A balanced overview of an unprecedented case

Attempting to tell a more comprehensive story than the sensationalist narrative adopted by the media at the time, which was basically "evil devil woman secretly bullies vulnerable boyfriend to death so she can get sympathy", the series expands on some of the lesser known details of the case; the bizarre, almost entirely online nature of the relationship; his four prior suicide attempts; her months of constantly talking him out of suicide; their mutual mental illnesses, which includes her own suicide attempt, an eating disorder, and crippling loneliness; a theory about notions of self-identity, revolving around, of all things, the TV show Glee; a legal system which finds itself out of step with the digital era in which we live; a psychiatrist of questionable merit and his controversial theory; and the ramifications of a ground-breaking legal ruling. Looking at issues of technology, mental health, the ethicality of prescribing powerful SSRIs to teenagers, a reductionist media that pushes an easy-to-digest narrative based on familiar tropes and themes at the expense of the more multifaceted, complex, and uncomfortable reality, and, of course, whether one person can be held legally responsible for another's suicide, the show doesn't so much take a side as work to remind viewers that more than one side exists. And although there are some notable problems, it does a pretty decent job overall.

For my complete review, please visit: https://boxd.it/1gIs17