Quite the theme for this episode. It began with the story of Diane Downs. In 1983, she claimed that after a botched carjacking, a stranger shot her three children as they slept in her car. One of her daughters died, while the other had a stroke, and her son ended up paralyzed. Police and prosecutors said the story never added up, and Downs herself was found guilty of the crimes. Her two surviving children were adopted by, of all people, the prosecutor in the case. They are now in their 30s, and wish to live private lives. So not everyone bends to the will of Oprah, I guess.
Oh, but wait. Downs somehow got pregnant after being arrested, and gave birth to a daughter ten days after the conviction. That girl, Becky, is now 26, and she had no problem coming on Oprah to talk about her crazy, crazy biological mother. Learning about the identity of her mother apparently sent Becky into a downward spiral of drinking and drugs, even though her adoptive parents were awesome and supportive. I don't know, either. It doesn't really make sense.
Anyway, Becky began writing Downs after Becky had to give up her own son for adoption. After a few letters, it became clear to Becky that Downs was, in fact, crazy. Downs told Becky that people had been following her (Becky) all her life, trying to kill her, and that Downs herself was in prison because her government official husband was keeping her there. She began signing the letters, "Mom and Dad," despite her refusal to divulge who Becky's father is.
Becky's adoptive parents were upset about this communication at first, but then understood. "They say it's my story, and if it's gonna help somebody, tell it," Becky said.
Perhaps I'm just dense, but exactly how does Becky's story help anyone? Is the lesson here to make sure you don't get put up for adoption by a crazy woman who attempted to murder all your half-siblings before you were born? I can't wait until the letters start pouring in to Oprah, all about how Becky's story was an inspiration and a saving grace.
We got mini stories giving us updates on Mary Winkler, who killed her preacher husband and then said he had been abusing her for years, and on Betty Broderick, who murdered her ex-husband and his new wife. Winkler served just 210 days in jail, and now has her three children back. Broderick was denied a parole hearing in January 2010, because the board thought she was still "bitter and angry." Well, of course. She's in prison.
I guess Lisa Ling does some work for Oprah now, so Opes sent her to prison to interview Pamela Smart. In 1990, Smart was 21 years old, and started a relationship with a 15-year-old boy named Billy Flynn. Flynn and three of his friends eventually killed Smart's husband, then said that Smart herself had asked them to do so. The boys made deals with the prosecution, and none of them got a charge of first degree murder. Pamela Smart, despite the fact that she was not there at the time of the murder, got charged with first degree murder, and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. There's a bit of unfairness at work there, which became especially clear when we learned that the boys never mentioned Smart's involvement until after they were certified to stand trial as adults. That, combined with the fact that the jury was never sequestered, despite the judge allowing the trial to be televised from beginning to end, makes it hard to see why anyone believes Smart received a fair trial.
But, really, all I learned in this episode is that Lisa Ling is so, so terribly bad at voiceover. Twice they showed taped pieces about the case, and Ling was required to narrate those pieces. And she was awful. So robotic. If you have the show on your DVR, go back and listen to it again. You'll hear what I'm saying.
Smart's mother and mentor came on the show at the end, when we learned that Smart has earned two master's degrees while in prison. Her mentor believes that because the national media focused so much on Smart's relationship with Billy Flynn, Smart was punished for the affair and not for the actual crime. A juror in the trial, Alec Beckett, came on the show and said that he believes Smart was guilty (there were some damning audio tapes that were sort of glossed over on Oprah), but he admitted it seems weird that Smart isn't eligible for parole, while everyone else is.
Monday: I don't know. It was the vaguest promo ever. Something about a tragic event followed by a miracle you'll have to see to believe. Can't wait!
I remember the Downs case and how devestating it was to her surviving children, however I feel her daughter Becky is using it as an excuse to be a loser. She was adopted by wonderful parents she should realize how lucky she is.
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