Dirty John

Very good story. I am just learning about the Dirty John story, and I recently watched the new true story that was aired on oxygen network. The story of a womanizing psycho who gets away with swindling not only vulnerable women, but also scammed other people, such as senior citizens and other gullible people. He was never put in prison or jail long enough and it shows how messed up the justice system is. As for this series, I do like it, but some of the casting is questionable. I like Connie Britton as Debra, but I think they could have found a better looking actor to play John Meehan, than Eric Bana. He did ok in playing him, but he just didn't fit his profile. They also made the daughters to seem like more annoying brats than they really were. Those 2 on screen were almost unbearable to watch. The story had to be told though, and Im glad it was. I'm looking forward to finding out how they will manage to squeeze in a season 2.

Almost all the low star ratings are either w/regards to the voicing of the daughters or the dumbness of the mom. But, remember this is a well researched true story and the actors represent real life people. Especially the mom who wants to believe in love/nurturing/forgiveness so much she loses some objectivity - perfectly normal. As for the story itself: Well, poor John so misunderstood & taken advantage of especially by so many women infatuated w/his charms & good looks: oh, and medical institutions too. They can be so cruel. Anyway, watch & see how this true life drama plays out - if you don't know (then don't before hand look elsewhere or ask) as to how John satisfies his journey through life. Interesting, unique& well done acting by all - kudos. But, why a season 2?

First, anyone giving this miniseries a low rating and calling Connie Britton's character "dumb" or "stupid" has obviously never been in or been close to anyone in an emotionally/physically/psychologically abusive relationship. If they had, they would understand that, unfortunately, situations like this do happen, and much more frequently than would be expected. They also would understand how difficult it can be to extract yourself from abusive relationships, even if the abused realizes how bad the relationship/situation is. While I read the published story, I have not heard the podcast, which is supposed to be fantastic. The tv show is pretty faithful to the published story, although some of the characters (primarily her two daughters) are a little exaggerated for tv purposes. While I, like most viewers, feel frustrated with Connie Britton's character due to her repeated poor choices, I easily can see that she is a very sweet, giving, compassionate person who is naive and too trusting of others due to the way she was raised and her own honesty - she simply can't fathom that anyone could be so malicious and dishonest because it isn't in her character makeup. If you've been "around" in the real world at all, you'll quickly realize that most people highly suspicious of others tend to disbelieve so easily due to their own tendency towards dishonesty and deception, as well as low self esteem.

After saying all of that, we (my husband and I) find this show very entertaining and extremely well done. Both Eric Bana and Connie Britton are excellent in their portrayals of their characters, and I would figuratively "kill" to have Connie's character decorate our house - she has exceptional (decorating) taste!

I never knew Amanda Peet actually has the chops for such a role! She was just brilliant - her character's physical and mental decline was just so realistic, I wondered at one point whether they used facial prosthetics or whether the lighting was just horrendous! I think I already knew Christian Slater had it in him tbh... I kinda wish that this story had been a dramatic recreation in its own right, and not tied to the first story of John Meehan (which I also really enjoyed btw - love Briton and Temple). However I understand the theme of gaslighting and/ emotional abuse is popular at the moment, while society comes to grips with all the various ways we might further dissect the patriarchy and it's continuing legacy? Personally, I see Betty as an undiagnosed mental health case... like at one point in the series her friend says "she really needs help" and her lawyer says (and I'm def paraphrasing here) "but she might never change, maybe now she just needs to grow old." I basically saw that scene as how America deals with mental health and particularly that within the justice system. Why bother to even try to rehabilitate when you can just lock them up and forget about em...

Oh yeah and the costumes are great too.

I had rated this series a 7 during the first season. It was certainly interesting but everyone was so hard to relate to and empathize with that I had a hard time with it at times. Season 2 has changed my rating from a 7 to a 10 though.

The costume and aesthetic of the eras are so good. The story takes you from the 60s to the 90s and you really feel like you're actually in those decades.

The characters have so many layers and the actors are so good. I have a love/hate relationship with every single main character which proves how well developed they are.

I was familiar with both stories and I immediately thought the Broderick story would be a great pick for this series. So I had a feeling it would better than the first season, but this is better than I even thought it'd be. I can't wait to find out what season will be about.