Netflix's Conversations with a Killer allows Ted Bundy to feed a glorified narrative of himself

Vox

The four-part Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes repeatedly describes the serial killer as "special," preferring "to skate over many of the procedural elements of the chase in favor of first-person recollections of Bundy himself" that serve to amplify him, says Aja Romano. "Perhaps most notably, in 2019, there’s a layer of fatigue that comes with a documentary about Ted Bundy that treats Ted Bundy like he’s news," says Romano. "In the era of the glorified antihero, and an overt cultural fixation with real-life villains at the expense of victims, there’s very little to be gained from Conversations with a Killer’s straightforward, weirdly sympathetic presentation of Bundy as a uniquely special criminal. If the intervening four decades since his final capture in 1978 have taught us anything, it’s that Bundy is the opposite of special. He’s just like any other rage-driven narcissist who channels resentment over a breakup, a failing marriage, or a lack of control over their lives into violence. Ted Bundy is John List, is Joseph James DeAngelo, is Elliot Rodger, is Chris Watts. "

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• Conversations with a Killer begs the question: "At what point does documenting a narcissist become giving him a platform?"
• Unlike Netflix's other true-crime docuseries, Conversations with a Killer offers no insights
• Netflix warns viewers to "maybe don't watch it alone"