Dirty John Netflix SPOILERS thread

[Aberforthsgoat]

As we were discussing on the other thread and a bunch of us had finished but didn’t want to drop spoilers thought I’d start one for spoilers

:)

I've just seen on Netflix's coming soon page that the documentary Dirty John : The Dirty Truth is coming on Tuesday.

Carol Scary to think your ex was like this

I know I mentiond it upthread and it's not quite the same but the news today on Mark Acklom was very welcome. He is appearing in Court today after arriving overnight in UK. No escaping justice hopefully now. A conman, a grifter, who preyed on women. Maybe without the violence but still awful
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/mark-acklom-extradit-uk-switzerland-conman-carolyn-woods-most-wanted-a8793136.html

Ah I found the spoilers page

I’m currently on episode 6 and I cannot believe that Debra just gave the lawyers letter straight to John! The fact that he hand delivered it to her office should have spoken volumes, and it’s amazing that she didn’t even read it before she got home! Not victim blaming but is this woman for real, how on earth she managed to carve out a successful career is beyond me, she is not the brightest bulb at all, his first wife, Tonia, now she had brains and she wasn’t nearly as successful as Debra.

I’m not keen on Debra’s eldest daughter at all, yes she did work John out but my god, she’s a spoiled little shit.

I’ll be back after episode 8.

Eric Banas American accent is brilliant, considering he’s an Aussie.

Just finished it all! Such a fantastic watch, I’ve heard there’s going to be a season 2 but I don’t think there’s any need for a season 2, anybody?

I can’t believe Debra brought John’s sister into see Terra at the hospital, there was no need for it.

Hopefully Debra Newell won’t date again until she learns a few thousand things!

How can there be a Season 2 when it's a real life story? Surely it's over because it is real life and he's dead...

Totally agree MissMother. That girl needed protecting after what she went through, not meeting the sister of the man that tried to murder her!

Well this is what I thought @Rousette about a season 2 but I definitley read somewhere that we’re getting one, maybe I should google it again to check

A second season would be totally ridiculous and it would spoil the actual only season that we have now.

I couldn’t understand why Debra didn’t just switch his life support machine off, and the way she gazed at the wedding picture at the end?! I hope that was for entertainment purposes only otherwise I’m very that this man would try to kill her child, and all Debra seems to really care about is whether her relationship with this psycho was all a lie!

When Christopher Goffard, the series producer, was told that he could go ahead with the show, then he was told he could have a 2 season show, but season 2 may well be unconnected to the first season, which makes absolutely no sense at all so I would say that it’s safe to say that season 1 is all we will get from this show, thank god.

Anyone think that this story was only Debra’s story because of what he did to her daughter? His first wife, Tonia, was with him for 10 years and had 2 of his kids so went through far worse than what Debra did, and in all honesty, Debra wouldn’t have gone through so much if she had have been a little more intelligent, you May shoot me down for saying this but it’s bloody true.

John Meehan didn't just do this to the Newells though so there's scope, but they did sort of cover that

Well yes but it was more about Debra, I’m sure if her daughter hadn’t had to have defended herself against him then there would have been no Dirty John series.

Do you think John ever really loved Tonia? It’s obvious he just wanted Debra’s money but Tonia had no money, and he was with her for 10 years, or does someone like John never really love anybody?

I think maybe he DID love Tonya as it only went sour when she realised he was stealing drugs

But he also manipulated her into believing he had no family when by the looks of it his sister at least was a normal and supportive sibling

Yes MissMother I agree there only is a story because there was a possible horrific ending with the end of a young life. Debra went public to draw attention to men like him so she says... but she (and her Mother) to me are shown up in a really bad light. There are no redeeming qualities.

Defending a cold blooded killer who assassinates your daughter because of some bizarre christian evangalist forgive everybody faith.

Putting a man you've known a month before both your daughters.

Being shown without doubt that in actual fact that man is a liar, a cheat, dangerous, a drug addict, a stalker... yet still putting him above your own children.

Personally I wouldn't be able to show my face to the world but hey ho...

I’m very angry that this man would try to kill her child, and all Debra seems to really care about is whether her relationship with this psycho was all a lie!

Yes basically sums it up my frustration with Debra. That she's still thinking in terms of a love she lost and was it all a lie. A very self centred mind set. It was never - thank god my daughter is still alive, and and he can't hurt her or the family anymore - the bastard!

This is interesting from the Press...

"Debra Newell is a business woman and interior designer who lived in Orange County in Los Angeles. In real-life, the divorced interior designer had four children, not three as shown in the Netflix series. Her oldest daughter was not included in any media retelling of their family's trauma, while Debra's second child's name was changed from Jacquelyn, who participated in the podcast, to Veronica."

To me that means two of the children didn't want anything to do with the series maybe...

Three children were featured

Terra
Veronica/Jacqueline

And the son who came over a couple of times including Christmas with his children and cut contact because he didn't want the children around John

IRL the Osbournes also have other children not just Jack and Kelly but they didn't want to appear.

The fourth child probably refused consent.

Oh yes, the son.

Apparently there's an eldest daughter.

Just finished it all! Such a fantastic watch, I’ve heard there’s going to be a season 2 but I don’t think there’s any need for a season 2, anybody?

Well it could work if it’s about another con man or even con woman psycho. I for one would be up for that!

I was so pleased with the final episode. I hadn’t listened to the podcast, so thought the tv show would have an ending to allow for a second series, but then Terra kicked ass!

I’m curious about something, though. Debra seemed to believe that he would get a stake in her fortune if they divorced. If she’s been through four divorces already, surely she’d know what he would/wouldn’t get?

I just watched the doc

What came across to me loudly was :

1. Juno Temple And Julia Garner did amazing impersonations of his those daughters talk

1. Debra only really got a fire going under her arse at the thought he cheated not at the thought he hated her children

I don't care what she said they are her SECONDARY concern in life. Inherently inflexibly selfish people can lead useful and fulfilling lives they should just never become mothers

I've now listened to the podcasts and the later episodes including one with Debra entitled something like Life After Dirty John (I & II). I feel like I understand much more why Debra did what she did and the effect of 'love bombing' from very early on by John. I think it's important to remember just how unbelievably nice John was to Debra (before he wasn't) - he was truly everything she had ever dreamed of. This apparently works as a form of brainwashing and is horribly effective. So when her children were complaining he didn't seem right it was very hard to believe it because of the 'perfect' first-hand experience she was getting.

Debra also sought professional help from a psychologist and was advised that her grown-up children needed boundaries and to not prevent their mum from finding happiness by being over-invested in her personal life.

There was also fleeting reference in one of the podcasts to one of Debra's ex-husbands being violent. Which must be significant. And of course the earlier murder of her sister and its circumstances which overshadows it all.

Apparently Debra has received an online roasting since the series came out. As I said before, I do think she's v brave to go public with it all - she didn't have to and does seem genuinely motivated by the idea of helping women recognise the many forms coercive control takes and how to not take at face value the information people give about themselves when you first meet them.

The British stalking/coercive control expert (Laura Someone) who interviews Debra, thinks part of the answer is to create a police register of people with stalking histories and to monitor them. Including informing new/ future partners of the person's stalking history. I think that would be a great development.

I don’t believe that there would have been many women as stupid as Debra, the very first flag was on the first date when he lay on her bed, and he sweet talked her around the next day, does this woman not know that words come easy and it’s actions that count?

I just cannot understand her stupidity, the daughters seen right through John the first time they met him so he couldn’t have been that convincing like Debra said on the documentary.

Out of all the women on that documentary, then Debra was the most stupid, I may get flamed for saying this but I stand by it.

@Ovenchips weren’t we supposed to have a Clare’s Law register that allowed people to check if their partners had previous history? It wasn’t everywhere because I had trouble with an ex where I had to go to the police, I asked if he had any previous for harassment or violence to women, I was told ‘Sorry we can’t tell you that’, and this was well after Clare’s Law was introduced.

You hear about these registers but I’d like to hear from someone that they have actually worked for, my ex could have been a really dangerous bastard but I wouldn’t have been told

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