At Witt's End the Hunt for a Killer

Apparently most of the reviewers hated this to the point they wanted their four hours back.

But, I beg to differ. I actually thought this was really interesting. It is a rare true crime documentary that appears to follow the investigation in "real time" -- or "as it happens". And so, there is a lot of stuff that some people think is boring, but I found strangely fascinating.

I come from a law enforcement family... but I need not have that pedigree to say that crime solving is not SVU or CSI. It is a lot of dead ends and rabbit holes and making mistakes. And not solving anything.

I am so used to the normal retrospective kind of documentary series that it took me a while to figure out this series: that we were following the investigators alongside them.... as I said, in real time. And to be honest, maybe I'm nuts and imagining what I figured out.

The Hulu docuseries At Witt's End attempts to delve into the tragic and unsolved murder of 19-year-old Melissa Witt, but instead ends up as a muddled, misdirected narrative that does more harm than good. The most glaring issue begins with the title itself-At Witt's End. This title is not only dismissive but also incredibly disrespectful to Melissa Witt and her memory. It reduces the gravity of her brutal murder to a play on words, as if her life and death are nothing more than a clever pun to attract viewers.

From the outset, it's clear that the docuseries struggles to find its focus. Instead of centering the narrative around Melissa Witt, her life, and the profound impact of her loss on her family and community, the series frustratingly shifts its gaze toward Charles Ray Vines, a known serial killer. The time spent on Vines feels forced, unnecessary, and quite frankly, beyond stupid. While the investigation into Melissa's murder should be the main thread, the docuseries instead meanders through Vines' background in a way that seems more exploitative than informative.

This misdirection does a disservice to the victim at the heart of the story. Melissa Witt was a young woman with hopes, dreams, and a future that was stolen from her. Yet, her presence in the docuseries feels overshadowed by the sensationalism surrounding Vines. The decision to focus so heavily on him not only dilutes the impact of Melissa's story but also diverts attention from the ongoing search for justice in her case.

Moreover, the series fails to adequately explore Melissa Witt's life, personality, and the emotional toll her death has taken on those who loved her. The lack of depth and respect in how her story is told is deeply disappointing. The docuseries could have been a powerful tribute to Melissa Witt, shedding light on her case and bringing much-needed attention to the investigation. Instead, it squanders this opportunity by prioritizing shock value over substance.

In conclusion, At Witt's End falls far short of what it could and should have been. The disrespectful title, combined with a misguided focus on Charles Ray Vines, turns what could have been a compelling exploration of Melissa Witt's life and unsolved murder into a frustratingly shallow and misdirected narrative. Melissa Witt deserved better, and so did the viewers.

Nothing gets solved in this aside from New finally being able to find a bottle of acetaminophen for the headache I developed from having to listen to the ANNOYING SCORE that is constantly playing behind every single word that is spoken in this "docuseries." Ridley Scott really dropped the ball on this one. I really got my hopes up when I began watching this and saw 'Ridley Scott' in the opening credits. From here forward I'll be avoiding the work of this so-called seasoned veteran. Don't waste your time watching what could have easily been summed up in less than 15 minutes. A complete and total waste of time.

I had to give this one to one out of 10 as the series promised a lot and all of the promotional trailers and information given out, but when you actually watch the film, it stretches out to four episodes of absolutely nothing. There was not enough focus on the life of Melissa Witt there was way too much time spent on Discussing A serial killer suspect who may or may not have had anything to do with Melissa's murder. I actually found it downright strange that they included so much information that was not even relevant to the actual investigation of her murder. It felt like there was some sort of preconceived notion and agenda by someone making the documentary who was willing the suspect serial killer to be the one responsible, even though there was really nothing that pointed to him. I'm sorry fake tears from the FBI agent did it for me It was gross and embarrassing that he fake cried. Overall, do not recommend this documentary for any reason. It was an absolute waste of time.

I sympathize with the families, but wish this documentary had been done in a better manner, so that it could achieve some justice for the victims. I find it frustrating that these documentaries get into these people's lives yet fail to provide true means towards justice.

A lot of redundancy in what information is being discussed or set forth. Apparent, distracting direction, I think the production teams should have rethought their choices on going forth with with the team they had in place.

I will credit the law enforcement officers and agencies with being very thorough and doing their best to solve this case. I find their actions to be very commendable, in fact, the footage covering their efforts is the only documentation worth watching in this series.

One thing I found irritating, was that Charlene Shirk seemed to always subtly turn it back to be about her and not the victims. I don't find her to be a very credible journalist. She'd be best just to stay out of the documentary field, except, she seems to want make herself front and center, and enjoys the schadenfreude.