White House Farm – 6 Part Documentary Dramatization = Netflix

Part 5

Realistically, because of all the dodged communication, the unsecured crime scene, the lack of good evidence, this whole case rests on the change of statement from Julie. Perhaps it was easier to be convicted from 1 persons account in the 80s, I don’t know. I’m not in the police force or the crime field, so I don’t know how their systems work. I can only speculate with the knowledge I have.

I had known from the first episode that Julie was hiding something, but I don’t think I ever stopped to think of how much she was hiding or how involved she was. There was reference on her Wikipedia page of her being ‘under his spell’ or something similar, but I’m not sure how much I believe that statement. As it is presented through the documentary dramatization, it reads more like she was conflicted between loving him and fearing him.

Something I have notice through true crime, fictional crime books and fictional crime TV, is that the ‘good looking, charismatic, womanizers’ seem to always be the ones that commit horrific atrocities. Of course, that idea isn’t 100% but I do often think about that and why humans have adapted to form that stereotype.

This episode really reminded me of the lengths that humans will go to to cover something up. Instinctively we all want to blame other people for things we have done ourselves. Or, we employ ‘little white lies’ which we tell ourselves are a ‘one time thing’ or used to ‘spare someone’, but the reality is that lies come easier than the truth.

I was an angry kid who lied a lot and let me tell you, I would carry that lie all the way to the grave, despite a shouting match with my parents, despite punishment, despite the truth, etc. I was fully committed to the lie I was telling. Fortunately, that was something I grew out of as I got older, but I am mindful that some people don’t grow out of that mindset and instead welcome in more behaviour that is bigger and badder than a little white lie.

At the beginning of the episode, I was singing praises to Julie for coming forward but once I reached the halfway point, I was seriously questioning my own haste. There is such a concoction of different players and they all fully believe the opinions they have of the event to be the right one that it is almost confusing trying to unravel everything and to make some sense of it.

On some level I do feel sorry for Julie because she really was stuck in a toxic relationship with Jeremy.

I can imagine the intense feelings of those involved when the case changed from murder-suicide to murder. To have to come to the realisation that someone who has stood by your side and helped you grieve, could potentially be the same person who committed the crimes, must be an unimaginable and intense feeling. I wouldn’t wish that experience on anyone.

You can feel the emotions in this episode, they fly right off the screen and into the body. There is a palpable tension in the air, like this episode represents the turning of the case. Though it happened so long ago, I’m sure it is a case that still resonates with a lot of people and a case that still weighs heavy on the hearts of those involved.

With one more episode to go, I can see where the ending is coming from. I have one more episode to judge for myself who I think is guilty, but I feel like I am pretty much focused on one possible avenue right now.