HBO's fascinating, if inconsistent, docuseries 'I'll Be Gone in the Dark' tracks the search for the Golden State Killer — and one woman's dangerous obsession with finding him. Alan Sepinwall's review
operates on parallel tracks. One is the story of Michelle McNamara’s life, and the way her obsession with this case contributed to her early demise. The other is the story of the Golden State Killer’s repeated reigns of terror, as seen through the eyes of McNamara, her fellow civilian sleuths, members of law enforcement, and the survivors of his time as the East Area Rapist.
Like McNamara’s book — which was completed after her death by her assistant Paul Haynes, fellow true crime author Billy Jensen, and McNamara’s comedian husband Patton Oswalt — the series fluidly moves around in time and space between the Golden State Killer’s crimes and McNamara’s life story. We hear and see interview clips of McNamara, while the actress Amy Ryan reads aloud from McNamara’s writing. McNamara proves an appealing and increasingly complex subject.
At the same time, the filmmakers are laying out a clear picture of the Golden State Killer’s crimes, why it took so long for authorities to connect them all, and the long-lasting impact they had on the victims and their families. Sad as McNamara’s story is — particularly in scenes where she frets about focusing too much on her gruesome work at the expense of Alice — this material is so potent that it often overwhelms the McNamara end of things.
This proves particularly challenging in the series’ sixth and final hour, which deals with the arrest of the Golden State Killer, ex-cop Joseph James DeAngelo, and the impact his belated capture has on both the survivors and the many people who worked on the case over the years. By focusing much more on the victims — including members of DeAngelo’s own family who have to cope with knowing what “Uncle Joe” did — it’s by far the show’s best and most powerful episode.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
'I'll Be Gone in the Dark' Doc Could Help Solve Another Unsolved MurderExclusive: IllBeGoneintheDark director Liz Garbus takes Us behind the scenes of the latest docuseries and hopes another case can get solved:
Read more »
'I'll Be Gone in the Dark': A Golden State Killer Docuseries That Highlights SurvivorsHBO’s series based on Michelle McNamara’s book is about her hunt for a killer — and the women who refused to be broken by him
Read more »
Liz Garbus on ‘Closure’ for Golden State Killer Survivors With ‘I’ll Be Gone in the Dark’A few days before “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark” was set to premiere on HBO, the six-part docuseries based on Michelle McNamara’s book of the same name about the hunt for, survi…
Read more »
HBO Max Restores ‘Gone With the Wind’ With Disclaimer Saying Film ‘Denies the Horrors of Slavery’“Gone With the Wind” is back on HBO Max — with two additional videos that discuss the historical context of the classic film. WarnerMedia had pulled the movie two weeks ago, citin…
Read more »
'Gone With the Wind' returns to HBO Max with new intro'Gone With the Wind' is back on HBO Max with commentary from Jacqueline Stewart about the film's depiction of slavery after being briefly pulled from streaming.
Read more »