Les signes du mal

I reserve a 10-star rating for shows that are worth rewatching, and 'Signs of a Psychopath' earns this distinction. Having viewed the seasons multiple times, I find that each viewing reveals new layers, akin to the way fine wine matures with time. In my eyes, it's a classic.

The highlight of the series is undoubtedly the psychologists' analyses. Over time, I've transitioned from a passive viewer to an active one, eagerly anticipating the experts' insights to enhance my own understanding.

The series delves into some of the most notorious crimes, presenting a rich tapestry of recordings, photos, and interviews ripe for analysis. It's a shocking documentary, and some moments can make us cry even without an emotional soundtrack. There are some that criminals describe everything as a dark humor, which we could only imagine finding in films, beyond reality.

I fervently wish for the series to continue indefinitely, perhaps even venturing into the annals of ancient history for its analytical prowess.

The most interesting parts of this series are the interrogation clips. Most of them using outdated and non scientific interrogation techniques.

A set of experts try to explain how every suspect in the series are psycopats, only based on transcripts and interrogations audio/video. Even if the experts sometimes agree that the suspects only have a degree of psycopathic behavior, the series miss an opposing view, with someone like professor Gisli Gudjonson and his work on false confessions and interrogations.

False confessions and interrogation methods would be another great tv series if you are more into documentaries based on facts than entertainment.

What helps this show stand out from all of the other true crime shows out there is the honest sometimes shocking "diagnosis" the doctors give us as the crimes of the psychopath unfold. The show portrays the crimes of a psychopath while it cuts to various doctors who explain the reasoning behind the act. While the doctors may give insight into the crime there's really no understanding them. After all, can anyone, other than another psychopath, understand the reasoning behind the crimes of the psychopath? But the doctors really give that insight in terms that we all can understand. The only negative I can think of is that they sometimes don't go deep enough into some of the criminals portrayed. I'd love to see an hour long episode on some of the criminals.

Although I watched every episode, one season would have been enough to tell me all I needed to know: suss out the psychopaths and stay out of reach. These killers put to shame all the videos I have watched on narcissism. What I found surreal was the way someone who had just killed a whole family or a pregnant girlfriend could shrug their shoulders and laugh, then try to wriggle out of the charges. I subtracted 2 stars from a possible 10 because a couple of the female experts seemed not to have watched the actual interviews of the killers and were just talking off the tops of their heads. Instead of addressing individual psychopathy they would just toss off the exact same "observations" each episode -- "this guy is devoid of emotion" or "this person treats people like objects" or "they are trying to hint at an insanity defense." I would have liked more in-depth analysis of particular cases. It was too facile and repetitive in many instances. I started feeling sorry for the cops who have to put up with these murderous, lazy, self-indulgent criminals every day who sit there and lie.

This insightful, fascinating series gives you an insight into psychopathic behaviour. It makes for some uncomfortable viewing, especially when watching a psychopath explain his behavior like he's just been taking a stroll. It's exceptionally creepy, but definitely compulsive viewing. Experts talk you through what kind of behaviors psychopaths can display, which I find extremely helpful. At the start of the series you're asked 'would you see the signs'? The point is, psychopaths adapt and blend in, adjust their behavior to suit their needs - so that question is chilling. Each episode focuses on a different psychopath - be warned, some of the details are not for the faint of heart, as psychopaths have no empathy, relishing reliving their crimes to an extraordinary level.