American Ripper

Interesting show, but I don't know why I cringe during the intro when he says,"My Great Great Grandfather". He almost seemed.... proud to attach himself. I'm just a weirdo so hey!

Jeff Mudgett comes across as someone who only cares about proving he's right. The way it's edited, the leads seem shocked by some of the stuff they learn from 'experts' that's common knowledge of H.H. Holmes & as his grandson who has spent 20 trying to prove H.H. Holmes & Jack The Ripper are the same person he would have know these facts. The leads also take a rumour and state it as facts.

Like clearing up after a hurricane, where do you start? An appalling load of rubbish from start to finish. Here are a few facts. 1. Nobody ever saw the killer - so there are no eyewitness statements as to his appearance. 2. For anyone who thinks he has surgical skill, take a look at the Eddowes photographs, I could have done a neater job with a blunt chainsaw. 3. Not one single letter has ever been proved to have come from the killer, the one that a lot of experts say might have wasn't even mentioned. 4. There are no clues left by the killer, except possibly the Goulston Street graffito. 5. There is absolutely nothing to point to the nationality of the killer. The one American suspect Dr Tumblety was arrested for homosexual acts in a public toilet with men, not for being a suspect. 6. The killer knew the streets of the East End and knew the people, he was one of them, he wasn't a mastermind - just lucky.

Well I learned two irrevocable things about this series: #1. I wasted 8 hours of life watching it. #2. We still don't know who The Ripper was. This series lost me on series 7 when Jeff Muddget convinces himself, after every other expert debunks all his theories, that H.H. Holmes escaped his own hanging death and exacted revenge on all the people that assisted in his capture or criminal trial. What's worse is although quite sexy in her own way, the CIA operative Amaryllis Fox actually entertained this theory. The first few episodes I found somewhat entertaining as it did shed facts of the crimes, and hopes that there was some plausibility to the claim Holmes was linked. All in all, I guess The History Channel succeeded in what they set out to do and that was to get people to watch. I confess I watched all 8 episodes but I figured, "what the hell," I've already wasted 6 hours of this debacle.

I watched this gripping story and am still disappointed that any results of dredging the river near a factory Holmes owned was not revealed. Amarylis and Jeff visit this spot towards the end of the presentation and agree that it would have been easy and indeed probable that incriminating evidence may have been discarded underwater. They agree it should be dredged and checked but the show just ends there. I am to this day wondering if anything like that was done! Quite frustrating reallly, and not logical that it wouldn't have been followed up on given their 'thorough' investigation'. Hopefully someone will reveal this to those of the watchers who may be also wondering.