Netflix says it knows what episode got you addicted to 'Making a Murderer'

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Making a Murderer

Netflix

Netflix thinks it knows what episode got you addicted to its hit "Making a Murderer," the series which follows the story of Steven Avery who was convicted of the murder of a photographer in 2007 and sentenced to life in prison.

The series gained such widespread attention that it lead to a new appeal for Avery.

The streaming site released a study Wednesday claiming to know the episode that got viewers hooked to the shows it streams worldwide. 

Netflix looked at streaming data for the first seasons of over 30 shows it streams from six continents. The site defines "hooked episodes" as those where at least 70% of viewers continued to watch the show through season one.

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The episode of "Making a Murderer" that got fans hooked, according to Netflix, was episode four, "Indefensible."

As a reminder, that was the episode where Steven Avery's nephew Brendan Dassey made statements that he witnessed his uncle kidnap, torture, and rape Teresa Halbach. Dassey, who was 16 at the time, was taken out of school and questioned without a parent present. He was later convicted of the murder of Halbach as well and was sentenced to life in prison.

brendan dassey

Netflix

Avery claimed Dassey was "coerced" into giving testimony, describing Dassey as not particularly smart. It's revealed that at the time Dassey had an IQ of 73 and verbal IQ of 69, putting him in the low-average to borderline range. In addition Dassey was enrolled in some special education courses in high school.

In the same episode, it was ruled that he was not susceptible to police pressures and his testimony was admissible. 

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Many viewers were upset by that decision and the tactics used by the two detectives in initially questioning Dassey about the crime. It seemed as if he initially may have confessed just to get back to school. When we finally see Dassey speak to his mother, he tells her that the detectives got to his head.

Early in the fourth episode, Dassey is heard asking his mother what the word "inconsistencies" means after hearing that his "statements were inconsistent." Neither one knows the answer.

Dassey's public defender Len Kachinsky hired Michael O'Kelly to interview Dassey and help him clear up those inconsistencies.

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Brendan Dassey confession making a murderer

Netflix

The video went on to show Dassey being told by O'Kelly to write out a full statement of everything that happened the day of the murder. In the video, Dassey is asked to add more items including Halbach's name and drawings into his statements. He's specifically asked by O'Kelly to draw several images into his statements: one of Avery stabbing Halbach, another of Dassey having intercourse with Halbach, and one more of Halbach tied to the bed.

In the last drawing, you can see that Dassey spells Teresa's name as "Taresha."

taresha brendan dassey

Netflix

Dassey later takes everything back and says that nothing in the written statement was true while speaking with his mother on the phone. When asked why he would make all of that up, Dassey says he was just "guessing," which is something he says he does with his homework. 

In the same episode, the key to Teresa Halbach's vehicle is found in Steven Avery's home.

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teresa key making a murderer

Netflix

The odd thing about the key is that it wasn't found during initial searches in the home and when it was later scrubbed for DNA there were no traces of Halbach's DNA anywhere on the key. Instead, the only DNA found on the key belonged to Steven Avery. 

Netflix sent INSIDER a minute clip from that scene labeled as a "hooked moment" from the episode.

Data from Graph TV, a site which compiles IMDB user rankings of television show episodes, also shows that episode four of "Making a Murderer" is the highest-rated episode of the series.

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Since the first season of the series has aired, Dassey's conviction was overturned in August. The state of Wisconsin in appealing the decision. Dassey's legal team, meanwhile, filed a motion requesting that their client be released from prison while awaiting the outcome of the appeal.

Avery also has a new defense attorney who has been pursuing other suspects in the caseA second season for "Making a Murderer" is in production.

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