The Serpent is Netflix’s newest crime drama, and it’s based on a real-life serial killer and a gem dealer Charles Sobhraj, a criminal who went on a murdering spree throughout Southeast Asia in the 1970s. The miniseries stars Tahar Rahim as Sobhraj, who would lure unsuspecting travelers, drugging them and then robbing and murdering them. He would then travel on their passports, which he forged to look like his own.
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This allowed him to not only evade the police, but it would be quite sometime before the authorities even realized there was a crime committed since the passports would be in use. Accompanying him for a large part of his killing spree is Marie-Andree Leclerc, played by Jenna Coleman, his somewhat reluctant accomplice.
Marie-Andree is dazzled by Sobhraj’s charming charisma and believes herself in love. She soon becomes disillusioned, however, and it makes for an interesting but uncomfortable dynamic between the two. Sobhraj catches the attention of a Dutch diplomat, and a game of cat and mouse ensues.
The Serpent on Netflix is a compelling mystery that will capture your attention from start to finish. The set is fantastic, as are the costumes and soundtrack. It all converges to undeniably scream the 70s. The story spans various countries, and the crew did a great job in capturing these locales. The actors seem comfortable in their roles and deliver their performances with notable skill.
The story itself is a bit difficult to follow if you’re not paying close attention given that it’s spread out over various locations and it’s not told linearly. There’s a lot of back and forth with the timeline but the outcome is worth it I believe. It sort of plateaus around episode six, and the ending is a lot less dramatic than the buildup would lead you to believe, but I’m guessing the creators wanted to stick to the true general story.
I quite enjoyed The Serpent, even though it does have pacing issues towards the end. I’ve always had a fascination with serial killers, and we do get various bits of information into Sobhraj’s psyche if you know how to look. Deep down, he’s just as, if not more entitled, than the “privileged” tourists he murders. He truly believes the world owes him.
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