17 September 2019, 14:29
By Sam Prance
Unbelievable is being praised by Netflix viewers for depicting Marie Alder's true story as a victim of rape.
WARNING: This article could contain triggering descriptions of sexual assault. If this could affect you, please read with caution.
Netflix viewers are lauding Unbelievable for showcasing the ways in which the police continually fail victims of rape.
Unbelievable came out on Netflix on Friday (Sep 13) and immediately received widespread critical acclaim. The true crime drama tells the real story of Marie Adler (Kaitlyn Dever) and how the police carelessly mishandled her rape case.
READ MORE: Where is Marie Adler now? The true story behind Unbelievable on Netflix
In 2008, Marie was gagged, bound and raped in her flat in Lynwood, Washington. When she reported the rape, the police didn't believe her. They coerced her into saying she was lying and then charged her with a gross misdemeanour for "lying" to them.
Marie was telling the truth and yet the police treated her like a suspect instead of the victim she was.
In 2011, two female detectives from Colorado, Stacy Galbraith (Karen Duvall in the show, played by Merritt Wever) and Edna Hendershot (Grace Rasmussen in the show, played by Toni Collette), worked together and caught serial rapist Marc O'Leary (Christopher McCarthy in the show). In doing so, they found Marc guilty of raping 27 women. He photographed his victims and his digital camera contained explicit evidence that one of his victims was Marie Adler.
Stacy and Edna then contacted the Lynwood police to tell them that they had found Marie's rapist. The police then informed Marie and Marie sued the city and received a settlement of $150,000. The police involved in Marie's case also apologised to her after Marie confronted them. However, the settlement and apology still couldn't change the fact that Marie lost friends, family and work because of how the police handled her case. She was brandished a liar.
Unsurprisingly, viewers are heartbroken by the series, outraged by what happened to Marie and praising Netflix for adapting such an important story into a show. One viewer tweeted: "I’m so f*cking angry. We have to believe women, especially kids. My mom didn’t believe me when I told her about what happened to me and because of that it just kept happening", another wrote: "This is literally why women struggle with admitting to being sexually assaulted".
— Manda Posthumously 🥟 (@ShutUpAmanda) September 13, 2019Watching #Unbelievable...I’m so f*cking angry. We have to believe women, especially kids.
My mom didn’t believe me when I told her about what happened to me and because of that it just kept happening.
Pay attention, don’t look away, and watch this little girl’s story.
This is disgusting. This is literally why women struggle with admitting to being sexually assaulted because they’re forced to relive the moment 60+ times, and then poked and prodded at by our legal system. #Unbelievable
— Dedra (@dedralashay_) September 15, 2019
The difference between how a female and male detective handles questioning a sexual assault victim says it ALL #Unbelievable
— gracie ✧･ﾟ (@judyrobinsson) September 15, 2019
im watching #Unbelievable and I just feel my blood pressure keep rising because of how sh*tty the cops have done their job so far into this case and people like judith making it into “she’s just doing it for attention” pic.twitter.com/AHoRHQkstM
— nikki (@halsteadsass) September 14, 2019
im watching #Unbelievable and I just feel my blood pressure keep rising because of how sh*tty the cops have done their job so far into this case and people like judith making it into “she’s just doing it for attention” pic.twitter.com/AHoRHQkstM
— nikki (@halsteadsass) September 14, 2019
In #Unbelievable on Netflix a sexual assault survivor is basically coerced and threatened by police officers to “admit” that she lied about her assault. It is based on a true story. It makes me wonder how many of the “false accusations” stories we hear weren’t actually false...
— dom.blais (@dom_blais) September 14, 2019
Wow. Wow, wow, wow. #Unbelievable is of a different caliber. It vividly and accurately captures the experience of sexual assault and its aftermath, of the retraumatization and of not being believed. The last episode had me bawling. SO. GOOD. #unbelievablenetflix pic.twitter.com/tKx7JP9Ysi
— Shahida Arabi, MA (@selfcarehaven) September 14, 2019
I hate these people. I know that's a strong word, but this is sad, and extremely maddening. No wonder girls/women are scared to come forward after sexual assault. I'm exhausted. #UnbelievableNetflix #Unbelievable
— 🍂Serotonin Is Falling🍂 (@AprilReneeX) September 14, 2019
Despite arriving with little fanfare, #Unbelievable instantly proves itself to be one of the most important shows of the year in that first episode alone - and it just gets better from there. #UnbelievableNetflix should be mandatory viewing for everyone, especially the police. pic.twitter.com/OxjwL1mUKc
— David Opie (@DavidOpie) September 15, 2019
I hate everybody that was in Marie’s life who doubted her #Unbelievable
— Rafranz (@RafranzDavis) September 15, 2019
All eight episodes of Unbelievable are available to watch on Netflix now.
If you - or anyone you know - needs help, please contact the following: If you're in the US, the National Sexual Assault Hotline is available 24/7 at 800-656-HOPE and you can also visit RAINN. If you're in the UK, you can visit Rape Crisis or call 0808 802 9999.
