Series / Fatal Vision

Fatal Vision is a 1984 NBC miniseries, based on a popular 1983 True Crime book by Joe McGinniss.

It deals with a notorious 1970 triple homicide at Fort Bragg^note renamed Fort Liberty in 2023, since its previous namesake, Braxton Bragg, was a Confederate general. in North Carolina and its aftermath. In the first half, Collette MacDonald (Wendy Schaal), the pregnant wife of Green Beret medic Capt. Jeffrey MacDonald (Gary Cole), is murdered along with the couple's two small daughters, Kimberley and Kristen, while he sustains injuries that he claims were from fighting off the murderers. Army investigators eventually start to suspect MacDonald himself was the murderer. In the second half, Collette's mother Mildred Kassab (Eva Marie Saint) and stepfather Freddy Kassab (Karl Malden) tirelessly try to bring their former son-in-law to justice. Prosecutor Victor Woerheide (Andy Griffith) takes on the case and gets an indictment against MacDonald. After countless delays, MacDonald finally goes on trial in 1979, and his high-powered defense attorney Bernie Segal (Barry Newman) expects an easy acquittal. But the prosecution's case is stronger than they anticipated, and MacDonald's unpleasant demeanor on the witness stand does him no favors.

Malden won a Primetime Emmy award in 1985 for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series, and Jeffrey MacDonald proved to be a Star-Making Role for Cole.

Tropes relating to this work:

• Actor Allusion: Andy Griffith once again plays a North Carolina law enforcement authority figure, though in a much more serious, dramatic context.
• Adaptational Attractiveness: The real-life defense attorney Bernie Segal was pretty average-looking. Here he's played by Barry Newman who has a few fanservicey moments, including him swimming in a speedo.
• Adapted Out: Collette has an older brother, Robert Stevenson and a sister-in-law, Vivian, in real life. In the film, she is presented as an only child.
• Age Lift: Victor Woerheide is depicted by Andy Griffith, who was almost 60 when the miniseries aired; in real life, he was only 35 when he died.
• Bail Equals Freedom: This coupled with the numerous appeals that he files, leaves Jeff unable to be tried for the murders for several years.
• Bait-and-Switch: A mild subversion: Jeffrey isn't found guilty of first-degree murder in the deaths of either Collette or Kimberley (which shocks Freddie, Mildred and the courtroom so much that many gasps are heard in the room and the former stands in response when the first verdict was read), but he is convicted of second-degree murder in their cases. He is found guilty in the first-degree of Kristen's murder.^note The theory was (and is) that MacDonald murdered his wife and older daughter in a fit of rage and indeed the blow that killed Kimberley may have been aimed at Colette. But after he had calmed down and realized the fix he was in, he killed his younger daughter in cold blood to support the cover story he came up with on the spot.
• Beware the Nice Ones: Freddie. He's a Nice Guy who loves his family and flashbacks show that he has a calm demeanor, but after the murders, realizing Jeff's guilt and when the latter had the charges dropped against him a second time, he reveals to a shocked Mildred that he obtained a gun license, even stating that he wasn't going to get away with his crimes. Thankfully, she talked him out of using it.
• Bullying a Dragon: Jeff himself lampshades this, citing how you should "never anger small-minded men in positions of power", referring to the Army and their mistakes in investigating the murders. Indeed, eventually both the Army and his father-in-law Freddy soon to be powerful adversaries for him.
• Bunny-Ears Lawyer:
  • Victor Woerheide is first introduced while clipping his toenails in his office. In spite of this, he is seen as a damn good prosecutor. This only makes his sudden death halfway through the second part all the more sadder.
  • Bernie Segal himself is pretty odd, even inviting the press to film a hit piece of the Army arresting Jeff and one of his associates overdoing being injured by a police officer who pushed him aside. Regardless, even though he and his team were unsuccessful in defending their client, he was still pretty competent and clever in his efforts.
• Cigar Chomper: Bernie Segal is frequently seen with a cigar save for any time in the courtroom or in the press.
• Clear My Name: The Army suspects MacDonald from the start, but lacks any clear cut evidence against him. MacDonald jumps on this by going on a public crusade against them, portraying himself as a grieving father unjustly persecuted by the military establishment (which nicely tied into Vietnam-era skepticism about the military). But after his early supporters (especially the Kassabs) start noticing that his story doesn't add up and conclude that the more logical explanation is that he was the killer, MacDonald suddenly finds himself playing defense, and public opinion dramatically shifts against him.
• Cool Old Guy: Freddy. Loving husband and father, doting grandfather, super intelligent (the film does not mention it, but he was apart of the Army Intelligence during World War II) and determined to bring justice to his slaughtered family.
• Crocodile Tears: Woerheide believes that Jeff shed this while on the witness stand. It was also lampshaded by him while on the stand stating how a member of the prosecutor's team claimed that the only time that he showed emotion was when he was confronted with the possibility of sodium amytal (or truth serum) being delivered to him.
• Dartboard of Hate: Bernie receives one of Army Lieutenant turned assistant prosecutor Brian Murtaugh for his birthday.
• David Versus Goliath: This vibe permeates the trial. The case against MacDonald is almost entirely circumstantial, and the death of Victor Woerheide leaves the prosecution in the hands of the relatively inexperienced Jim Blackburn and Brian Murtaugh, a military lawyer not really accustomed to the civilian court system. Meanwhile, MacDonald has brought in Bernie Segal, a flashy, feisty and smart defense attorney. This seeming mismatch makes MacDonald's camp overconfident, and they take several missteps, while the prosecutors remain focused and methodical and finally win over the jury.
• Death Glare: Jeff gives the jury one after he is convicted of the murders.
• The Determinator: The Kassabs, Freddy especially. What makes it even more interesting that they started out tirelessly defending MacDonald. Once they came to the conclusion that MacDonald was the murderer, they still kept pushing for justice.
• Happily Married: Freddy and Mildred. Jeff wants the world to believe he and Collette are this in spite of him having many affairs during their marriage.
• Horror Hippies: MacDonald's story is that a group of hippies, chanting "Acid is groovy, kill the pigs!", broke into his house and assaulted his family in a manner reminiscent of The Manson Family (with the detail of Collette being pregnant just like Sharon Tate adding a further connection to the cases). Investigators don't find it credible at all and start looking at MacDonald instead.
• It's All About Me: Part of the reason why Jeff's alibi and claims of innocence fall apart is his arrogance. When appearing on a national talk show shortly after being cleared, he mostly spoke on how much his rights were violated, how incompetent the Army was and trying to appear charming and cracking jokes in light of all that happened.
• Mama Bear: Collette ultimately. She obviously loved her daughters, but when the scenario was explained as to how the murders were committed, it displays that although she was already mortally wounded herself, she still managed to stagger into Kristen's bedroom and lay herself on top the little girl to try and stop Jeff from killing her.
• No Celebrities Were Harmed: The late night talk show host who interviews Jeff isn't given a character name. In Real Life, MacDonald appeared on The Dick Cavett Show.
• Not So Stoic: Freddy. While he is usually isn't as emotional as Mildred, he ends up breaking down in tears after the blood analysis expert informs him the likelihood of how Jeff committed the murders.
• Only Sane Man: Joe McGinniss, who is presented as being genuinely disturbed by Jeff and his defense team's cavalier to the point of being almost cocky attitude both in the courtroom and in Bernie's office.
• Parents Know Their Children: Jeff's mother, Perry, is convinced that he is incapable of killing his family, calling him "a good man, through and through". Unfortunately for her, the evidence is too overwhelming towards him for there to be anyone else who committed the murders.
• Posthumous Character: Collette and her two daughters, Kimberley and Kristen, are murdered at the beginning of the miniseries, but are still seen in flashbacks and the rest of the film deals with finding their murderer(s) and prosecuting them.
• Present Absence: Victor Woerheide, who died of a heart attack just over a half-hour after being introduced. This is especially troubling to Freddy, as he feels his death will derail the case and felt that new prosecutor, Jim Blackburn, isn't as effective as he was, believing him to be too polite.
• The Scapegoat: Helena Stoeckley. She was indeed a heavy drug user, but she knew herself enough not to kill or participate in murder, especially of children. She especially and understandably grows infuriated with Jeff's defense team trying to goad her into admitting guilt.
• Shadow Discretion Shot: When Freddy enters Kimberley's room after the murders, we don't see the aftermath, but given his shadow giving a jaw drop, he is clearly horrified.
• Small Role, Big Impact: Joe McGinniss. He appears in the second hour of the second half, but is seen observing much of the behavior of Jeffrey and his associates and which prompted him to write the damning book which the miniseries was based.
• Southern Gentleman: Jim Blackburn, whose mannerisms and attitude impress Mildred but worry Freddy.
• Suddenly Shouting: When it becomes obvious that Jeff's defense team is losing, Bernie confronts him on his behavior and his attitude, even claiming that this is how Woerheide managed to rattle him on the stand. He responses by yelling "DON'T YOU TELL ME ABOUT WOERHEIDE! HE'S A NAZI, ALRIGHT?! HE'S A NAZI!!" This genuinely scared Bernie and his legal team.
• The Unfettered: How Jeff comes off after the murders, especially after initially being cleared. He's more interested in talking about his violated rights, engaging with his legal team, bragging about his love life and his physical fitness, often being seen running and going to the gym.
• The Unreveal: While it was implied, the true motive for Jeff slaughtering his family is never learned (as was the case in real life; several opinions including his multiple affairs, a drug problem, specifically amphetamines from some diet pills he was taking, and him simply being tired of having a family have been discussed, but never definitively pinpointed).