S01.E01: Murder Habit

[ElectricBoogaloo]

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Writer Michelle McNamara, author of True Crime Diary, her blog about unsolved crimes, finds a new obsession in the “East Area Rapist” (EAR), who terrorized California in the 1970s and ‘80s, responsible for 50 home-invasion rapes and 12 murders. The EAR, whose true identity is still unknown, would also come to be known as the “Original Night Stalker” and, as Michelle dubs him, the “Golden State Killer.” Delving into the world of online chat rooms and crime blogs, she becomes immersed in the graphic details of the Golden State Killer case, connecting with like-minded sleuths, trading facts, photos and leads. After pitching a story to Los Angeles Magazine, she hits the ground running, interviewing several EAR survivors and retired detectives who worked the case. Today, Michelle’s husband, actor Patton Oswalt, friends, and fellow citizen detectives reflect on her intoxicating talent – which McNamara calls an “addiction” – for piecing together clues and bringing unsolved true crime stories to life.

Directed by Liz Garbus.

Promo:

Original air date: 6/28/20

Edited June 22, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo

[formerlyfreedom]

Podcast to accompany the first episode.

 

[Annber03]

First off, on a lighter note, I laughed at Oswalt's stand up bit about Michelle watching some true crime show, and him coming in right at the part where they're talking, in detail, about some really disturbing and gruesome element of the story 😄. Yeah, I've been in that situation a few times, too. It was really sweet to hear about the early days of their relationship/marriage. 

As for Michelle, I kept thinking about how interesting it was that here she is, trying to learn more about this serial killer...and she's meeting up with people she connects with online to do it. Obviously in her case she made sure she knew who she was speaking with and all that, but still, after reading up on so much true crime stuff, it'd be hard not to be a little nervous about doing such a potentially risky thing. 

But I totally get her fascination. I think anyone who follows true crime and certain cases can understand it. Especially given how long this creep's reign of terror lasted. I like hearing the women talk about how easy it was to talk to Michelle, how she truly listened to them and heard what they had to say, and that they were able to see how much she cared about solving this case and finding justice. 

The stories of the rapes were horrifying. And bizarre. Why risk taking your victims out into the backyard, in populated neighborhoods where someone might see or hear something? Yeah, he committed his crimes at night, and late much of the time at that, but still, that doesn't necessarily mean everyone was sleeping then. Somebody must've heard or saw something at some point. 

It is interesting, and frightening, to think about just how many serial rapists/killers seemed to be running rampant in the '70s and '80s, yeah. And a lot of them committed their crimes along the west coast, too. I imagine that after the horror of Manson, and with the Zodiac actively demanding the public's attention, the media started probably paying closer attention to those kinds of criminals whenever they popped up. So as a result, it seemed like these kinds of killers were more becoming common, when really, it was just that they weren't hiding in the shadows now (save for this particular guy, for a time, at least). Even so, that's an awful lot of scary people running around in just a couple decades' time. 

Good start to this series. Lots of heartbreak ahead, obviously, but I'm looking forward to seeing how Michelle's efforts paid off. 

Edited June 29, 2020 by Annber03

[Armchair Critic]

The poor woman who stopped playing the piano because she always felt like somebody was standing behind her. 

[FoundTime]

So creepy (still, again, some more). Note to self: Do not watch remaining episodes just before bedtime. I'm saving the podcast for daylight hours too.

Not knowing the Sacramento area at all, this was really helpful in visualizing the crime scenes, especially the two houses that were right along the same fence line. Yikes.

Thought the show did an excellent job weaving in various media -- blog posts, emails/messages, audio of interviews and that Michelle recorded on her research trips -- with on-camera interviews. It really was a lot to take in, especially compared to taking the story in through the printed page, where you can kind of pace yourself more and the only addiitional input you're getting is from your own imagination.

And Amy Ryan's reading of Michelle's writing was seamless; I think they share some vocal qualities and that makes the narration very effective.

Michelle really was a gifted writer and by all accounts a thoroughly decent human being. Such a loss.

 

[Veronica]

2 hours ago, Armchair Critic said:

The poor woman who stopped playing the piano because she always felt like somebody was standing behind her. 

I listened to The Lawyer’s Daughter podcast that had her as the guest. When he left,  she called her best friend and told her to bring her dad and a knife to her house because she had been raped.   Her family never spoke about what happened to her.   I guess that was a pretty common reaction back then. They moved houses and she changed schools. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

2 hours ago, FoundTime said:

So creepy (still, again, some more). Note to self: Do not watch remaining episodes just before bedtime. I'm saving the podcast for daylight hours too.

Ha, same here. I mean, I knew this would creep me out since it's about a serial rapist and murderer. How could it NOT be creepy? But I watched it anyway and started getting paranoid about all the doors and windows being locked.

I think the show is doing a great job putting together all the different sources (current interviews, Michelle's research at the time, etc) without making it choppy. Her tenacity is to be applauded.

Hearing what happened to those poor girls and women just broke my heart, so it was nice to have the levity of hearing Patton and Michelle talk about each other to give us brief moments of respite.

[MrWhyt]

14 hours ago, FoundTime said:

And Amy Ryan's reading of Michelle's writing was seamless

I had completely forgot that Amy Ryan was doing the reading and thought it was Michelle. I was like "did she dictate hte book to herself?"

[MicheleinPhilly]

I forgot just how creepy these stories were - when I read the book I limited myself to daytime reading and of course made the mistake of watching this before bed last night. I won't make that mistake again. 

I appreciated the focus on Michelle and the victims rather than the killer. Obviously that may change as the series progresses, but I think highlighting the women impacted by his reign of terror is a refreshing change from what we normally see in this type of series. 

I couldn't help getting a lump in my throat every time Patton spoke. His love for her is still so palpable. 

[luna1122]

I've read a million true crime books, but I still was terrified reading this one, and tried to remember not to read it at nite, cuz I couldn't sleep after if I did. I watched an Oxygen special about it, at night, couldn't sleep after. I told myself I was familiar enough with it all to not be sleepless if I watched this before bedtime; I was wrong.

It just plays into some our worst fears, I think. The imagery of being awakened from a peaceful sleep by a presence and then a blinding flashlight beam...it's the stuff of literal nightmares. (I once awakened in the middle of the night to see two men slinking into the bedroom I shared with my then-husband; fortunately, they only had burglary on their minds. I pretended to remain asleep, I could feel one of them standing beside me just watching for movement for a few seconds. They were only there for a few minutes, but it was the longest few minutes of my life. I can only imagine the utter terror of finding a sexual predator in your dark room.)

The girl at the piano...so terrifying and heartbreaking.

Also heartbreaking, of course, that Michelle died before seeing what she'd helped accomplish. And yeah, though I know Patton has evidently happily remarried, his love and affection and respect for Michelle really is palpable. It just adds such a shadow of overwhelming sadness to this series.

 

That old man in court--even seeing him appearing to be frail and ancient--I'm an utter pacifist, but I could smash his fucking face in.

[Annber03]

4 hours ago, luna1122 said:

(I once awakened in the middle of the night to see two men slinking into the bedroom I shared with my then-husband; fortunately, they only had burglary on their minds. I pretended to remain asleep, I could feel one of them standing beside me just watching for movement for a few seconds. They were only there for a few minutes, but it was the longest few minutes of my life. I can only imagine the utter terror of finding a sexual predator in your dark room.)

 

 

Good lord :(. How terrifying. Glad you made it through that all right. 

[Soobs]

HBO does such a great job with documentaries. I loved the mash up with the Creature from the Black Lagoon footage with the text from Michelle McNamara's book about unknowingly escaping evil but sensing it brushing past. Also, when they played her audio in the car with the social worker and the  suburban landscape slowly changed from today into the 70's. It's a really nice marriage of form and content. Even if you aren't into true crime or this case, it's spellbinding documentary making. The romance between her and Patton Oswalt was charming and beautifully normal and of course ultimately tragic.

I doubt they timed this with the Golden State Killer pleading guilty this week but seeing his (barely human) face all over the news adds another creepy layer. Michelle says that when we find out the identity of serial killers, it takes the power away from them but the GSK is somehow creepier looking than I imagined. He looks wormlike to me. Every time I see him, I shiver.

I'm also enjoying the true crime podcaster cameos (Karen Kilgariff, Billy Jensen) and I'm guessing Paul Holes will pop up eventually.

Edited June 30, 2020 by Soobs

[Annber03]

7 minutes ago, Soobs said:

I loved the mash up with the Creature from the Black Lagoon footage with the text from Michelle's book about unknowingly escaping evil but sensing it brushing past. 

I liked that, too.

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I doubt they timed this with the Golden State Killer pleading guilty this week but seeing his (barely human) face all over the news adds another creepy layer. Michelle says that when we find out the identity of serial killers, it takes the power away from them but the GSK is somehow creepier looking than I imagined. He looks wormlike to me. Every time I see him, I shiver.

Yeah, sometimes a killer doesn't look at all like what you expected, and sometimes...they do. I think the fact he's elderly just adds to the creepiness, too-it's yet another reminder of how long he was able to escape justice, and that's a large part of what makes him so terrifying. 

[Cheezwiz]

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!

Edited July 5, 2020 by Cheezwiz

[RedbirdNelly]

this was the scariest true crime book I ever read--I believe because of how he was not scared to attack with people in the house. That's my normal go-to feel safe thing--well, my husband is home so all is well. This guy didn't care. When I was reading the book (about a month before they caught him), I  kept doing the math (so, this guy has to be at least 70 now so surely he can't keep doing this).