By: Henry J. Fromage –
Hey everyone, guess what? Peacock has a whole lotta true crime series as well. I know, I have a sickness…
411. The Outcome
This Jonah Hill-directed Hollywood parody in which a very Keanu Reeves-coded superstar named Reef Hawk goes on an apology tour to try and forestall the threatened release of a compromising video got hammered by critics. I’m not sure why- sure, the humor doesn’t always hit, particularly from Hill’s wayyyy over the top fixer, and it doesn’t build to some grand dark denouement or anything, but the characters are generally well-formed, and who can’t use a reminder to be grateful for what you’ve got, from superstars on down to us hoi polloi? Three Beers.
412. The School Duel
This dark parable of American gun culture is set in an alternate, near future of the United States, where the state of Florida has decided the best way to combat gun violence in schools without doing anything at all about guns themselves is to stage a “school duel”, in which troubled kids get the chance to take a shot at each other. We follow scrawny 13-year-old Sammy as he’s cajoled into taking part, possibly because he meets some of signs of the kind of kid who would light up his school, and then along the terrible journey that ensues, shot in atmospheric black and white. Some of the political markers in it are a bit on the nose, but it builds to quite the crescendo in the end. Two Beers.
413. Drink Masters
This Netflix-hosted culinary competition covers a corner of the food & drink world that doesn’t seem like it gets its focus as much as you’d expect it would- namely the drink part. We’re talking cocktails, and this one-season wonder assembles some of the most talented bartenders in North America to show their stuff. There’s some incredibly inventive drink-making on display here, and despite surprisingly short episodes and way more contestant bonding than those short episodes would lead you to believe, it introduced me to some techniques even I haven’t seen, and I do cocktails wherever I find them (and NYC and Toronto, which the judges hail from and where I’ve worked several years apiece, have no shortage). Three Beers.
414. Devotion: Obedience or Betrayal
Hey, did you know Peacock has slickly produced documentary series? Yeah, I know everyone does at this point. Anyway, this one delves into New Zealand’s reclusive Gloriavale Christian Community, a cult that feels like a mix of the Amish and The Handmaid‘s Tale (purportedly, the clothing in the show was even inspired by the garb the group developed for its womenfolk). The filmmakers were given a surprising amount of access to the sect- there’s something to be said for their willingness to show and discuss their beliefs- but unfortunately the usual cult greatest hits play out over the years as well- from shunning those who dare to leave its sphere of control to, yep, child sexual abuse (they all end up dabbling in child sexual abuse, don’t then?). Two Beers.
415. CTRL + ALT + DESIRE
The next Peacocks series examines the crimes of Grant Amato, a man who spirals out like a lot of lonely men do these days- with an anime fixation, a porn addiction, eventually a bank account-draining Bulgarian cam girl addiction. Unlike most folks, though, he murdered his entire family (but didn’t kill himself, which is why he’s still around to creepily smile to himself when interviewed). This series is a bit of a corrective to initial news stories that fixated on the cam girl angle like they had anything to do with it all outside of being one of too many vices online it’s easy to spend literally all your money on. A warning- Peacock is unusually open with crime scene photos. Two Beers.
416. Pillowcase Murders
This Peacock docuseries examines the crimes of Billy Chemirmir, who very well may be the most prolific serial killer the United States has ever seen. His MO was at first stalking senior citizens back to their homes, and eventually casing and tricking his way into the rooms of inhabitants of a couple of senior living communities. When inside, he’d smother these grandmas (and at least one grandpa) with a pillow, pose his victims to make it look like they fell, then steal their jewelry and pawn it usually the same day. This worked for far, far too long due to authorities classifying the deaths as from natural causes even despite family suspicions, and retirement home administrators repeatedly failing to enhance security measures even after Chemirmir being reported for his presence and suspicious behavior on premises he clearly should not have been multiple times. Staggering institutional failure at multiple levels. Two Beers.
417. Don’t Date Brandon
You know you’re a different level of asshole when there’s an entire docuseries made by the women who dated you (based on the podcast they made about you), and there’s no effort at all at masking your identity. It turns out they get to do it when there’s video evidence of the crime that put you in the slammer for a decade, made just a bit more satisfying by you not having any knowledge of the camera that captured it (in the house you were trespassing in- nope, no quarter there either). Anyway, Brandon is a classic stalker with a an extra level of electronic fraud and some of the old hits like telling women you have cancer when you think they’re about to break up with you. A real winner, this one. Two Beers.
