As the topic that is true crime continues its dominance of the podcast medium, undoubtedly fueling many a water cooler discussion or book club-esque gathering, the streaming adaptation of said true crime podcasts has, for the past several years, seen something of a rise through such limited series as “The Dropout,” courtesy of Netflix, while Hulu has brought forth the likes of “Dirty John.” With the latter streamer poised for complete absorption into Disney+ before long, another project, “Murdaugh: Death in the Family,” stands ready to tell another equally distressing story in the meantime, adapted from the Murdaugh Murders Podcast created by journalist Mandy Matney. A unique podcast in its own right, Matney took an in-depth approach to reporting on this eventual case as the events unfolded, and it’s here that her small-screen portrayal figures into “Murdaugh” as well. But let’s not get too far ahead.
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Still somewhat recent in the eyes of the general public, in 2019, the Murdaugh family seemed to epitomize wealth, sophistication, and overall togetherness, with Alex (Jason Clarke), the family patriarch, largely heading up the party. The latest in a long line of South Carolinian attorneys, with another, Murdaugh son Buster (Will Harrison), poised to enter law school himself, Alex’s larger-than-life Buddy Garrity-esque personality befits any number of Southern gentlemen, even as the premiere episode establishes a history of drug abuse and infidelity, neither of which have gone unnoticed by his spouse Maggie (Patricia Arquette). Still, by now, have these two weathered the storms of the past, emerging on the other side as a stronger unit? If their public persona is any indication, that would appear to be the case. Still, behind closed doors, moods can shift on a dime from a genial conversation to mile-high tempers, a seesaw often triggered by the actions of second son Paul (Johnny Berchtold) as the young man chooses to spend his days focused on trouble. As the Murdaughs prepare their estate for a lavish party, Paul makes his first appearance with a large tree branch emerging from the wheel well of his car; this sort of act has become something of a recurring theme for Paul, and unfortunately, it foreshadows to a degree what’s yet to come.
Alex’s days follow what could be considered a pattern, encompassing time in the courtroom, popping pills from his hidden stash, inserting himself into suspicious business dealings or coaxing innocent clients to do the same, and spitfire meetings with his fellow legal practice team, which includes his brother Randy (Noah Emmerich) and father Randolph (Gerald McRaney). Paul, meanwhile, has his own party to attend, one that will eventually see the 22-year-old crash his boat into a bridge while severely under the influence, injuring two passengers and accidentally killing a third, Mallory Beach (Madeline Popvich). It’s this that truly marks the beginning of what would eventually become an astounding downfall; is this the death as described in the title?
As mentioned, this is only the beginning, and as Paul fights off hospital personnel who he believes want little more than to check his BAC solely, Alex has his work cut out for him, with the search for Mallory’s body now well underway. Alex seems to have his own plan, one that involves speaking with as many of those directly involved with the incident as possible, which includes parents, but just as Alex makes every effort to silence this small group from speaking further, a journalist, Mandy Matney (Brittany Snow), unaware of the Murdaugh family’s power and influence, learns of Mallory’s death and a subsequent interview with one of the injured passengers kicks into gear her very public claims of the Murdaugh family’s implication. With a stripped-down cover of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s “Fishin’ in the Dark” timed perfectly with a zoom on Paul’s face as the words “Get ready” play simultaneously, it’s the perfect way to end Episode Two, even if it’s still merely the beginning.
However, the Murdaugh family’s problems are nothing a jaunt to the Caribbean won’t solve, as seen in Episode Three, which only serves to further highlight the mounting distress of the deeply troubled Paul, with clashes between him and Alex happening more frequently. This stab at relaxation also doesn’t prompt Alex to turn away from his side hustle, which may very well be a Ponzi scheme of sorts, as he bilks vast amounts of money from his legal clients and funnels said funds into his own pocket, all before rinsing and repeating with his next victim. In this case, that victim-or rather, victims-hits almost literally too close to home, following a tragedy immediately after the family’s return from vacation, something which Alex soon finds a way to exploit to his own horrendous gain. With Matney continuing her research, drafting damning front-page headlines devoted to the Murdaughs even as her editor threatens to take her off the story, and with the prosecution representing the Beach family demanding a massive sum in the wake of a lawsuit against the key figures involved in Mallory’s death, can you believe it can somehow get much, much worse?
Even if you know how it ends, the manner in which “Murdaugh: Death in the Family” unfolds does wonders in keeping engagement levels high; a televised take on a Southern crime such as this hardly feels new, a story awash in accents and seafood boils, but even the detours, such as that third episode vacation, manage to feel both somewhat unnecessary as much as relevant. It’s a story about a family facing a mountain of issues, all of which are of their own design, whether inadvertently or otherwise. It’s a story of how different members of said family cope, or help their loved ones cope, or lack thereof entirely. It’s a story of how easy it may be for some to conceal their emotions, hide from it all, and carry on as if the status quo remains. Mostly, it’s a story of how quickly things can unravel, a seemingly endless line of dominoes toppled by a family sharing the name Murdaugh.
Essentially carrying the narrative weight and momentum are Jason Clarke’s Alex, Patricia Arquette’s Maggie, and Johnny Berchtold’s Paul, each of whom plays incredibly different characters that work well even as their words bounce off one another, as if on purpose. It may be based on a true story, but like any great adaptation, liberties have certainly been taken with dialogue and events; that said, if the personas these three have inhabited are anything like their real-life counterparts, it’s easy to see with whom sympathy may lie and who to detest almost right out of the gate. As Paul struggles with what he’s done, a feeling that never ceases once that fateful night has occurred, Jason Clarke spends the entirety of his screen time on the other side of the coin, a face overflowing in Southern charm, but who is, for all intents and purposes, pure evil. The misdeeds outlined above barely scratch the surface, and Clarke plays it all with aplomb. Similarly, Brittany Snow’s Matney, with all her grit and determination in her quest to uncover what’s happening behind the scenes, seems a perfect fit for the veteran actress.
It’s a fascinating story, one that may take a moment to lay the necessary groundwork but even in that buildup does one feel themselves drawn into what’s happening; as Matney works to expose the Murdaughs in real time, so does the audience learn how far Alex Murdaugh is willing to go in his efforts to preserve his name, his reputation, himself as a person, possibly all of the above and more. It may project the image of just another true crime yarn, but much like the monster that is Alex, there’s more to this story. As said, it’s only the beginning. [A-]
