The Ripper

Documentary about the Yorkshire ripper, a serial killer that had the entire United Kingdom in its grip for several years. Lately there are a lot of shows about famous serial killers, it's just something people like to watch, and I get that as you just want to try to understand what is going on in a mind of a sick person. This one is divided in four episodes, maybe a tiny bit too long but still interesting to watch. Again you can't help it to be a bit disappointed by the investigation, the police forces are again not completely faultless even though not as failing as with Dahmer, Gacy, the Night Stalker or the Golden State killer but still the ripper should have been arrested much sooner. The episodes are basically interviews of investigators, victims that were lucky to got away, reporters, and the public opinion. Everyone adds to the story, everyone has their opinion, good or bad. I won't say it was the best series about the Yorkshire ripper but it was certainly interesting to watch.

The Ripper (2020) is a 4-part Netflix docuseries that I recently wrapped up. The storyline follows the infamous Yorkshire Ripper's killing spree in the late 70s/early 80s that plagued England and went unsolved for 5 years as the killing spree reached the 20s and the authorities could seemingly do nothing about it.

This series was cocreated by Jesse Vile (Gypsy's Revenge) and Ellena Wood (First Cut). This series does a great job of depicting this era in England and the perception of women in society. There's also a strong message on how men controlled access to certain roles and positions at the time and how that narrow mindness impacted the case, the search and the events. The meticulous details of the events and how the killer covered his tracks was smart. It was also interesting how details were right in front of the police and audience and you completely miss it until the reveal at the end, even with subtle hints throughout the series.

Overall, this is a very smart docuseries with a fascinating killer but even more fascinating circumstances around the investigation and era. I would score this series an 8/10 and strongly recommend it.

There was a bit much repetition. As often with Netflix docu-series, a documentary of an hour and a half would have been more suitable. But they had a lot of involved people to talk to, which adds value, so perhaps more time was needed. The feminism was understandable and necessary at first because of the way the first victims were presented. However in the third and fourth episode they went too far. Conclusions about society and men were drawn, from murders that were committed by one insane individual.

Overall a good documentary series but it gets hijacked towards the end by a couple of contributors peddling their political agendas. Yes the police made horrible blunders and judgements but the idea it was all some male conspiracy is over the top. The contributions by the people at the centre of the story - the victims' families, the survivors and the police officers are fascinating and often heartbreaking. The emphasis on the women who died rather than the murderer is welcome too.

A lot of reviewers have noted there was too much reference to the feminist movement during this series. To my mind, this was an integral part of the programme. I didn't see this as male bashing, but more about the incompetence of the police at the time, their use of derogative language to describe the victims, while highlighting their preconcieved notions about the women from the outset of the murders. These dated and, frankly, mysoginist views hampered the investigation. Well worth the watch.