Hulu’s 3-Part True-Crime Series Is So Good, You’ll Finish It in One Sitting

Every day, audiences are being inundated with true crime content, sometimes to a fault. However, the latest documentary streaming on Hulu, Friends Like These: The Murder of Skylar Neese, does a beautiful job of telling the story without sensationalizing the crime. The film focuses on a group of three teenage girls who, at first glance, seem like the best of friends. Set in Morgantown, West Virginia, the documentary follows locals who are thrown into a frenzy when one of the girls, Skylar Neese, goes missing. As the story unfolds over the course of this three-part series, details of the case and the circumstances surrounding Skylar’s death are slowly revealed to the viewer. Unlike other true-crime documentaries, Friends Like These uses Skylar’s personal diary entries, Facebook posts, Tweets, and text messages to shape the narrative. It’s a powerful and unique vehicle that allows the audience to see things from Skylar’s perspective.

As the days and weeks passed with no sign of Skylar, authorities realized that social media would play a major role in their investigation. Director Clair Titley has a gift for combining intimate interviews of friends and family with Skylar’s own words. The pacing of the series is right on target, and that makes for a truly compelling piece of television. This isn’t just another true-crime story. It’s a commentary on how social media runs our world, and the consequences that come with that. Friends Like These: The Murder of Skylar Neese is not only a great and necessary documentary for the times we live in, but also one of the best true-crime documentaries currently streaming.

The Unusual Disappearance of Skylar Neese

Image via Hulu

At 12:30 a.m. on July 6, 2012, Skylar Neese was captured on surveillance video getting into a light-colored sedan just outside of her home. She would never be seen alive again. When Neese didn’t show up for her shift at a local Wendy’s the next day, her parents knew that something was wrong. However, in 2012, West Virginia Amber Alerts wouldn’t be sent out until a person had been missing for a minimum of 48 hours. That legislation was changed in response to Neese’s death. But at that time, police considered Neese to be a runaway.

Once the investigation commenced, the police went directly to Skylar’s two best friends. Originally, Rachel Shoaf and Shelia Eddy denied any involvement in Skylar’s disappearance. But with discrepancies in their stories, it became clear that the duo might know more than they were letting on. After police confronted Shelia about the unknown sedan, she broke down. Shelia admitted that it was indeed her car. She also stated that she dropped Skylar off about an hour later, out of sight of the surveillance camera. This information is revealed in a non-linear fashion, so the audience really feels like they’re living in the world of the story. The documentary is put together in a way that shows the months leading up to Skylar’s disappearance as well as the months after. This strategy is fascinating in that the timeline switches back and forth throughout the film.

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Rachel Shoaf Opens Up to Police

Image via Hulu

During the initial investigation, Rachel was actually attending a church camp and wasn’t available to speak to detectives in person. However, after the police contacted the shy and reserved teen over the phone, she immediately became a person of interest. Through interviews with the girls’ classmates, the audience is given insight into Rachel’s relationships with Skylar and, more importantly, with Shelia. The two were closer than just being friends.

On occasion, when drugs and alcohol were involved, Shelia and Rachel’s relationship became sexual. That meant Skylar was the odd one out. Rachel and Shelia had formed a bond that nobody, least of all Skylar, could come between. Through passive-aggressive Twitter posts, Skylar voiced her displeasure. She felt as though she was being cut out of the friendship group. It was only a matter of time before things would boil over.

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The Murder of Skylar Neese

Image via Hulu

Skylar’s lifeless body wasn’t discovered until January 16, 2013. In Morgantown, WV, there’s not much to do in terms of activities. High school popularity means everything, and this small town fell victim to the dark side of social media. The thrilling documentary, Friends Like These, is a must-watch for true-crime enthusiasts. The film raises the question: who’s to blame? Is society as a whole responsible for creating a world that revolves around social media? This story forces audiences to confront those difficult questions, and that’s the least we can do for Skylar Neese.