The Staircase Review: America’s Sweethearts (Season 1 Episode 8)
On The Staircase Season 1 Episode 8, “America’s Sweethearts,” the series takes its final bow with its much-anticipated finale.
I’ve been nervous about how they’d wrap things up, as every episode seemed to introduce something new, whether it be a new piece of evidence or a new theory.
The recent episodes have left the show feeling unfinished. There have been so many time jumps and storylines, and it’s been hard to keep up at times.
However, this episode, along with its predecessor The Staircase Season 1 Episode 7, “Seek and Ye Shall”, does a great job at tying everything together.
As I’ve stated in my review for just about every episode of this series, the timeline jumping can be very confusing, and that’s more than the case here.
Admittedly, some of it is done brilliantly, my favorite being during a scene in which we jump back and forth from 2011 to 2017 during a speech given by Candace.
It’s a beautiful shot, shifting from the warm-toned 2011 to the eerily cool 2017. And once again, I have to say just how incredible the cinematography in this show is. It blows me away constantly.
However, this is the only instance that I was able to easily follow the time jumps on this episode. A lot of other scenes took a moment to register, often relying on the hairstyles of different characters.
It’s a very minor thing to be irked by, and in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t make me enjoy the series any less, but it’s still something worth mentioning.
In terms of the proper storyline, though, our first flashback takes place the night before Kathleen’s death.
On The Staircase Season 1 Episode 7, “Seek and Ye Shall,” we got a ton of Kathleen flashbacks, something that I feel has been sorely missing from the rest of the season.
With this being the first adaptation of this case that has actually spent time on Kathleen as a person and not just a victim, I just wanted to get to know her more and for a longer time. But I suppose it’s better late than never.
The flashbacks pick up where the last episode’s left off, or rather the morning after. Michael wakes up to find the attic door open and the leaf blower nearby, while Kathleen is at work.
During a phone call with Candace, Kathleen suggests they drop all responsibility and take a trip to Turk’s and Caicos.
It’s such a somber scene, as you watch her go through multiple different emotions, and it makes me wish that we had spent more time with her and seen this vulnerable side more.
These last two episodes have brought out a much more vulnerable and tumultuous side of not just, Kathleen but also Michael — as well as their relationship in general.
We get more insight into their marital problems, which seem even more eerie and uncomfortable when you remember these flashbacks take place days and at one point, hours before Kathleen’s death.
Their relationship on this episode is surprisingly sweet. We haven’t seen much of that side of them, and it was a refreshing perspective.
As for Michael’s current-day relationship with Sophie? It’s anything but sweet and happy.
After taking the Alford Plea, Sophie starts to prepare them for their movie to Paris, only for them to have an explosive fight in which Michael tells her he’s not sure he’s ever actually loved her.
The entire exchange leaves me in shock. Up until now, they seemed so solid, perhaps that was simply due to the circumstance in which they met.
Even still, they seemed very devoted to each other, after all, they’ve been together 10 years at this point.
This leads us into our last shot, which admittedly left me very confused and a little annoyed.
It’s simply a pan-in on Michael, who smiles at the camera, now a free man again.
It’s a shame it isn’t a more satisfying ending, but I suppose there’s not much else that can be done in a show that’s based on a true case.
Seeing as we don’t know the true series of events that took place that night, this is about as satisfying an ending as one can expect.
Unfortunately, we’ll probably never know whether or not Michael is truly innocent. But the final shot does leave this up for discussion.
Is he smiling because he’s a free and innocent man again? Or is he smiling because he’s a free man who just got off on a crime?
A fade-to-black text reveals that Michael retains his innocence to this day but has still not left Durham.
All in all, The Staircase stands strong among the many true crime adaptations that exist.
It has consistently beautiful cinematography and extremely strong performances. Even with the flaws it does have, it doesn’t take away from the show, they’re simply a speed bump on an otherwise smooth road.
Stray Thoughts:
- On this episode, Margaret finds out that Martha is interested in women, and it’s one of my favourite scenes. It’s so touching, and after seeing Martha battle with when to tell her family all season, Margaret’s reaction is very heart-warming. It’s so casual and warm, and I loved it.
- Martha’s hair changes every single episode and I just really admire the dedication to that.
- Parker Posey deserved more screen time in the series as a whole — she’s a scene-stealer.
- The Christmas banquet scene was so good much fun and such a lighthearted point in an otherwise dark show.
What did you think of this episode of The Staircase? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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The Staircase is available in its entirety on HBO Max.
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Samantha Graves
Samantha is an avid pop-culture enthusiast who arguably watches too much TV and movies and can often be found on Twitter gushing about her favourite things. She’s #TeamJess, a Lucas and Peyton defender, and an all-around Hollywood fanatic. She also has a podcast (Enter The Fangirls).