Episode Guide
Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 New England Patriot star Aaron Hernandez was a man living a double life. Behind the fame and accolades Hernandez achieved on the football pitch, was a much darker side to this troubled young man. In true Netflix fashion, this grimy underbelly is put under the true crime spotlight in this three-part documentary series. Split across hour-long episodes, Killer Inside is a fascinating and chilling tale of a sport star seemingly destined to snap from the very beginning. The first episode introduces Aaron Hernandez and acts as a brief case study, with a particular emphasis on the ensuing media frenzy as he’s arrested for the murder of Odin Lloyd. From here the series explores the reasoning behind this man giving up a $40 million contract with the Patriots and throwing it all down the drain for the sake of a seemingly out-of-character murder. From head injuries and a secret homosexual relationship through to a troubled past and fiercely loyal partner Shayanna Jenkins, Netflix gets stuck into the nitty-gritty during the final two episodes and tries to get to the bottom of what led to the shocking murder and ensuing death of Aaron Hernandez while in prison. Given this is someone who starred so prominently on American televisions during the early parts of the last decade, the series is particularly difficult to watch and inevitably will strike a chord with many fellow Americans who cheered for this man during his successful football career. There’s a lot of archival footage used from games too, along with face to face interviews provided by witnesses, family members and experts in various different fields. Aesthetically, there’s a lot of overlap here with other true crime documentaries of its kind so expect plenty of timelines, talking heads and archival photos used. Interestingly, Killer Inside utilizes some stylistic tricks that are a little different to what’s on the platform already. Audio logs from Hernandez’s phone calls in prison often overlap with archival still-photos and a circular profile picture with expository text inform who’s talking during these moments. They’re simple but effective and ultimately prevent this from blurring into the other documentaries on Netflix. With a good pacing across the three episodes and plenty of bone-chilling details revealed across the season, Killer Inside is another strong true crime documentary series and one that asks some much-needed questions around CTE, something that’s been a bit of a taboo subject in American Football in the past. The easily digestible, hour-long segments are perfectly paced and if you’re looking for your next true crime fix, Killer Inside is well worth checking out.