The serpent

[the80sweregreat]

Anyone going to watch this?
I've never heard of this person before.

I'm loving it! The grainy film quality, the 70s glamour (the women mainly, the whole long-haired, flared hippie look on men is not my taste at all!), but it's sinister and morally dubious - which I like very much.

I’m struggling with it. Think it’s the 70’s that is putting me off

I love it although the main guy doesn't seem charismatic enough. Genna is gorgeous and reminds me of my best friend at uni at that age ( in looks only although). Agree that for most people travelling was a rarity in the 1970s. We went on our first foreign holiday in 1980. Most 1970s hols were Majorca (never spelled Mallorca then) returning with a Spanish flamenco doll and a straw donkey. I knew no hippies. Punk was the first real lifestyle trend to affect those I knew. We obviously weren't posh enough to be hippies

I am enjoying it so far, but had to have the Wikipedia entry open during the first two episodes to keep track of the time hopping!

I've binged and watched it all. Loved it!

Thing is, in the 70s people didn't go on these trips as holidays, they took a year or so off and travelled by bus along the Hippie Trail. In those days, jobs were easy to come by, so it was much easier to step on and off the career ladder.

HmmSureJan - thanks for the hair update - very strange.

But have decided I am not going to bother watching any more of this as I agree with a PP that focusing on the perpetrator and making it look glamourous is just wrong.

I thought tv producers had got more sophisticated than that. It would have been just as easy to tell the story from the viewpoint of the innocent victim's and over the series pulling the threads together.

Its like the Fall. We really dont need tv in this day and age making violent men seem interesting and charismatic.

A real turn off - exploitative and unpleasant.

I’ve watched all 8 episodes and didn’t feel that they glamourised the perpetrator at all. He was a person who thought he was charismatic and obviously vain.
I found the corruption in Thailand frightening but not surprising and was totally caught up in Herman’s determination and frustration in trying to catch Charles Sobhraj.
Definitely worth watching.

That's what I thought too Nannew

I don't think he looks interesting and charismatic at all - he looks creepy and sinister to me - Monique is the glamorous one.

Surely the heroes are Herman the Dutch guy and Nadine the French woman? I don't think it's exploitative at all.

I watched episodes 2 & 3 last night and will aim for another two tonight, I think it's great! I was actually holding my breath when Dominique was at the airport... 😯

Agree that it makes you think twice about letting your kids go travelling and made me flinch at how reckless I have been in my youth.

Theresa's demise was truly awful. The thought that she knew it was happening and couldn't do anything to stop it. Poor woman.

If people like him weren't charismatic then they wouldn't get away with it though. He isn't charismatic enoughk

Going back to Charles' terrible hair ()

I know that the style is true to life, but it's the awful wigginess that is so jarring. All the others have their own hair grown out into the 70's styles- his looks glued on!

zafferana I didn’t say he was charismatic, he himself thought he was charismatic and obviously very vain. I found him scary and ruthless.

I have read the wiki page and more how does he get away with so much? It says he is actually married in 2008 and he has more children than just the girl. Madness.

I'm struggling along with it. I grew up in the 70s and can't remember anyone going travelling. All I can remember is strikes and dodgy fashion. And glam rock.

Just finished episode 2. Really chilling, especially Monique not helping the Dutch girl. I couldn’t walk away from that

I don't think it glamourised him at all. They showed him spiralling gradually downwards backing himself into corners with nowhere to go. I think the first few episodes are trying to show why he was so appealing and got away with it for so long not glamourising. Later episodes show the net closing in and him becoming erratic but still convinced he can outsmart everyone. I thought it was excellent. One of the best things I have seen in ages.

Enjoying the 1970s retro style. But it's tense and I am watching each episode in instalments.

His musings on racism are inconsistent. He berated his friend/ odd job man for having sex with a white woman despite himself having a white girlfriend and previously marrying one and he didn't perceive himself as their servant. Also his Indian friend not looking posh enough to meet business people is more about him looking and behaving like a hippy. If he bought his friend a suit and got him a hair cut and if he could learn to act like a business man he could have played that part much better. Marie's usefulness wasn't so much in her colour but in her looking and sounding classy and innocent.
Being attractive was a major asset to both of them.

The airport scene. My heart was in my mouth. Now the meeting at the post office. I am getting very twitchy.

Agree, the airport scene was very well done.

Such a brilliant series, me and husband both absolutely gripped. I so wanted Domenique to escape, my heart was in my mouth. Best thing on tv in ages

I watched the first 20 mins of episode 1 and turned off - too confusing I thought.

But I gave it a second go and proceeded to watch the whole series over two days. It is really, really good!

I loved the occasional square screen use to denote 70s TV.
Loved the high waist, flared trouser/tight shirt combo on Jemma.

But goodness how much did they smoke!!!!!!!!!!

We have one more episode to watch. An excellent, if very harrowing in places, series.

Agree, the Dominique storyline was excruciatingly tense! He was so lovely.