The Serpent (BBC iPlayer)

[Puffin Chunks]

Searched for thread, couldn't find it. Came back surprised.

Starts thread offering zero insight.

So. This is on iPlayer. I just clicked "play" on a whim and fairly quickly chewed through all 8 episodes. Surprised that this doesn't appear to be a co-production, as the production values seem very high.

For the uninitiated, this is the true story of 1970s serial killer Charles Sobhraj. For those who are unaware of him, I highly recommend that you don't research ahead of time, as the way it plays out is, frankly, bizarre in many ways. I did my research after the fact and it seems to play pretty true to actual events.

I don't want to give too much away in the opening post in the hopes that it may garner some interest, but I felt the 70s feel was pretty spot on. Captain Darling is very convincing as a somewhat gung-ho Belgium diplomat, Clara Oswald has a decent turn as a French-Canadian (once you get over the fact that she is doing zee accent), and the lead (French Algerian actor Tahar Rahim) is absolutely mint.

The story is basically about a serial killer and his hanger-oners murdering their way through a shed load of western hippy travelers in various Asian countries. If that sounds frivolous, I don't mean it to be. I genuinely found this quite gripping and traumatic in equal measure, and it has stuck with me for a few days afterwards.

If you're stuck for something to watch during the current lockdown, then I suggest giving this a whirl.

[Old Thrashbarg]

It's a co-production with Netflix, who I think will have the international rights.

I also went through it fairly quickly and was also very glad to know nothing of the case beforehand. And I also don't have a huge amount to add beyond saying that I really enjoyed it. Thought it was well written, especially with how it handled the switching between timelines in each episode, it looked great and the cast were all excellent.

[paruses]

Also started on this the other night. Am watching one a night as I find it very tense despite the fact it's quite slow (in a good way) and low action.  I also, for once, have resisted doing my usual wikipedia lookup of the whole affair.

Makes envious I was born about 15 years too late to enjoy this sort of travelling adventure (not being murdered, obvs) although I know I wouldn't have done it. Still, nice to know I could have been rail thin and shagging loads of scandinavian and american girls for a couple of years; I do have the long hair.

It's really glossy without being too polished and a joy to watch. They could have spent a bit more on Mr Murderer's wig though - there's a couple of times it really looks like it's slipped forwards.

Ep 5 tonight - will that

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French

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couple

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answer

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the

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phone

[close]

? Am honestly excited about finding out.

[Wet Blanket]

Thought this was pretty gripping for the most part, with some incredibly tense scenes, although its fidelity to the facts led it to an inevitably anti-climatic and not entirely satisfying conclusion, real life being generally rubbish for satisfying narrative structure. In movie-land we could have had a final showdown between Knippenberg and the killer, which I would really have enjoyed.

Jenna Coleman was surprisingly good in a role that demanded that slightly vacant and bewildered acting style she specialises in. Based entirely on Don Draper's girlfriend in Mad Men I'd always assumed that French Canadians spoke English with the same sorta-American accents as their fellow countrymen.

[paruses]

I meant to say I always think Jenna Coleman is Charlotte Coleman's sister as I think they have a resemblence (and same surname). I can't think of anything I have seen her in as I don't watch Dr Who or Eastenders (is that right?).

The language skills from the non-nstive speakers was pretty good I thought except Tim McInnery (who was acceptable). But that's just his accent - I always enjoy is slightly samey performances. I only say "purest greeeen!" the first time he is on screen too.

Am on ep6 tonight. Have a feeling this may be the start of the turn towards anti-climax but hoping that's not until ep. 8.

[Cuellar]

Just finished watching it.

I thought the

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conclusion

[close]

was pretty

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satisfactory

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.

Mainly spent most of the show saying 'horrible man', in this style https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=128&v=I7EJnQ_5ex8&feature=youtu.be

[mjwilson]

I meant to say I always think Jenna Coleman is Charlotte Coleman's sister as I think they have a resemblence (and same surname). I can't think of anything I have seen her in as I don't watch Dr Who or Eastenders (is that right?).

Emmerdale I think, and Victoria.

[Puffin Chunks]

I thought the

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conclusion

[close]

was pretty

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satisfactory

[close]

.

I'd agree with that. I mean, I do get why some might not find the ending satisfactory, but the way it played out was totally unexpected to me, and completely

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played into the hubris of the man

[close]

even if they may or may not have taken some artistic license into

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why he went back

[close]

.

In some ways I hate these single drop series. Never know what is spoiler worthy or not.

[Ja'moke]

I still have the last two episodes to watch, but just wanted to echo the praise for this series. It's really well made, looks fantastic, your main actor is great (loved him in A Prophet too), and it's chilling as fuck.

[Emotional Support Peacock]

I enjoyed this and watched it all the way through, but felt it was massively stretched out at some points. One episode in particular had virtually nothing happen except someone take some risks that no real person would possibly consider in the circumstances.

When I started watching it I thought it was going to have 3 episodes, and that seemed realistic well into the second episode. I still think it could have been cut down dramatically.

[Ja'moke]

I really liked the slow pace of it. It added to the tense, claustrophobic nature of it all. And I know claustrophobic might be an odd word to use for crimes that happened all around the world, but it really felt like everyone was trapped in Sobhraj's orbit.

[Psybro]

I ended up watching this two episodes at a time on consecutive nights, but I think it would work better viewed at the traditional once-a-week pace. Watching His Dark Materials the former way helped to cover up some iffy pacing, but this was pretty consistent throughout.

As a result I started getting fed up with every episode having Knippenberg getting REALLY SHOUTY at not being taken seriously, the timelines sometimes ping-ponging too frequently, and lots of montages of vomiting. The Sobhraj bits were definitely stronger than the investigation scenes.

I was surprised to find Clara Oswald can actually act in the thing where she had a missing baby in Australia, and I preferred her icy accomplice bits in this to when they defaulted her to wide-eyed victim, but I guess they needed an empathetic hook for those scenes.

The guy who played Ajay was wonderfully sinister, genuinely skin-crawling.

[thugler]

This was alright, maybe a couple of episodes too long. And the writers seemed to expect you to sympathise with Sobhraj's girlfriend, when she had basically ignored several murders and then suddenly had a crisis of conscience for no discernible reason.