‘True Crime Story: Look Into My Eyes’ Recap – ‘Step Four: The Outcome’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Still from ‘True Crime Story: Look Into My Eyes’ – ‘Step Four: The Outcome’ Courtesy of SundanceTV/AMC Networks.

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the finale of ‘True Crime Story: Look Into My Eyes’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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It is definitely safe to say, that the SundanceTV series, True Crime Story: Look Into My Eyes, has taken us on quite the powerful journey. For we’ve been privy to the shock and pain that rocked the community of North Port when three teenagers died under strange circumstances, and how the person that touched all the lives of those teens through hypnosis, was reviled and admired as a devil and a saint for his decidedly controversial actions. Plus, we came to learn that accountability came into play since there were lines that Dr. George Kenney crossed in his desire to be a hypnosis health provider and well… that leaves but one last bit of information for us to learn. Specifically… how did this ordeal end?
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Because this community was in chaos really following the no contest resolution of the primary case and that led to the parents of the fallen… to file a civil suit against the school district. One that should have made the school district pay dearly for letting Kenney do what he did. In fact, we came to learn in ‘Step Four: The Outcome’, that what Kenney did was so out of line, that the school district more or less started covering their tracks to make it look as though they hadn’t enabled Kenney to continue. Despite there being evidence to contrary. All of which made it seem as though this town was about to be torn asunder even further by an ugly civil trial. One filled to the brim with powerful testimony and heartbreaking moments. But that is when… resolution came to this whole matter swiftly.

In that… the school district decided the way out of this mess, was to just settle. To offer the maximum payout to each family to bring finality to the matter and well… with no other alternative to justice really, the families took that deal and that brought forth… what came after. Which was… pain, really. Pain over the loss of three teenagers with bright futures and pain from a real lack of closure. Because no one received it really in this case. Kenney didn’t turn out as the hero he wanted to be, lives were lost, and a town was left divided. To the point where there are still folks in North Port that wept with joy when Kenney returned to the school and the town out of a desire to see it all again, and even where one former student was willing to be put under again to show the doctor’s ‘innocent’ approach to hypnosis.

Which could be seen as a hard reality that nothing was learned from this mess and that what happened was nothing more than chaos that no one can pull a message or a lesson from. But that is simply not the case. For that ending and those moments, and the final words from those hurting, spoke to a situation that we can indeed learn a great deal from. Specifically… how we prevent this kind of independent chaos from taking place in other towns in America and well… how we infer that, is through what is presented to us here. In that, there were a lot of people at fault here, and had there been accountability and structure in place, then perhaps there would be no division and death and those three teens would be alive to this day, charting their course. 

For instance, the school board should have stepped in immediately and either regulated this or stopped it, because that would have prevented so much strife. Not to mention, the school board needed to offer better mental health support for its students, so it would never fall to a principal. Not to mention, the community should have never enabled Kenney. Because it doesn’t matter how trusted an individual is, you don’t let them handle your child’s health care if they’re not qualified and of course… Doctor Kenney should have been recognized in his role. So that he didn’t feel marginalized and in turn, would not have developed a savior complex and most important of all… he should have never toyed with undeveloped minds. Because his job was to guide the educational experience, and nothing more. But while those answers will help others to prevent a principal from having such freedom… for the fallen… all that remains are questions and a community divided for generations. All because one man took it upon himself to be an unnecessary hero, and no one took the time to stop him.

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