The Last Party: Death on Tresco

Jennifer really not a whole lot to spoil here but man I'm getting real tired of these open-ended documentaries were one side speculates and there is an unnamed perpetrator that for whatever reason we never get to find out their name or any material information that would justify designating them as a person of interest. These things have just gotten so tired, imagery of waves crashing over the beach, interviews from ancillary friends all speculating and at the end of Three episodes you are literally exactly where you started

Just make docs when there is something definitive enough to give the audience a conclusion. Shame on me I should have better judgement.

As Episode 1 of "The Last Party: Death on Tresco" (2024 release from the UK; 3 episodes ranging 44 to 51 min each) opens, we are at "Tresco, Scilly Isles, 28 mi. From Land's End" in the UK, and we get to know Ash, whose younger brother Josh died there 10 years ago but nobody really knows what exactly happened. We then go back in time as we get to know Josh, and how he ended a seasonal worker on Tresco, where the UK's rich and privileged come to rest and play. At this point we are 10 minutes into Episode 1.

Couple of comments: let me state upfront that I had never heard of Tresco before until now, not was I familiar with these particular events. In the summer of 2015, a 23 yo attends a party on Tresco, and then simply disappears. The problem with this mini-series is that there isn't nearly enough "hard cold" facts to substantiate the complaints or speculations brought up by Josh's family. Time and again it "maybe this, or maybe that" without much or any factual backup. Yes, it is the UK local police made a number of errors in the forensic examination of it all. It weighs very heavily on Josh's family. But that doesn't make for compelling viewing as such. I watched this to the very end, thinking that a "smoking gun" would be revealed. But as it turns out, there is no smoking gun, period. That makes for frustrating viewing and the running time of this mini-series could've been cut by HALF without losing anything.

"The Last Party: Death on Tresco" is now streaming on Max, where I caught it the other night. If you are a fan of true crime documentaries, I'd say please check it out with lowered expectations, and draw your own conclusion.

Everyone in the documentary is so reserved that it brought out emotions I was not expecting. This is so well done, so subdued that it is relatable to everyone. Beautiful cinematography. Seems a very honest reaction by all interviewed.

I'm an avid documentary watcher. This has a slower, subtle pace. It is a great reflection on human worth. Impossible not to reflect on people's motives. In any investigation of a missing person- what are the priorities? Are the priorities of the police, hiring entities & families to try to find the truth or trying to make people's story fit into their narratives?