‘America’s Sweetheart or: Time Over Time,’ the finale of HBO Max’s crime series ‘The Staircase,’ recounts Michael Peterson’s retrial hearing after Evelyn Ivins discovers that SBI analyst Duane Deaver’s findings are not reliable. At the same time, David Rudolf tries to persuade Michael to make an Alford plea. Michael is granted a fresh trial by Judge Orlando Hudson. Michael makes a critical decision on the Alford plea that will decide his destiny. The episode concludes with changes affecting Michael’s future with Sophie Brunet, as well as a critical discovery about the former’s past with Kathleen. So, allow us to decode it for you! SPOILERS FOLLOW.

Recap of The Staircase Episode 8

‘America’s Sweetheart or: Time Over Time’ opens with Jean-Xavier questioning Michael about a secret he had kept from Sophie and everyone affiliated with him. Michael requests that the director not divulge the discovery to Sophie so that she can view it for herself. Margaret, Martha, Todd, and Clayton gather for Michael’s retrial. Candace states at the hearing that “the killer” of her sister should not be allowed a fresh trial. Evelyn Ivins testifies in court that Duane Deaver’s testimony is not believable. David Rudolf establishes that the analyst lied under oath about his experience.

Despite Candace’s concerns, Judge Orlando Hudson gives Michael a new trial due to Deaver’s influential-yet-misleading testimony in the first trial. Judge Hudson releases Michael from prison with a tracking anklet after granting a new trial. In parallel, in flashforward sequences, Michael accepts an Alford plea in 2017 and pleads guilty to Kathleen’s voluntary manslaughter while maintaining his innocence under the terms of the plea. He leaves the court as a free man because he has already fulfilled his required prison sentence.

Kathleen’s finances were harmed by the decline of the Nortel stock in flashback sequences. She contacted Candace and discussed going on a trip, but she decided against it when the latter did not share her enthusiasm. Michael and Kathleen attended a private party.

What Was Michael Hiding from Sophie and Everyone in the Staircase Finale?

His bisexuality is questioned during Kathleen’s inquiry and Michael’s subsequent trial. His affairs with other men, the pornography seized from his personal computer, and the confessions of Wolgamott and Dennis Rowe lead the prosecution to believe that Michael murdered Kathleen after she confronted him about his true sexual orientation and affairs on the night of her death. Michael’s argument against the theory is that Kathleen was aware of it and accepted it long before her death. Michael has maintained throughout the inquiry, prosecution, and imprisonment that Kathleen had no cause to confront him about the same.

Michael claims that there was no argument between him and Kathleen about his sexual orientation or extramarital same-sex encounters because she had previously accepted it. The argument persuades Sophie, Michael’s attorney Rudolf, and his family that Michael had no reason to murder Kathleen. However, Michael discloses in the interview Jean conducts at the beginning of the episode that Kathleen was unaware of his sexual orientation or affairs with other men. He admits to lying about the same thing all along.

Sophie is astounded by the discovery, as she accepts Michael’s claim that he is innocent. Michael appears to be a liar to her, raising suspicions about his version of the circumstances that led to Kathleen’s murder.

Did Michael murder Kathleen?

Michael’s admission that he never told Kathleen about his bisexuality or same-sex encounters begs the question of whether she learnt about them on the night she died, as the prosecution suggests. Kathleen questioned Michael about his bisexuality in a flashback sequence, wondering why he didn’t inform her about a certain something. Michael said that after she entered his life, he became increasingly disconnected from his bisexual identity. Michael claims he did not lie but did not reveal “all.” The flashback scenario concludes with Kathleen crying and asking the same question again, implying that they argued over it.

If Kathleen had discovered Michael’s sexual orientation through his personal computer and they had a serious argument, he might have kept it a secret from the authorities, attorneys, and his family to avoid raising suspicion. Kathleen may have clashed with her husband and stormed upstairs, only to fall down the stairs and die, according to Michael’s version of her death. Because the fight is an obvious reason, even if he did not kill her, he may have opted not to mention it so that no one would suspect him.

Michael may have realized that he needed to keep the potential fight hidden in order to have a fighting chance in court and garner the support of his family. Otherwise, he may have slain Kathleen on the spur of the moment, according to the prosecution’s hypothesis. The lack of irrefutable evidence and witnesses makes determining whether he killed Kathleen beyond a reasonable doubt impossible.

Do Michael and Sophie Split?

Michael leaves the court as a free man after pleading an Alford plea. Sophie encourages Michael to pack for their upcoming trip to Paris. Sophie fantasizes of a life in which they will be united in a city far away from Kathleen and her death. Michael, on the other hand, is hesitant to travel to Paris. He asks Sophie to travel alone and promises to return in a week. Michael wishes to use his freedom to spend time with his children and their children as their father and grandfather, respectively. He wants to spend time with them and believes they require his assistance.

Michael also refuses to remove his wedding band and insists that Kathleen is still a part of his life. These circumstances enrage Sophie, who has given up a lot to fight for him. She believes Michael is ignoring and avoiding her and accuses him of “cutting her out” of his life. They begin to argue, and Sophie discovers that Michael lied about Kathleen knowing about and embracing his bisexuality and same-sex encounters. Michael, rather than her boyfriend, becomes a liar in her eyes.

Michael finally informs his children that he has decided not to relocate to Paris, implying that he has broken up with Sophie. His desire to live with his family rather than make a life with Sophie in another place appears to be the end of their romance. Sophie may be hesitant to reconcile with him because she is aware of his deception.