u/Prestigious_Fee750

Bully - A full mini series needed. 
Before I begin, let me preface 2 things
1. No, I do not know nor am I in any contact with anyone or anything involving this case. I am simply writing this out of fascination/justice for everyone involved
2. I am in no way trying to re-traumatize or re-open any wounds that might still be open involving the victims of the situation. 
Now then. Here We Go
The Murder of Bobby Kent is a case that I’ve been obsessively fascinated by ever since I first discovered it. Like many other kids my age, my introduction was of course through the previous Larry Clark / Leo Fitzpatrick collab - Kids. As a Rockland County Native, and someone born in 1994 - seeing Kids was a right of passage as someone who grew up immersed in NYC Hip Hop/Skate Culture of the 90’s/Early 2000’s. 

You see, I was born in February 1994, but might as well have been born about 5 or 6 years earlier…but I’m getting ahead of myself. I first heard about Kids like any other young adolescent of the time ... .Guilty Conscience by Eminem. That Morbid Curiosity (and absolutely autistic need to know everything about a given topic) led me to kids - which led me to Larry Clark/Bully. 

Now with that out of the way. 
I’ve seen Bully probably a dozen times. I’m constantly watching YouTube Videos about the movie (Behind the scenes stuff with the cast, movie reviews, podcasts etc). As a result, I’ve dug deeper into the case. I’ve watched both news broadcasts about the actual Bobby Kent Murder. I’ve Read Countless online articles, both about the movie, and the case themselves. 
The one thing I never did up until a year ago, was read the source material, the book by Jim Schutze. Getting hurt last summer, I had some time off, and decided to catch up on some reading. I found a digital copy online for less than a dollar, and needless to say I burned through that bitch within days. 

Before I continue, here’s my overall comparison of the book to the movie: 
The Movie actually takes directly from The Book. As in actual dialogue from the book, which serves as the script for the characters in the movie. To the point, certain scenes (such as the murder scene) I was able to watch in my head as I read the text. Having seen the film first, I loved it. Given that the Book came out first (and I was 3 when the book came out) there’s no way I would have read this first. 
The book provides a lot more information about the characters and fills in a lot more blanks about the buildup to the murder as well as afterwards. Here are just a few examples of things that were left out of the movie : 
1. Ali/Lisa’s Backstories-both are briefly touched upon/glossed over. But the way it is done is sort of sloppy, and doesn’t make a whole lot of sense in the timeline of things (Ali Blow’s Bobby on the first date and then is asking about what he’s like afterwards). Lisa being a dropout who crashed a car is left out, while Ali's stint as a teenage hooker is briefly glossed over as is her marriage/kid. 
2. Marty DID try and get away: Marty does in fact leave briefly (IIRC 3 months?) to a family member’s in Upstate NY (no, not Rockland County, that is 30 mins outside of NYC which is closer to jersey than Long Island), but returned shortly and was right back in Bobby’s hooks. 
3. Bobby/Marty’s Homo erotic Relationship/Gay Prostituting/Phone Sex/: They briefly show this in the movie, but not to the degree it’s explained in the book. 
4. Bobby and Marty were abusive to mentally handicapped people: Yeah. The book doesn’t pull any punches in this regard. I’m not going to elaborate, but you’ll have to read for yourself. 
5. Heather & Donnie’s Backstories : Heather’s backstory is given some obligatory exposition that may or may not have happened IRL (I imagine it’s probably stuff that was discovered over time through police interviews) but we literally got nothing about Donnie. 
6. Claudia being a Snitch: Pizza Hut Waitress that Lisa Snitches to in the movie, went and called the police. This was in addition to Cousin Derek Snitching on himself and leading police to the scene of the crime, as well Police interrogating Marty and them lying right to him. 
7. Lisa and Marty turned themselves in after staying at a hotel together overnight. Marty was not arrested in his house - Read the Book if you want the full details, but it’s actually even dumber than it sounds. Larry Clark definitely pulled no punches about the stupidity of this group. 
8. The entire court case and “Urban Psychosis” plea. So once all the arrests happen, the final third of the book sort of acts as police/court procedural…which I can fully understand being left out of the movie because it just wouldn’t have fit at all. That being said, there’s some interesting stuff present in the case ;like Cousin Derek openly trying to lie on the witness stand and being caught red handed and being given more time, thanks partially to the moron defense lawyer who thought he could get away with it, considering he didn’t actually stab Bobby. 
Overall, the Book sort of paints everyone in a much worse light - especially Marty. The Movie tries to sell us on the fact that the cast is attractive - but unfortunately they still talk, act, and behave like pure Floridian white trash. 
A lot of people don’t like the movie because there’s a lot of sex, and nudity - and while I understand that isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, I do find it necessary to a certain extent when dealing with cases like this. I do find  certain scenes gratuitous in voyeuristic for the sake of it, which can be typical for a Larry Clark film. However, it ultimately does not take me out of the viewing experience. 
Now then, the reason for this long post…
I believe a mini series is in order. Yes I know, there’s too much True Crime Media out there. The problem? It’s all the same stuff. Serial Killers. People with uniquely tragic backstories. Monsters. Devils. Spawn of Satan. 
In the era of school shooters, spree killings, bombings, and terrorist attacks, the Bobby Kent killing seems like an afterschool special compared to everyday life. How could we get an entire series about one killing?
Simple. You tell a story about the slow buildup, climax, comedown, and eventual aftermath of the case. 
Similar to Monster: a Jeffrey Dahmer Story, I’d pitch a 13 episode mini series. Since there’s so many characters and a lot of exposition as well as a lot of nuance to be told, I would most likely follow this type of formula: 
1. Start with the Beginning of the trial(s), go over the crime and then retrace to the murder, and keep going backwards. Basically, up until the murder actually is shown on the show, we will have hints and snippets of characters getting ready to kill Bobby, followed by the buildup of the trial. 
2. Episodes 1,2,and 3 would focus on Bobby and Marty’s Friendship (or lack thereof) as well as delve into the lives & backstories of Lisa and Ali. Ali's past as part of a teenage Prostitution ring as well as her son would be shown, as well as Lisa’s Past. Both friendships would be paralleled up to each other and climax with them meeting and sandwich stop, with the girls agreeing to go surfing with the guys later that evening. 
3. Episodes 4,5,6 would essentially act as the first third of Bully. Episode 4 would be the honeymoon phase of them partying and hanging out getting high and drunk and having sex, and end with Marty Fucking Ali in the backseat while Ali tops Bobby off upfront (yes Bobby can’t help but watch Marty). Episode 5 would start to show the friction between everyone (Bobby/Ali , Bobby/Marty, Lisa/Bobby, Lisa/Marty) and include Ali assault at the hands of Bobby causing her to leave. Lisa would also discover her pregnancy, which would then introduce us to both Claudia and Cousin Derek. Episode 6 would feature the infamous beach drooling scene where we are shown previously how Bobby had been abusive to Marty in the past, shown parallel to the Kent’s being frustrated with Marty. Ali would strike up a situationship with Donnie, while Heather Swallers is being shown in Rehab, talking in group therapy (here’s her backstory). The episode concludes with Lisa phoning Ali to get her to return to Broward County, while Marty phones Bobby to hangout. 
4. Episodes 7,8,9 would serve as the middle portions of the movie. In Episode 7: Marty and Bobby’s friendship is tested some more, while Bobby tries to continue to pursue a relationship with Ali. Ali and Donnie Pick Heather up from Rehab. A lot of time would be spent showing the aimlessness of these three, leading up to the first conversation about possibly Killing Bobby with Lisa at Pizza Hut. Everyone winds up at Lisa’s House, where they arrange a plan to shoot Bobby, by luring him with Sex with Ali. Episode 7 would end with the first attempt to kill Bobby By Lisa, while he has sex with Ali. Episode 8 would immediately pick up with Lisa claiming that she didn’t want the bullet to be traced back to her, before Donnie claims they need professional help. The Next Day, Cousin Derek is recruited (yes, we see the acid, and mk playing) before they go to recruit the supposed Hitman. (No, no spinning circle scene.) Everyone (except Marty) arrives to meet The Hitman, who tells them he can’t get a gun that fast, and they should come back with a better plan. This leads to them returning to Lisa’s house, where her mother throws a fit about the house being trashed, and orders everyone out. Episode 9 ends with Lisa’s Mom and Cousin Derek talking (much like their conversation in the movie) before her mom leaves. Derek leaves to go procure baseball bats, while Ali, Donnie, and Heather return into the house. Eventually, everyone returns to Lisa’s house, including Marty, Cousin Derek, and the Hitman - where the Hitman takes inventory of their weapons and gives them the final “so you know whatsup” conversation. Bobby arrives, and the remainder of the episode is the car scene in Bully, leading up to the muder location. 
5. Episode 10 is the murder itself, followed by the “cleanup”, abandoning the crime scene, driving to the beach, then driving back to retrieve the knife, then back to the beach to discuss the alibi. Shit gets real, and the Hitman threatens to kill everyone 
6. Episode 11 shows the beginning of the downfall for everyone. Everyone starts to crack, Marty lies to the cops, Ali asks a stupid question and basically dry snitches, Derek snitches directly to police, Lisa snitches Claudia, the parents don’t know what to do other than spoil Lisa. Eventually, everyone winds up in police custody. 
7. Episode 12 The Climax and breakdown of everyone’s trials and sentences. The “Urban Psychosis” defense is explained, and Cousin Derek tries to lie on the witness stand. Everyone’s sentences are delivered, shown on screen and further explained what they ultimately became. 
8. Episode 13 would be their “where are they now” episode and would catch up on everyone's life as of today. 

What do you guys think? Is this something that you’d like to see? Who could you see playing each character?