![]() ![]() The Serpent isn’t a perfect series, but it’s gripping. It represented Sobhraj’s façade, chipping away to expose the lurid killer that he was. Also, I loved the way they filmed Tanit House to seem so glamorous at the beginning of the series, and then slowly exposed it as a grubby, cheap apartment complex as time went on. From the clothes to the décor to using actual archival footage of the cities to start segments, there is an authenticity to the show that immediately draws you in. ![]() The producers really immerse you in the scene with their fantastic production design. The show is set in various exotic cities, such as Nepal, Bangkok, Delhi and Hong Kong the so-called “Hippie Trail”. The Serpent is more than just a crime drama it’s also a peak into a lifestyle, that of hitchhiking through 1970’s Asia. The way that The Serpent is edited, between Sobhraj’s story and Knippenberg’s, leads to some extremely suspenseful Rear Window-like moments, so the dual narrative does pay off. Eventually he is able to convince the Belgian and American diplomats (Tim McInnerny and Adam Rothenberg) who are much more interesting characters, to help him. His entire story line is about how frustrating it is to work through the bureaucracies of the Dutch embassy and the Thai police to catch a known killer. Unfortunately, Herman Knippenberg is a far less interesting character. Eventually, Sobhraj manipulates Ajay into helping him. ![]() Ajay is up for robbing rich young hippies, but balks at killing them. He uses his charm to wrangle promising hitchhikers, who most likely have a stash of money, bringing them home to Tanit House, which is not actually a house, but an apartment complex. But she is also a beard that makes Sobhraj appear safe, and an accomplice to murder.Ījay is an Indian friend who Sobhraj picked up sometime in the past. “Monique”, wife to a gem dealer, is chic, hiding behind Jackie-O sunglasses, wearing scarves in her hair. So, when Sobhraj says, “You are going to be Monique,” she doesn’t hesitate. Marie-Andrée is desperate for a new identity, not because she is a criminal, but because she doesn’t like who she is. Sobhraj had a knack for drawing people to him that wanted to buy what he was selling, whether it was friendship, adventure or simply a new life with a new identity. Hence, it’s shocking when you find out (not a spoiler) that really, they just met. When we first meet Sobhraj and Marie-Andrée, whether they are hosting a swinging pool party at their “home”, or selling loose gemstones to dewy-eyed backpackers, they seem like a glamorous, long-time couple. And yet…why lure them to the house and poison them at all? Why not slip them a mickey at a party and steal their money and passports there? So, there is something that gratifies Sobhraj in acting like the generous and wealthy host, and then making his guests suffer terribly until they come to a bad (sometimes burned alive) end. Then he has to get rid of them so they can’t ever identify him. While the guests are indisposed, he robs them of their money and, most importantly, their passports, which he later doctors with his own photo. He finds naïve hippie backpackers, encourages them to come stay with him and his wife for a real meal and a hot shower, and then he poisons them, allowing them to believe they have food poisoning. He’s not a lone wolf he doesn’t do it for pleasure or sexual gratification. Sobhraj and his gangĬharles Sobhraj is an interesting figure, because although he killed many people, he is not a typical serial killer. The story jumps around in time in order to maximize the suspense, which bothered some viewers, but I was OK with it. ![]() The other follows Knippenberg in his desperate quest to gather enough evidence to get Sobhraj and his gang arrested for the murders of the Dutch backpackers, whose remains are found and identified. One follows the activities of Sobhraj and his accomplices, Ajay Chowdhury (Amesh Edireweera) and Marie-Andrée Leclerc, aka “Monique” (Jenna Coleman) as they use the money stolen from backpackers to live a glamorous life at a Bangkok apartment complex. When a Dutch couple goes missing in Bangkok, their concerned parents reach out to the Dutch embassy there, launching diplomat Herman Knippenberg (Billy Howle) on an obsessive search to find them. The Serpent, on Netflix, is based on the true story of Charles Sobhraj (Tahar Rahim), aka gem-dealer “Alain Gautier”, aka many other names, as he robs, murders, and then steals the identities of backpacking hippies as they tramp through East Asia in the 1970’s. ![]()
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