Just finished watching this two part documentary, and I found it extremely disturbing. I could not believe the way the children were treated by most of the adults involved, including their mother. They seemed completely messed up mentally despite their academic success, and I really hope this won't ruin their long-term future, as it tragically does for many.
The stepfather seemed like a nice guy and had the patience of a saint, but of course, that is just a snapshot. Hopefully, he will continue to be a stable force in their lives.
I also thought the therapist was far too close to the family, which felt incredibly unprofessional. Instead of maintaining objective clinical boundaries to actually help the kids, he seemed completely enmeshed in the drama. Something did not sit right with him for me at all.
I don't know what did and didn't happen physically with the biological father; I do have an opinion on this, but I won't speculate on that aspect. However, I strongly suspect he was strict, authoritarian, and emotionally abusive in some way. On the other side, I found the mother highly unstable, and it feels like her own childhood abuse heavily influenced her reactions and conduct. There were just too many inconsistencies. The social media presence and the merch she was selling off the back of a situation that should be devastating I found really jarring.
Honestly, I think it is abuse in itself to allow your children to be barricaded up in a bedroom for 54 days. I strongly suspect they must have come out to live normally at times and then went back up to film the social media streams, their food wouldn't have lasted, and I just don't believe they stayed isolated that long without a break. I absolutely believe the mother facilitated the whole thing, or at the very least encouraged it.
In my opinion, both biological parents were just as abusive as each other in different ways.
What are your thoughts on this? Did anyone else watch it?