This review contains spoilers, click expand to view.
Holy Frigg! I am not a sports fan in any regard and so I knew absolutely nothing at all about Aaron Hernandez and the murders that he was associated with.
This limited doc-series was extremely well done with a really nice classical music score for the opening credits which, in subsequent episodes, becomes rather clumsily truncated.
The series avoids the more objective, dispassionate and methodical "Forensic Files" approach. Instead, using a much more emotional way of delving into the subject matter... which at first, I lamented but later on, accepted after realizing how well it was used to fruition. That method does lead to some confusion about the order of events.
If you are a person who sees the world in an evangelical way where there is only good and evil without anything grey or more complex in between, then, don't even bother watching nor commenting because this show is NOT made for you. Most people realize that the world is not so simplistic and that there is a whole lot more grey in the realm of human behavior than there are absolutes. Like minded people ferociously seek out the multitude of factors that may contribute as to why a human becomes a murderer or is prone to violence. However one perceives the world, an open mind is essential when seeking unknown truths.
Coming from an abusive family background and all the consequences that upbringing has incurred in my personal life, I was drawn in and unwittingly was carried along a huge tumultuous emotional ride. I was apprehensive that I was being manipulated emotionally. Somehow, the creators struck a balance while using emotions to tell this tale and at the end of the series, left me with a whole lot to think about. I'm still digesting this series today. I have to give a huge thank you to the creators for respecting our intelligence and feelings because they did not use identity politics to push any kind of agenda.. at least not willingly... yes talking points were there.. but not INJECTED without reason. This was an honest to goodness examination of how so many different factors can amalgamate into a huge human tragedy for all the victims, families and the ones responsible for perpetuating the physical acts of murder.
Odin's family is lovingly portrayed displaying how graciously they dealt with their grief while enduring this tragedy, navigating through the justice system and all of the media attention. Their strength and faith was something to be admired at how it carried them through and even gave them the super human capacity of acceptance and forgiveness for acts that most people would find unforgivable. I don't believe that the creators were merely giving lip service to the victims families. Rather, I saw it as a tribute.
The show walked a very fine line between the wow factor and addressing Aaron's internalized homophobia. I give them the benefit of the doubt for that because it obviously was a factor in the complexity of his suffering. The second was the link with how the NFL culture covers up and compensates for a players scandalous behavior. I'm certain that there was some corporate push back there.
I believe that when the NFL arranged for Aaron's apartment, he was not avoiding his family to smoke pot but more than likely trying to protect his family from the thug that he nearly killed that was after him for revenge. The second, yet tragic selfless act was rendered futile after the repealing of that obscure law. Interestingly enough, the only entity that benefited from that was the NFL who no longer had to provide survivor benefits to his family. I wonder who financed that particular court battle?
The salacious way that his cannabis use was portrayed as if it was a contributing factor to this tragedy was ill informed. If anything, it probably staved off his aggression in his later years.. The fact that he used cannabis before he was 21 was problematic because the accepted science has proven that it hinders the proper development of a young humans brain. So does witnessing your mother getting her head smashed repeatedly against a kitchen sink until she's unconscious for that matter. I had the impression that whenever he acted out violently was after he had been drinking alcohol at a bar or using chemical type drugs. Where is the causal link there?
I was surprised at how it was glossed over how Aaron Hernandez was handicapped for life by being physically, emotionally and psychologically abused at the hands of his monstrous father and subsequently by his ineffective, emotionally damaged and disloyal mother. It may have been a conscious choice by the creators to protect the legacy of his Father who has been deified in his community for his accomplishments and fame with yet again, the NFL. It's a life long private hell to have an abuser parent who can fool everyone around him into never suspecting or even worse, turning a blind eye to the abuse that that parent inflicts on their family. Believe me, I know.… Expand
Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron HernandezYour Score0 out of 10User Score
