Not only have hilarious GIFs been created, memes, and inside jokes about the new documentary series "Making a Murderer," but full-blown petitions have been signed supporting Steven Avery. I myself have answered the "If you could spend an hour with anyone who would it be?" application question with "Steven Avery." The 10-episode series has gone above and beyond your average addicting TV show, because it has started more than just a conversation. It's started an argument about social justice in our court system. An idea that our country has been framed around. The show asks the question that no one has dared to ask, are parts of our justice system becoming corrupt?
"Making a Murderer" begins with the subject, Steven Avery, who has just been accused of rape in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin where the Averys live. After 18 years, he is released from prison for this crime which he did not commit based on new DNA evidence. This creates quite a scene for the County of Manitowoc, and a fool is made of the Manitowoc County Police Department when Steven Avery sues them for negligence.
When he is arrested two years later for murder by the same cops from his previous case, suspicion is raised upon whether this is payback by the Manitowoc County law enforcement. From there, viewers are left to decide whose side they're on and draw their own conclusions from the evidence presented throughout the series.
The series has led the way for a flood of crime entertainment that is starting to appear everywhere, such as the podcast "Serial" and "The People vs. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story," Lifetime's newest Tuesday night series. What sets "Making a Murderer" apart is the real footage that the entire series consists of. The trials of Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey, the findings of distorted evidence, and behind the scenes with the Avery family as well as Dean Strang and Jerry Buting, Steven's lawyers, are recorded in the moment. These aren't actors, but Avery's two lawyers are now considered heroes by most of the show's viewers.
The show seems to form two sides. The underdogs who continuously fight for justice, and the bad guys who get away with misconstruing evidence. One must pick a side while still considering that the series was framed in a light which favors Avery. In fact, many online sources reveal that parts of the trial were left out in the show, as well as supporting evidence that Avery might have had reason to go after the victim. Regardless, the show meets its goal of starting a conversation about the validity of social justice in this country which draws many to listen. It also draws many to the question I repeatedly ask myself. Did he do it?
