"The Staircase" The Beating Heart (TV Episode 2022) Poster

(TV Mini Series)

(2022)

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8/10
MISSING DEER 👀
PlotThicc19 May 2022
Warning: Spoilers
THIS SERIES IS AN ANTHOLOGY WITHIN AN ANTHOLOGY SO THE TIMELINE IS NOT CONCURRENT.

LAST EPISODE, MICHAEL WAS FOUND GUILTY, CUFFED AND SHUFFLED OUT THE COURTROOM BY GUARDS TO BE TRANSPORTED TO COBB COUNTY PRISON FOR THE REST OF HIS NATURAL LIFE.

IN THIS EPISODE, HE'S PRISONER 640. SIX MONTHS AFTER THE VERDICT. HE'S BEEN BEATEN - NOT AS BADLY AS KATHLEEN, BUT HIS FACE IS COVERED WITH BRUISES.

HE NEEDS COMMISSARY TO STAY ALIVE AND AVOID THESE BEATINGS.

HE GOT SPECIAL TREATMENT - HIS OWN PRIVATE CELL. THE ONE OTHER LIFERS HAVE BEEN WAITLISTED FOR.

HE FORMS AN ALLIANCES WITH SOME HEAVYWEIGHT BLACK INMATES. HIS PROTECTION COSTS A BULK OF WEEKLY STAMPS.

SO HE'S GOTTA DEPEND ON CLAYTON AND TODD. YOUNG MEN BUSY WITH THEIR OWNS LIVES AND NOW THEY'VE GOTTA MAKE SURE MONEY'S IN THEIR DAD'S PRISON COMMISSARY EVERY WEEK.

HE COMMISSIONS HIS FAVORITE, TODD, TO TAKE CARE OF IT, BUT HE MISSES A WEEK. SO HE TASKS CLAYTON TO DO IT, WHO WANTED TO ALL ALONG. HE CONNECTS HIS BANK CARD SO IT'S DRAFTED AUTOMATICALLY. WOW.

WE LEARN MORE ABOUT SOPHIE. SHE'S THE EDITOR OF THE DOCUMENTARY AND A STAN OF MICHAEL. SHE'S BEEN HIS PRISON PEN PAL FOR 6 MONTHS, PROVING SHE HAS NO OBJECTIVITY. HER HUSBAND AND SON HAVE HAD IT WITH HER. SHE MAY HAVE LOST THEM.

WE SEE HIS MICHAEL'S KIDS FIGURING OUT LIFE WITH THEIR FATHER BEHIND BARS. CLAYTON'S ABOUT TO HAVE A BABY GIRL. TODD'S A REAL ESTATE AGENT IN CABO.

HE AWAKENS IN BED AFTER A NIGHT OF HARD PARTYING AND FINDS BLOOD IN THE BED AND ON THE WALLS. FOR A SPLIT SEC, HE THINKS MURDER'S HEREDITARY. HE EVENTUALLY GETS HIS FRIEND ON THE PHONE TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED TO THE GIRL HE WAS PARTYING WITH THE NIGHT BEFORE...HOPING HE DIDN'T KILL HER. AND REALIZES HE BUSTED HIS OWN HEAD. THAT'S WHERE THE BLOOD CAME FROM.

***INCIDENTALLY, A VIDEO OF TODD PETERSON RESURFACED FROM DEC 2021 OF HIM SAYING HIS FATHER KILLED KATHLEEN. I'LL LINK.

ANYWAY, MARGARET'S IN NORTH CAROLINA HELPING BROTHER BILL WITH THE ESTATE SALE WHILE MARTHA'S IN SAN FRAN.

THEY'VE GOTTA SELL THE MANSION TO PAY APPEAL FEES.

TODD & CLAYTON VISIT MICHAEL IN PRISON. THINKS HE CAN GET AT LEAST A MILLION FOR THE MANSION, WHICH IS UNDER ASKING. BUT TODD AND CLAYTON NERVOUSLY TELL HIM THAT OFFERS ARE COMING IN AT $750K. WHY? BECAUSE SOMEONE WAS MURDERED ON THE PROPERTY.

WE SEE DAVID RUDOLF FIGHTING FOR AN APPEAL. HE LOSES. DOESN'T TELL MICHAEL. MICHAEL LEARNS ABOUT IT FROM AN INMATE.

WE SEE BORED AND RETIRED NEIGHBOR LARRY POLLARD SCAVENGING FOR DEALS AT THE PETERSON ESTATE SALE. OLE LARRY FINDS A CHRISTMAS DEER. THE DEER LIGHTS AND HAS VERY RIGID ANTLERS. HE PAYS $100 FOR THE DEER, BUT NOTICES ONE'S MISSING. KATHLEEN HAD 2 OF THEM. LARRY KNOWS. HE'S PROBABLY BEEN EYEING THEM FROM HIS YARD FOR YEARS. WHERE'S THE OTHER ONE?

WE KNOW THE OTHER ONE WASN'T SOLD. IT'S MISSING.

WE SEE MICHAEL'S MEAN STREAK. HE OPENS MARGARET'S GRADES FROM TULANE. HE CUTS HER OFF FINANCIALLY AND UNINVITES HER TO THANKSGIVING DINNER. SHE'S CRUSHED.

AND THE THREE DOCUMENTARIANS, SOPHIE, DENIS & JEAN-XAVIER BICKER ABOUT THE DIRECTION OF FINISHED DOC. THEY ARE SCORING IT, EDITING IT AND PREPPING FOR AN INDUSTRY PREMIER.

SOPHIE' ADMITS TO SENDING MICHAEL LETTERS AND READING MATERIALS IN PRISON. PROUST AND LEWIS CAROLL'S ALICE IN WONDERLAND. SHE STOPS SHORT OF ADMITTING TO FLIRTING WITH MICHAEL. EVEN THOUGH MICHAEL'S FLIRTING WITH AN INMATE IN PRISON. TICKLING FINGERS.

SOPHIE WANTS THE DOC TO LOOK LIKE A WITCH HUNT, AS SHE CLAIMS "ACCURATE PORTRAIT". IS IT THO?

JEAN-XAVIER WANTS IT FAIR & BALANCED, BUT CUT, CLEAN AND POLISHED. FOR A PEABODY.

DENIS WANTS TO SHOW THAT MICHAEL'S GUILTY AS SIN LIKE IT WAS PROVED IN COURT.

THEY PREMIER THE DOC TO RAVE REVIEWS.

SOPHIE SENDS COPIES OF THE FINAL DOCUSERIES TO MARGARET. WITH A LETTER HOPING IT WILL EVENTUALLY BRING HER FAMILY JUST. A REALLY CHARMING LETTER LIKE SHE WANTS TO BE HER NEXT STEPMOM.

WE GET A COUPLE OF SCENES WITH KATHLEEN. SHE BUMPS INTO CAROL AT THE GYM. SHE FIRED HER IN AN EARLIER EP. CAROL IS HAPPIER THAN SHE WAS AT NORTEL. SHE THANKS KATHLEEN FOR FIRING HER. SHE GETS TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH THE KIDS.

KATHLEEN WISHES SHE HAD A BREAK LIKE THAT.

WE ALSO GET A SCENE WITH HER AND MICHAEL ON A DOUBLE DATE WITH NEIGHBOR LARRY AND HIS WIFE. IN AN EARLIER SCENE, MARGARET TELLS KATH THAT MICHAEL UNINVITED HER TO THANKSGIVING AND THAT SHE'D BE GOING TO CAROL'S. THAT DOESN'T SIT WELL WITH KATH. SO ON THIS DATE, SHE SAYS THANKSGIVING'S CANCELED.

AND THEN NEIGHBOR LARRY. BORED, RETIRED NEIGHBOR LARE. DOING SOME INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATING OF HIS NEIGHBOR MICHAEL. HE'S STUDYING KATHLEEN'S AUTOPSY PHOTOS AND STARING AT THAT DEER HE BOUGHT AT THE ESTATE SALE. IT'S NOT MISSING ANTLERS. BUT THERE'S A WHOLE OTHER DEER MISSING?

FINAL SCENE, MICHAEL GETS AN UNEXPECTED VISIT IN PRISON FROM SOPHIE. THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF THEIR LOVE AFFAIR. MICHAEL'S EYES LIGHT UP. ANOTHER ONE.
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6/10
"See you around staircase"
bosporan19 May 2022
The previous four episodes have been superb, but with Michael now in jail, this one grinds to a halt.

There are many letter exchanges with the enigmatic Sophie. An inordinate reading requirement is demanded, as my French is not developed enough to follow without captions. This is irritating and unnecessary; the overuse of foreign language has become a common pretentious and obfuscating development in modern drama.
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1/10
Not good
pensacolacomputer20 May 2022
This is the worst episode of them all, so far. I'm almost through with the episode and nothing has happened, at all, nothing important at least. This is what they call a filler episode, an episode in a show where nothing really happens but they include it to make the series have one more episode.

This show is becoming a joke. And a word that rhymes with joke.
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