The Most Dangerous Animal of All

Just the name of the fourth episode made me feel like "eh" I felt duped. Hard to believe and the "son" and PI seemed to get caught up on their own would be fame.

A lot of effort went into this documentary fluff piece so I do not want to come down too hard on the filmmakers and narrator Gary L. Stewart, who claims that his father may have been the Zodiac killer. Sometimes an obsession just gets the better of a person.

I must say that I enjoyed this documentary and in all fairness the documentary did indicate some of the flaws in Gary L. Stewart's claims.

Intrigue and the mystery surrounding who is the Zodiac serial killer has been high for decades and the pieces of the story we do know about him have been captured in a few crime films over the decades. This documentary provided some insight I was not previously aware of, and Gary L. Stewart may be a bag of emotions, but kudos to him and the production team for making a decent four (4) part documentary on the infamy of the Zodiac serial killer.

I give it a 7 out of 10 IMDB rating.

"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.

What starts as a cautionary tale as to how it is dangerous to start an investigation after already drawing your own conclusion devolves into the nonsensical ravings of someone desperate for fame. He is clearly NOT an impartial investigator but rather someone desperate to prove his own theory and sell books. Case in point with his "proof" that he pulled from the cypher. He attacks anyone with differences of opinion or actual facts that disprove his claims rather than respond with evidence of his own. He claims a police investigator would actually coverup the identity of a famous serial killer rather than bring the information to light and become the most famous cop in america. The lunatic even bought glasses to make himself look like the composite sketch of the zodiac. He is clearly sick and perhaps that's why women keep divorcing him and because of his fear of abandonment. The only person who "believes" him is the AUTHOR WHO JUST WANTS TO SELL BOOKS.

This documentary proves that; 1. We believe the evidence that is given to us and we trust that is credible and has credible sources.

2. We find enough pieces and we make them fit.