The Staircase

After three episodes, this is shaping up to be a fabulous story, it is true, yet ambiguous enough to carry tension and suspense. The cast is magnificent with strong headliners and a depth unusually strong for TV.

The pacing is good, though the heavy use of short and long scene non-linearity is haphazardly delineated, with occasional timestamps, but no stylistic changes making frequent rewinding necessary. Cinematography is generally well done, but there are some sporadic gimmicky techniques which detract by being more showy than necessary.

Colin Firth has brilliant range as novelist Michael Peterson, the husband in the frame for his wife, Kathleen's, probable murder. Not surprisingly there are fine performances too numerous to mention from a cast of this stature.

A persuasive story very well told, episode four cannot drop quickly enough!

From creator Antonio Campos, HBO's "The Staircase" is an 8-part fictionalized dramatization of real life events based on the tendentious, transparently biased and manipulatively edited MaHa mockumentary from Jean-Xavier de Lestrade -- used by Michael Peterson to promote his fabricated fable featuring his wife, Kathleen, as a reckless woman who got too drunk, fell down the stairs and caused her own death.

Though initially a flat and, at times, fitful recounting of the basic facts covered in MaHa's docuseries, HBO's movie eventually manages to include some revealing and riveting moments behind the scenes of Michael's make-believe world.

While Lestrade left the dead victim on the cutting room floor, Campos' version brings Kathleen to life, examining some of the very real horrors she was facing at work and at home -- and in place of MaHa's one-big-happy fake family, HBO has scenes that hint at the dysfunctional dynamic that was truly at work in Michael's bat-infested mansion.

Of course, also included, much to Monsieur Lestrade's chagrin I'm certain, are scenes highlighting the questionable, curiously close relationships between Michael and MaHa's production team -- most notably, his long-term romantic involvement with Sophie Brunet, the main editor of Michael's movie.

HBO's new drama is good television, but for those who prefer non-fiction -- Michael's murderous machinations were laid bare, years ago, in the definitive book on the Peterson case: Written in Blood by Diane Fanning.

Have been following this story since the original trial. My impression so far is the set decorations, especially the house, is spot on. The cast, the always phenomenal Toni Collette and exceptional Colin Firth are excellent. Supporting cast portrays their roles true to their characters. In my mind's eye I'm watching the show unfold as if I'm seeing the actual victims. The writer's had a lot to work with starting with the trial transcripts and the French documentary The Staircase, so the show feels very real.

Watched four episodes and am done. Too slow and just boring. I really love Toni Collette and Colin Firth, but it's all over the place. I'm just sick of the entire family. I watched the docu-drama on Netflix years ago. Bad situation. He probably did it.

I didn't care for Michael Peterson at all during the actual documentary and didn't care for him in the HBO version but I think Colin Firth's portrayal of him is uncanny! I don't see how any woman could have been attracted to him. I do feel sorry for the people in his life, being so exposed the way they are, particularly given that they weren't given much of a choice to be in the original documentary. It's fairly evident to me that all MP really cared about was/is himself and perhaps he wasn't aware of how the media attention/social media would impact those he allegedly cares about. To me, there was way too much blood for a fall and I tend to think of him as a guilty man.