The Best Lighthearted Moments in 'Making a Murderer'

The Netflix documentary Making a Murderer has taken the world by storm since it hit our screens last December. The story of Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey has been the cause of much debate and discussion, and has seen an uprising of armchair sleuths eager to figure out exactly what happened to Teresa Halbach on October 31st 2005. 

Let’s be clear here - there is nothing lighthearted about the subject matter. However, what the documentary makers Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos did well was inject a touch of lightness here and there, because let’s face it, most people’s stress levels reached a peak while viewing Making a Murderer. So, with that in mind, here is a look at some of the moments that allowed viewers a little smile (and occasionally a giggle) in between the seriousness.

7. Remember this lady? This is Reesa Evans, Steven Avery’s appointed lawyer back in 1985. We saw her a few times through the series, and in comparison with the other lawyers, she was somewhat more… laid back with her speech, let’s say. This moment of honesty was one that stuck in a lot of people’s minds and pretty much reflected everyone’s thoughts when the verdicts came in. 

6. That moment when you find a hole in a blood vial and immediately call your partner to let them know. The sheer joy on Jerry Buting’s (affectionately known here as J-Butes :p ) face brought a smile to many viewers because this looked like a major turning point in Steven Avery’s favour.

5. Another moment from Mr. Buting that made us giggle was this little bit of mocking on his way home from a hard day of… lawyering. Also, if you haven’t already, you really should follow Jerry on Twitter (@JButing) - he’s not only interesting, he also has excellent banter with his followers!

4. The look on Dean Strang’s (D-Strang - affectionate term :p) face here is awesome. Everything about him is saying, “I am SO over your crap, Colborn.” What’s missing from this GIF is the way he then very coolly replays the tape and watches Colborn squirm. 

3. This one comes in the form of a video, because, firstly I couldn’t find a GIF and secondly, it needs to be heard because it’s freaking hilarious. Yup, it’s the aliens. How Kucharski even had the balls to say, “It’s possible in the sense that aliens put it there,” will always amuse me, but not as much as Jerry’s epic, “There weren’t any aliens in the room, right?” Burn. 

2. This moment came after Bobby Dassey’s messed up testimony about “the joke” that he wasn’t actually supposed to be talking about. When Mr. Strang stepped out to speak to reporters, and someone blurted out, “What the hell happened?” - this was the result. The reason this Making a Murderer moment was so welcome was not only because it came after a very serious moment, but because this smile showed a lighter side to Mr. Strang we didn’t get to see enough of. (Plus, he’s adorable!)

1. Without a doubt, this was the best moment of happy in the whole documentary. The first episode was harrowing to watch, hearing the full story of everything Steven Avery went through, so his homecoming was a joy to see. It’s hard to imagine there’s a person in the world who didn’t laugh out loud when Steven was asked who that baby was and he said, “I don’t know.”


We thank Ricciardi and Demos for these moments of lightness that made Making a Murderer that little bit easier to take and allowed us a brief break from the overwhelming emotions we felt while watching.

Originally posted on my Tumblr blog