Two Shallow Graves: The McStay Family Murders

Two disclaimers: 1) I'm a yearly subscriber to Discovery+ for True Crime only. This channel's ability to provide gut-wrenching multi-episode documentary coverage of investigations never ceases to amaze or unsettle me. "Unsettled" is what you'll come away from "Two Shallow Graves" feeling. 2) People whose lives have been touched by unsolved cases *may* tend to react more favorably to one side of the story or the other (victim's versus eventual defendant's, and vice versa). The two final episodes of "Two Shallow Graves" were body-blows to anyone familiar with how a defendant's own attorneys can turn a back to small matters, like the fact their client is on trial for his life.

To say more about Chase Merritt's decision in the final episodes would require spoilers. I went slack-jawed at the twenty-fifth-hour production of a particular witness, as well as at the judge's indifference to Merritt's defense throughout.

But IMDB is a place to review film productions, not to discuss merits of cases, so-- Production values and decisions: A+. Text-explanation graphics extremely helpful and time-conserving. Any viewer with a working brain will ask about everything left out (motive for such overkill, motive for the choice of weapon). This is a good thing and to a reasonable juror should have brought about reasonable doubt. The producers don't attempt to whitewash Merritt; viewers will be informed immediately that they "inherited" the series when a first production team got turned down by various protagonists for interviews. These refusals seem based on the perception that the series would be (direct quote) "another Making of The Murderer." That assumes "Making a Murderer" was an obscene interference with the good prosecutors of Wisconsin's precious time... unlike...

"Two Shallow Graves" doesn't drag. I wondered in the middle episodes the point of prolonging the story, but a reason arrives in spades in the series' penultimate and then final episode.

It did not answer why Chase Merritt would have been driven to carnage this bad. Maybe that was its point. I came away not convinced this man was treated any more fairly than Steven Avery or his tragic nephew.

Both prosecution and defense attorneys are ridiculous. Botox Raj and Mental Case Jim seem to be working two different cases. Chase Merrit is full of himself, but he is right about one thing: his legal team sucks. Smirky Britt Imes looks like he is going to burst out laughing at different points. And Melissa R is no better. Why are they so confidant? They have stepped on landmines left and right too. If you tried to sell this as a fictional legal drama, no one would buy it. The incompetence is too unbelievable. That being said, it did keep me watching. Like watching a train wreck, I guess.

Unprofessional prosecutors at their best, the defense team was embarrassing. The judge looked bored. This guy needs a new trial. Finally meeting the business partner Dan Kavanaugh, he could not sit still, very fidgety. He was a creep. His body language was way off.

A really sad "justice" system.

Was it the they filmed it? Because Imes and Ambitious Blondie were so nasty and holier than thou in so many ways, that I just hated them. Even if he is a sick sociopath you might think he would be treated better by tax paid professionals.

I enjoyed this documentary but I still do not know who murdered the McStay family. One thing is clear to me. There was more than reasonable doubt to the guilt of Merritt. There was very poor police investigation and the prosecutors were more interested in getting a conviction than in finding the truth. The justice system is in sad shape.

Why didn't the authorities do more in depth investigation of the four other suspects. Even the brother Michael is very suspicious. How could the jury find Merritt guilty with no real evidence. The are just so many holes all over this case.

I am happy that there is a stay on executions. Perhaps some new evidence will come to light to save Merritt from a life in jail. His defence team did a fairly good job but they did make some mistakes but they were up against a brick wall.

Woe is the person that is charged with a major crime because the state has endless resources to bring to the case whereas the average person has nothing to fight with really and their life is ruined no matter what the verdict.