I was hesitant to watch the series, frankly because I know I would terrify myself into believing I could never walk outdoors again. I had heard the hype surrounding this series and eventually decided to give in. I did not realize I was going to binge all four episodes in one night, but when do we ever?
I think the question I have to ask is really, "why is this so intriguing?" Ted Bundy is one of the most famous serial killers to be caught. His story is so captivating, and why? As the documentary style series explains, it's because he seems like such a normal guy. Killing someone, murdering in cold blood is such a horrific and unimaginable thing to do. The fact that someone could murder so often and still come across as a totally normal person is what makes us want to learn about these people.
I think in this day and age, we have become so interested in learning about ourselves, why we do the things we do, what things have happened to us that have shaped who we are? In the era of Buzzfeed quizzes and learning your love language to enneagram tests, we love to be able to put ourselves into categories and understand how we operate.
The fascination with Ted Bundy, or any serial killer really, is that we absolutely cannot categorize them. We, as not violent murderers, cannot possibly understand what could motivate someone to commit such horrible crimes over and over and not only not have any remorse, but enjoy it. What is so backward about this case, in particular, is that this obsessiveness and awe that we have for Bundy is exactly what he wanted. He murdered people because he wanted attention, he escaped from jail because he wanted attention, and we are giving it to him.
The series itself is captivating because we can hear the words he spoke, the rationale he had for proving his innocence, the complete lack of remorse or any emotion for the fact that he is the reason so many people are dead. I am, among everyone that has seen this series, dumbfounded by him. I find that he has made me look at the world differently, even in the 1970's the way that he was treated, the exposure to porn, the things that he experienced that made him into and egocentric murderer. It is all very interesting, to feel like you are in the midst of solving his case.
I think series like this one, or documentaries on YouTube are so popular and so interesting because they are so unfathomable, it almost feels as though it's not real at all. You best believe I'll be watching that Zac Efron movie though.
