In the spirit of the Micro-Post format, I am leaving this mini review here as a marker for a remarkable show I just finished. Number one on Netflix in the week of the Autumn Equinox, this strictly 18 plus show pulls no punches in courting controversy and sparking debate. A difficult and dark watch, it is the stuff of nightmares. Not because of any gratuitous violence or gore (because on reflection over 10 episodes there is actually very little of that) but because of the tension it creates and the demand that you have an opinion whether this real serial killer can even be contemplated as human and worthy of empathy on any level. Is the show glorifying his legacy in any way? Are we being asked to understand and forgive such heinously brutal acts? Is our sense of macabre fascination being manipulated here for the sake of entertainment alone?
Regardless of your conclusions, this is a must see experience. The questions it raises are fascinating indeed. And despite a somewhat unsatisfying whole compared to the powerhouse start episode one promised, it is nevertheless a powerful piece of miniseries drama. At the evil heart of it throughout is a mind-blowing performance from Evan Peters – who was so good, I didn’t even realise it was him until very close to the end of episode one. With subtlety and restraint he creates a person of such disease and creepiness, yet wholly believable as a vulnerable man, suffering in a world that is at odds with his psyche. It’s his moments of simple, quiet, matter-of-fact acceptance of who he is and what he has done that are most disturbing. How “normal” it all seems from his point if view.
Contrasted to this are some solid episodes where we see events from the perspective of his neighbour and then his father, played by the veteran Richard Jenkins. But it is the grisly seduction and murder scenes that stand out… so patiently and excruciatingly directed… you know what is coming and by the time it does come you can barely watch.
I would expect some big award nominations coming Evan Peters’ way, although on the whole I think it is too dark and ultimately unfocused in its moral standpoint to be a critical success elsewhere. For sure there will be many people against it, as well as those who appreciated what it was trying to do with a such a vile true story. For me, it had enough intelligence and sensitivity not to push beyond the boundary of taste. It is interesting, however, having watched the fictional world of Hannibal earlier in the year, how much more difficult it is to watch when you know it really happened. And so in a way, I find so much more value in presenting the story as a drama as opposed to the overused documentary and talking head format, when it comes to true crime.
Not for everyone, in conclusion. But worth every minute for the wonder and bravery of the central performance.
8/10
The Wasteland 