Netflix's Depp V. Heard Makes Clear The Real Culprit In Famous Trial's Media Frenzy

Netflix's "Depp v. Heard" relives the public conversations surrounding the wildest celebrity trial of all time, and after watching, it's safe to say our heads are spinning like we had a mega-pint of wine. 

Just over a year after jurors delivered their verdict on the explosive trial, "Depp v. Heard" stitches together the way it played out in the media, both new and traditional. However, while the subject revolves around the trial, the documentary feels more like a commentary on how we form opinions today than the case itself. Made up of a collection of clips from courtroom footage, social media, YouTube videos, podcasts, and other news sources, it's a fascinating approach to letting the various debates from the time speak for themselves. We mean that in the purest sense, too. Throughout the limited series' three episodes, not one expert is interviewed. In fact, the only direct involvement by the filmmaker, Emma Cooper, comes from the few inserts that share updates on what was happening at the time. 

The result? We're forced to take a more serious look at how we, as social media and internet users, rocketed the case into the pop culture stratosphere — which was Cooper's goal. Speaking to Variety at the time of the series' release, she explained, "I just really wanted to talk about us and the way we communicate, and the way that we look at events that don't really have anything to do with us." Especially, that is, on social media platforms. 

The final installment of "Depp v. Heard" ends with a poignant statement from "The Viall Files" podcast. "We now live in a time where we don't necessarily believe who's right ... we believe who we like most," host Nick Viall says. If that doesn't sum up the discourse surrounding the case, or the social media experience in general, we don't know what does.

Throughout the 3-part series, viewers are shown footage of the conversation surrounding Depp v. Heard from a variety of opposing viewpoints. The significance of doing that shouldn't be downplayed. After all, most social media users didn't get to see all the different perspectives at the time. Thanks to the algorithms used by separate platforms, we saw what we already wanted to see – and that made it easier for us to interpret things the way we wanted to. 

As it happened, what most people wanted to see was Johnny Depp's side. Case in point: One of the clips featured in "Depp v. Heard" is an NBC interview with tech reporter Kathryn Tenbarge. "Up until recently, you couldn't find any TikToks in support of Amber Heard," she pointed out. That wasn't all, though. Tenbarge added that those who had voiced any support for Heard tended to be shut down — and fast. The result? A lot of one-sidedness for a decidedly complex situation.

Speaking of the complexity of the Depp v. Heard trial, it's worth highlighting that even over a year after the verdict and amidst all the online buzz, many of us are still left with lingering questions. However, we'd argue that's one of the biggest takeaways of "Depp. Heard." 

It's long been said that social media has become a space where users go to say their piece but not necessarily listen to what others have to say in return. That makes for a ton of division and not a lot of meeting in the middle. And the Depp v. Heard trial was no exception to that rule. It certainly showcased the phenomenon on a grand scale, though — and "Depp v. Heard" makes it easier to see than ever before.

With the series presenting different opinions side-by-side, we get a better look at what made this particular case so engrossing for so many. That would be the intense — and intensely divided — discourse surrounding it. However, the biggest irony of all is that when we do get to see such varied viewpoints spliced together — we're forced to realize the most fascinating aspect of all: We still don't know what really went down between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard.