Der Yorkshire Ripper

Very informative and detailed show with Netflix's typical high standard but it does get derailed by a diatribe in episode 3 that took away from the following of the criminal case

The series is much more than the story of a serial killer, is the story of police patriarchal mentality, is about blaming victims, and evaluating the value of lives according to what a person does for a living. They didn't take him seriously until an "innocent" young woman became the victim of this serial killer. It's about prejudice and a case that changed mentalities inside the police but also among the general population. I saw this series as a society overlook at that time. They were looking after something they created in their mind because they couldn't see much more nor were they interested in understanding, a non-existent entity. Unfortunately is not the last case treated like this by police all over the world, but clearly his acts were horrific to say at least. Is not a masterpiece, but it says a lot about the entire social-economical status of the period. It creates a pretty good image. I believe the critics of this series are undeserving.

Overall a good documentary series but it gets hijacked towards the end by a couple of contributors peddling their political agendas. Yes the police made horrible blunders and judgements but the idea it was all some male conspiracy is over the top. The contributions by the people at the centre of the story - the victims' families, the survivors and the police officers are fascinating and often heartbreaking. The emphasis on the women who died rather than the murderer is welcome too.

A lot of reviewers have noted there was too much reference to the feminist movement during this series. To my mind, this was an integral part of the programme. I didn't see this as male bashing, but more about the incompetence of the police at the time, their use of derogative language to describe the victims, while highlighting their preconcieved notions about the women from the outset of the murders. These dated and, frankly, mysoginist views hampered the investigation. Well worth the watch.

A concise and well put together documentary. The doc style lent it self well to this story with very good use of archival footage. The people interviewed were relevant to the cases and added good insight into the police work and political climate.