Wear, Watch, Want #229: The Fit Criminal Flop Edition

Wear: FitFlip Shuv Clogs

I have been shopping for closed toe clogs for easily a year. Probably more. There are TONS that I like, but I want them to be super supportive, not too tall, and without any embellishments. These requirements are virtually impossible to find in just one pair of shoes. I’ve ordered and returned a few pairs, but the FitFlip Shuv Leather Clogs were an immediate yes. I was worried they would look too orthopedic, or dorky, or bulky, but they’re so comfortable I don’t actually care, AND they look pretty nice. I got the brown in an amazing sale, and I’m balking at paying full price for a black pair, but they’re SO comfortable I may just bite the bullet and pay retail, they’re that good.

Watch: The Staircase (HBO Max)

I’ve been talking about The Staircase (the documentary) for years. In this post is from 2015 I mention how I’ve been talking about The Staircase for years, so it’s been years and years. It’s a classic in the true crime doc genre, and now that Netflix bought the rights it’s easier to watch than ever (it used to be almost impossible to stream for free, as mentioned in that 2015 post). I’ve actually only seen the original 8-part doc, because that was all that existed when I watched it, but maybe someday I’ll watch the 2 part update and Netflix’s 3 part update of the update. I do know about the Owl Theory, and how the doc’s editor fell in love with him, I just didn’t watch it.

When I heard HBO was making a miniseries of The Staircase, but with actors, I was mad. WHY do filmmakers think they should remake perfectly good documentaries as feature films or miniseries??? Why would anyone watch The Walk when they could watch Man on Wire?? But then I found out two things: 1) Parker Posey was playing raging homophobe prosecutor Freda Black, and 2) This wasn’t a remake of the documentary, but a show that includes the documentary (ie, the miniseries includes the doc filmmakers as characters). And you know what? It’s GREAT.

Colin Firth looks nothing like Michael Peterson, but the voice he’s doing is so perfect, it’s eerie. He’s too tall and too imposing and somehow becasue he nails the voice it works. The other standout for me is Odessa Young, who IS Martha, it’s an incredible performance. There is no one who is bad, or a goofy impression of a real person we know from the original doc, which is an impressive feat. OH! When Trini Alvarado shows up as Michael’s wacky first wife, Patty? Amazing.

I also love that this adaptation is focused so much on Kathleen, played by Toni Colette. The documentary doesn’t focus much on Kathleen, despite ostensibly being about her, so it’s nice to actually see her portrayed as a full-fledged person. There is so much strangeness around this story and the circumstances that built this family, and it’s good to remember that this is a story about an actual woman who had a tragic death. Kathleen’s death, in many possible iterations, is portrayed throughout the series, which I think is a genius decision. They’re all plausible, they’re all awful, and whatever DID happen, it happened to a real woman.

My one issue, or question, or maybe just a thought, is if this HBO miniseries works if you haven’t watched the original documentary. Only four episodes (of eight) have aired as I’m writing this, but they’ve never really explained how the family works. From what I remember, the doc doesn’t explain, to my satisfaction, how Margaret and Martha were adopted by their neighbors instead of extended family, but the HBO miniseries really doesn’t explain it. Someone unfamiliar with the case might not know how these girls got into this family until well into the series. HBO’s Staircase also brushes over some parts of the doc that were drawn out, perhaps too much, which is good and bad. The discovery of the blowpoke, and explanation of what and why a blowpoke (the worst Christmas gift maybe ever), takes forever in the doc, and it’s a quick blip in the HBO series. Also in the doc, Peterson’s legal team flies to Germany to look at a staircase. How they got away with that is baffling, and the HBO series was right to just cut that part out. They also put Michael Stuhlbarg in suits with more modern tailoring than David Rudolf wore (his gigantic suits would be distracting), and they’ve limited the amount of Coke cans that litter the sets (truly, they are drinking pop constantly in the OG The Staircase).

Want: FitFlip Shuv Sandals

I love my FitFlop clogs so much, I want the sandal version.