"The Most Dangerous Animal of All" is a well-made docuseries that grips you from the get-go. The dismal reviews on IMDB could be due to the disappointment some viewers might have felt upon realizing that this series is not what they thought it would be.
The series takes great pain in meticulously recreating the monumental research led by Mr. Stewart in unearthing who his father was - was he the infamous serial killer, Zodiac, or was he a mentally disturbed man who happened to have lived a rather peculiar parallel life with the real Zodiac? He carries deep mental scars related to abandonment by his father, broken personal relations, and, most importantly - shattered self-identity. I was moved by Gary Stewart's unrelenting pursuit to discover his origins. He worked hard in order to prove to himself that his present self is a manifestation of the actions of a deeply disturbed individual. I was disappointed when it is subsequently revealed that he might have made critical errors in coming to that judgment. There are some compelling pieces of evidence presented that almost had me convinced that his father was indeed the Zodiac. Then the director introduces you to facts that make you realize that Gary had and is still being sucked into a deep rabbit hole. It is heartbreaking to see his inability to walk away even when critical facts, as and when presented, contradicts the complex narrative that he has created over the past seventeen years. Events are presented based on the book, and once the thread of unbelievable coincidences is put under the microscope, the facade begins to crumble. Even the co-author of Gary's book is eventually left flabbergasted.
The technical aspects of the series are solid - the sense of foreboding, moody lighting, chilling sound design, surreal reenactments, scenes of forensic importance - are all done very well. They all seem appropriate for the dark subject matter of a series that dares to support and then tear down an unbelievable theory that left the experts scratching their heads.
I'll highly recommend this program if you are interested in discovering how far a broken spirit will go, even at the expense of coming across as self-serving, for a peaceful resolution that is still far from having been achieved. It seems Gary Stewart wants to catch lightning in a bottle; he wants to own a phantom and make it known to the world as his unfortunate destiny. Unfortunately, it is abundantly clear that it is not the case.
