HIGH - BBC
- Thread starter Soflora
- Start date
MyLittlePony25
VIP Member
I’m watching this now!
obviously, I’m in no way condoning her behaviour, but I was thinking back to what I was like when I was younger and how easily influenced I was. She believed that she was going to Barcelona and then ended up on a plane to Peru, if I had been her, I would have spoken to a steward on the plane and told them what was going on.
she was very naive and she then spun a lie and made it worse for herself. I haven’t finished it all yet but I hope that she is making a life for herself now and staying away from drugs and unsavoury people!
obviously, I’m in no way condoning her behaviour, but I was thinking back to what I was like when I was younger and how easily influenced I was. She believed that she was going to Barcelona and then ended up on a plane to Peru, if I had been her, I would have spoken to a steward on the plane and told them what was going on.
she was very naive and she then spun a lie and made it worse for herself. I haven’t finished it all yet but I hope that she is making a life for herself now and staying away from drugs and unsavoury people!
Soflora
Well-known member
10000 percent agree with this!!
They sold her a story and she believed it. If im honest this is probably something i would of believed age 19 too and i can see why she did it
I think especially the fact it was with a "boyfriend", I think everyone makes bad decisions based on relationships at times, especially at such a young age, it reminds me of cases when girls/women are coerced into prostitution by boyfriends
Soflora
Well-known member
Enjoyed this show. Have to say I don’t think she made Melissa sound like the nicest of people tbh
what happened with Melissa? Had she done it before? I didnt catch that part
Im not sure if Melissa had done it before she didn’t say it as clear that. But she did make a point of saying that Melissa knew from the start her flight was to Peru whereas she said she didn’t know this. She also made a few comments like when she was on the bus with her and she had a breakdown and started to freak out about having to go through with it and then the next thing Mateo was texting saying he had people watching them etc so it made me think had Melissa told him she was panicking? She also said when they were officially caught and she was asking Melissa questions and she just sat and didn’t speak at all. Thought it was a bit random to reference these things in the programme esp when she couldn’t really defend herself or give her opinion lol
Libbylulu
VIP Member
I really enjoyed it surprisingly. I’ve always been very negative every time I’ve seen her in the press but I thought she came across well. She clearly has something about her that she won an election in a foreign prison with very little Spanish and how she could blag a job in a beauty salon with no experience. The translator also thought she was quite a capable woman. They were stupid, stupid girls who got taken in by the hedonistic lifestyle of Ibiza. If their story prevents others from doing the same then something good came of it!
Catwoman
VIP Member
Just watching it now, like others my opinion on her has changed. I'd be interested in the other girls version as this didn't paint her in the best light, not directly but an undertone. I'd always been very critical of Michaela as she seemed to court publicity on release, often seemed as if smirking. But she was incredibly stupid but she won't be the last, sadly.
Muchbee
VIP Member
I don't think she was as naive as she claims she was. Maybe she didn't know exactly where she was going but I think she went quite willingly. What i'd really love is Melissas version of events we've never really had anything from her. Saw a newspaper report about how she keeps herself to herself so opposite of michaella. I also wonder why when michaella was making money and paying court dates why wasn't she helping Melissa do the same? I know it said at the end she did end up helping her but they could have appealed together instead of just leaving her there. I think she comes across as such a selfish girl.
Libbylulu
VIP Member
I read an article at the time that Melissa didn’t want to appeal in the same way. Although she had to stay in prison a little longer it meant she didn’t have to have to buy the Peruvian address and stay there, she could leave prison and fly home immediately. And also maybe she didn’t have the money for the bribes for the court dates. The translator said they cost as much as a $1000, that’s a lot of money if you’re in prison and you had to prove you had a job. Michaela was working in the salon, Melissa wasn’t.
Melissa did an interview after returning to Scotland for a Scottish paper saying why she did it. Apparently it was for bragging rights. She was heavily into amphetamines and loads of other drugs. I read the article since watching the programme.
Muchbee
VIP Member
I'll look up Melissas interview thanks.
From a documentary perspective, I really liked high. However i didn’t get the impression that Michaella understood the hurt she could have caused and wanted you to think of her as a victim in this.
She came across very manipulative. She tried to manipulate the court by lying, manipulated the prison girls to get to be the prison head role, then manipulated the system to get her self out and now she is making money of a horrible thing she did. She also seems to be involved in multi level marketing which is another ingenuine way of making money. Why would you believe anything she says?
Melissa seems to be getting her head down, not trying to gain from her mistake.
separately:I also didn’t get the intro credits, why did they even mention the troubles?! Not like she was in the thick of it.
I felt like the mention of the troubles was just to somehow excuse her behaviour as if she had had such an awful childhood, but if anything I would think someonw who drew up in what was almost a war zone would have more street smarts, so for me it just added to the idea that she knew exactly what she was doing. I haven't watched it all so don;t know if it is covered, but do they address who decided to do the documentary? i.e. was is the bbc that approached her ( and Melissa) or did she approach them?
Yeah plays to the victim character she is trying to portray. No mention of who initiated the documentary or if she was paid for it. I’d say it’s safe to assume, she hasn’t done it for the benefit of education to others and that her agent has sold her story to the highest bidder.
It isn’t mentioned if Melissa was asked to contribute but the undertone is that she lead poor Michaella astray. Yet, when it comes to the prison Michaella seems to rise up and have the other inmates answering to her
Shameless.