“You can buy a marriage … But will it cost you?”
That’s the melodramatic tagline of Investigation Discovery’s (ID) newest true crime series, Mail Order Murder. Before you laugh at the title (that’s perfectly fine), note that it is far from the most ridiculous of ID series titles; there’s also Momsters: When Moms Go Bad (hosted by Roseanne Barr), Murder Book (a look back at cold cases, using archival footage), and Surviving Exodus (modern re-enactments of plagues). The true crime genre is apparently so addictive that even your hipster best friend loves it; an entire network dedicated to it honestly makes all the sense in the world when you think about it. To quote the aptly named Killers: this is the world that we live in.
True crime isn’t a new phenomenon. America’s Most Wanted ran for 1,149 episodes, from 1998 to 2012, relying on the now typical format of archival footage, re-enactments, narration, and a host. All true crime programmes follow that very easy and cheap formula in some way, and Mail Order Murder is no different; it relies on the retelling of crimes from family and friends, alongside re-enactments from actors. It’s simple, but it’s the way the story is told that does the trick.
In the series premiere, The Mafia Connection, Mail Order Murder tells the story of Scott Huss and his mail order bride, Yana. Scott had been previously married twice, while Yana’s husband (with whom she’d had a son, Peter) had been murdered by the Russian mafia. He was Yana’s knight in shining armour, until the marriage reached the three-year mark; then Yana would call Scott a monster.
There is a clear narrative, with Scott clearly killing the wife he believed to be his property. The only one who doesn’t see that is his mother, going as far as to throw the actual victim under the bus and almost become the villain of the retelling. It would be one thing for everyone involved to just state the facts as they were, without emotion behind them, but that wouldn’t sustain a network. True crime series about crimes of passion, like this one, require a sort of emotional attachment to the story in order to make the show addictive. Call it emotional manipulation, but even straight-up fiction requires that.
However, much like a kid who gets in trouble for eating too much candy before dinner, there can be backlash. Serial is perhaps the most popular podcast in the world right now; listeners want to know if Adnan was wrongfully imprisoned or if he’s just as guilty as the case against him said. They’ll listen to 30-plus minutes of Sarah Koenig recite evidence (knowing she doesn’t quite think Adnan is guilty) and get testimony from character witnesses and Adnan himself. It’s one of the most entertaining stories of the year, even though it’s not that different from the stalwarts of the true crime genre, except without the ridiculous title of an ID series. It’s got the host, it’s got the archival footage, it’s got the first-hand testimonies.
But it’s also got the controversy that you don’t quite get with all of those true crime shows. They’re all still real life tragedy being treated as entertainment, but while ID shows dress it up with some nice production values and laughably acted re-enactments, Serial is more straightforward and perhaps twice as addictive.
Serial is reopening old wounds for friends and family of Adnan and the murder victim, Hae Min Lee. Mail Order Murder, as sleek and sexy as it is, essentially making such a gruesome ordeal “cool” to watch, could have the same arguments thrown at it – but it’s not treating its story as one that actually has the blessing (and appearances) from the victims’ families and even the perpetrators in some cases (an imprisoned Scott shows up at the end to maintain his innocence). Meanwhile, Hae Min Lee’s brother has taken to criticizing this whole phenomenon on Reddit:
“It’s been confirmed that Hae’s brother posts on Reddit, though, calling Sarah ‘an awesome narrator/writer/investigator’ but adding: ‘TO ME IT’S REAL LIFE. To you listeners, it’s another murder mystery, crime drama, another episode of CSI.’”
It would be one thing if Serial was treated like the rest of its true crime comrades or even “another episode of CSI”, as merely pop culture junk food. But because it is looked at like a very serious re-investigation, it’s important to take a second to think about the real people who are part of this. All the listeners’ jokes about the podcast’s sponsor, MailChimp, and how addictive the show is make it easy to forget them. Mail Order Bride – even with the re-enactments – tries to do well to remind the audience that this is not fiction.
So while Serial is a lofty true crime experiment and is vulnerable to the criticisms that go with that, Mail Order Murder has a certain moral integrity by simply telling the story and not doubling as a re-investigation of the case. It’s strange talking about moral integrity in the same breath as a show titled Mail Order Murder, but there is so much true crime around, it can be hard to differentiate between the good and bad.
A podcast like Serial falls under the good because it sticks with you, moral warts and all, long after an episode is over. Mail Order Murder doesn’t have that same staying power – but it’s also less morally troubling.
