The Yogurt Shop Murders

I'm at a loss as to how-given the misery and loss blast zone around this crime, atop the intricacies and boondoggles of the investigation-HBO put forth such a listless, unfocused documentary.

The first episode did a tremendous job of bringing the girls and their families' loss to life. Barbara Ayres-Wilson (Sarah and Jennifer's mother) describing the anguish of family as she broke the news of lost souls to them, one by one, brought me to tears.

And then the doc went off a cliff...

Episode two gave us the spectacle of a private detective (with her posse of armchair vultures) directing grief-stricken parents to hang wind chimes in her tree ('Isn't it fun?') to represent their daughter's voice. And the school administrator showing us a plaque for a girl she never knew. This is vital, how?

Episode three illustrates the utter failure of the Austin PD-plus the judge who apparently flunked constitutional law-and the mind-blowing truth that anyone connected to law enforcement still believes Robert Springsteen or Michael Scott had anything to do with this.

I'm left wondering if the filmmakers had to pull punches to get the families' and Austin PD's cooperation. And why, three episodes in, we've yet to hear a theory of the crime, or see anything like a crime scene reconstruction.

Hard stuff, yes. But how else do you solve it?

I was hoping to see the case (as well the girls and their families) brought to urgent life. As in, something that might produce fresh leads?

What I hoped to see, and didn't, was any hint of a new investigative push.

A great documentary could've been made of the lives lost and unsettled aftermath for all affected. Or the volume and impact of false confessions. But TYSM is not that.

I can't stand to watch another episode.

Lacks energy, real emotion, and is slow as hell. Having a hard time believing this is an HBO production. If the director was unable to pull any life out of these people, they could've at least faked it with a great original score. So really it's an absolute snooze fest. Skip this one, or if you must, you'll appreciate good docs that much more.

This is a good documentary about a horrible crime and the investigation which followed. The problem with this show is that it is FOUR hours long for no good reason. This could have been a really good one hour show. Instead, they repeat the same things over and over. A good editor would have went a long way to make this a better documentary.

Near the end of the fourth episode, they open up a time capsule. That scene is emblematic of the entire series. This is a confusing mess. There is DNA evidence and no one does a 23 and Me test to determine basic information about the suspect. This should have been one 90 minute documentary. I do hope they find the actual people that did the crime in 1991.

As a true crime aficionado, I was really excited for this documentary. The YSM is one of the most fascinating unsolved cases ever, imo. I really hope this picks up the pace soon. Very boring. Almost nothing about the actual crime. Seems like bio on the personal lives of friends/family/police at the time. Very disappointing so far.