely bland looking man, who could have modified his appearance slightly and moved around unnoticed. He came from wealthy circles, so it's conceivable that he could have figured out how to obtain forged documents. Nantes looks like a beautiful city, and the region he vanished in was also beautiful looking - almost prehistoric in a way. I could certainly imagine sabre tooth tigers roaming around there. There were so many parallels with the John List story that aired on the original series. List was a controlling man who cared about outward appearances, but was in dire financial straits. He too murdered his family members one by one and neatly laid them out in the spooky mansion they lived in. He was careful to let everyone know that the family was leaving on extended vacation, so it was a long time before anyone caught on that things were amiss. He went on the run and lived for decades under another identity. The kicker to that story? The grand house they lived in had an original Tiffany glass dome over top a ballroom. It's sale would have solved all of his financial woes. Next to the unexplained disappearances, these stories freak me out the most. I can't imagine the terror the family members must have felt at the end. Imagine that not only are you aware you're about to be murdered, but the murderer is someone you've loved and trusted your whole life.

Rob may be smart, but as displayed on the show for all the world to see, he has many, many screws loose. I like the theory someone posted above, that he hired someone to abduct her, and then did the job himself. He kind of gave it away with the "hypothetical" scenarios he was floating - my impression was that those were delicious fantasies he'd been harbouring for a long time. I think he got wind that she was planning to leave him, and if he couldn't have her, no one else would either. He could then snuggle up to her remains for the rest of his time on earth. Gah! What a creep! I do think some of those other suspects were worth pursuing as well (good lord, there seemed to be a lot of serial killer types crawling around that part of Georgia) - that one guy's testimony was particularly chilling, even if it was deemed false at the time.