I visited the Big Bend area in late October 2017. Frequent stops at the only gas station in Terlingua were a feature of this visit, as well as a breakfast or two at its built-in cafe. I knew nothing of the crime or this Nat Geo series at the time. I found it after coming back from the trip.
One other reviewer described this as the 'gloomiest, most depressing thing I've ever watched'. I cannot agree more. The sad truth is that the reality of Terlingua is every bit as depressing as this show. Two things about this series:
1. Since clips of an interview with Glen Phelps were included in the series, one can only assume this started out as a series on Terlingua itself, and before the video work completed (or even begun) the entire focus of the series shifted to the murder and the trial. It might have actually been a better, more focused product had the crime not got in the way.
2. The continual re-use of certain scenes, along with the lengthy and depressing intro, leaves the impression that the producers had barely enough material to fill out the eight episodes, and had to 'pad' the episodes with this stuff to get through each hour.
Terlingua is the last place anyone but a misfit would seek out and gravitate to as a place to live. It is one of those few places in the United States that is one step removed from being a Third World environment. God help anyone with an injury or a medical condition requiring immediate attention.
One other reviewer described this as the 'gloomiest, most depressing thing I've ever watched'. I cannot agree more. The sad truth is that the reality of Terlingua is every bit as depressing as this show. Two things about this series:
1. Since clips of an interview with Glen Phelps were included in the series, one can only assume this started out as a series on Terlingua itself, and before the video work completed (or even begun) the entire focus of the series shifted to the murder and the trial. It might have actually been a better, more focused product had the crime not got in the way.
2. The continual re-use of certain scenes, along with the lengthy and depressing intro, leaves the impression that the producers had barely enough material to fill out the eight episodes, and had to 'pad' the episodes with this stuff to get through each hour.
Terlingua is the last place anyone but a misfit would seek out and gravitate to as a place to live. It is one of those few places in the United States that is one step removed from being a Third World environment. God help anyone with an injury or a medical condition requiring immediate attention.