Director reveals why the whole show depended on this major scene in Monster: The Ed Gein Story

Netflix’s Monster: The Ed Gein Story has absolutely gripped true crime lovers everywhere, and now the director has revealed the scene that everything in the show depended on.

The series explores Gein’s obsession with his mother Augusta, and the eerie details of the home that changed everything. It also looks at the people around him. One of the most talked-about figures is Adeline Watkins. She was Gein’s neighbour who was linked to him at the time of his arrest.

While her story gives insight into his personal life, Ryan Murphy, the director, has now revealed that the show builds toward another crucial moment, one that shaped everything viewers see on screen.

Ed Gein’s diagnosis was a turning point

via Netflix

So, the scene that the whole series was building towards is when Ed is finally diagnosed with schizophrenia while in isolation at a mental hospital. Charlie Hunnam, who plays Gein, said in an interview with Tudum that understanding this diagnosis was essential for getting into Ed’s mindset.

“We always knew that we wanted to climax our story with our exploration of the nature of mental illness and how it had affected Ed,” Hunnam said. “If he had gotten the right treatment sooner, [the question becomes] if he would’ve ever done the things that he did. I really wept inconsolably reading that scene the first few times.”

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For director Ryan Murphy, this moment was the emotional core of the season. “All eight episodes, I thought, depended on that scene,” he said. “The miraculous thing was that the take you see in the final episode, Charlie’s performance, was his first take. He nailed it. I think I called [Charlie] twice crying on the phone. I was so moved by what he had done.”

Filming the show with the knowledge that Ed had schizophrenia gave Hunnam a new perspective. “He really lived in that world. And the parameters and fantasies of that world were as real to him as anything else,” Hunnam said. “It was just his reality. Those manic episodes were his experience, just like anything else.”

So, why did this scene matter so much?

via Netflix

Episode seven doesn’t just give a diagnosis, it changes how we understand Ed Gein. It shows that treatment can make a real difference. And it reminds viewers what can happen when mental health support is ignored.

Murphy and co-creator Ian Brennan also wanted the scene to start a conversation about society’s duty to people with mental illness. “I was very interested in society’s obligation to the mentally unwell, people who are having mental crises,” Murphy said.

He points out that when Ed was caught, he was quickly diagnosed, given proper treatment, and cared for in multiple hospitals. “Ed was the perfect person to talk about that because when he was apprehended.” He added, “We used to be a country that took care of our mentally unwell. There were systems in place. There were hospitals and there were sanitariums. We explore how that has degraded in our country”

Monster: The Ed Gein Story is available on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news and drops, like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook.