It has been 9 years since The Jinx aired its explosive finale and we heard the immortal phrases uttered by Robert Durst: “Killed all of them, after all.” He was, in essence, confessing to the murders of his first spouse, Kathleen McCormack Durst (in 1982); his greatest buddy, Susan Berman (in 2000); and his neighbour, Morris Black (in 2001). The documentary film-makers handed their proof over to regulation enforcement in 2013, and he was arrested on 14 March 2015, the day earlier than the finale aired. He was convicted of the homicide of Berman in 2021 and charged with McCormack’s disappearance – however died in jail on the age of 78, the day earlier than that trial was because of start.
With Durst now gone, it’s onerous to know precisely what contemporary intel a sequel to The Jinx might probably reveal, and whether or not or not that is merely a Tiger King 2-style money seize. However the first 4 episodes current a fairly compelling story that overlaps with the primary sequence, following the investigation into Durst reopened by the Los Angeles district legal professional, based mostly on the recordings acquired from the film-makers.
Earlier makes an attempt to prosecute Durst had been halted because of the leverage of his immense wealth handed down from his real-estate magnate father. However, sadly for him, not even unimaginable privilege can shield you whenever you gained’t shut up. Durst merely can not cease incriminating himself. He would in all probability have gotten off scot-free if it weren’t for the confounding option to confess to homicide whereas miked up for an HBO documentary. Because the district legal professional John Lewin says: in terms of interrogation, individuals can select to speak or to stay silent – and “Bob all the time talks”.
The primary episode is the strongest. It follows from the reopening of the chilly case till the airing of the season finale, and we learn the way Durst reacted in actual time to his newfound fame. Even along with his propensity for indiscretion, the shortage of restraint stays surprising. It transpires that, on the finish of every episode airing on HBO, he’d name Charles Bagli, a reporter from the New York Occasions, to debate it. By episode 5 of the primary sequence he turned nervous, hatching a plan so ridiculous it must be heard to be believed. By which I imply trying to go on the lam disguised as a “deaf-mute” lady known as Dorothy – the product of a thoughts that should have seen an excessive amount of Scooby-Doo.
If watching an hour of tv in regards to the influence of a prior hour of tv doesn’t sound meta sufficient, The Jinx – Half Two goes full corridor of mirrors on the conclusion: watching the households of the victims, the investigators and the prosecutors, who had been the topics of each documentaries, all watching the season finale within the dwelling of its creator, Andrew Jarecki. All of them gasp as they hear the totemic “Killed all of them, after all”, and although Kathleen’s brother speaks of the catharsis of that second, there’s something a little bit salacious and icky about having her household hear it for the primary time on digital camera. The remainder of the room shortly springs into debating whether or not the “confession” shall be admissible as proof in court docket, however you may see Kathleen’s members of the family processing one thing seismic. Relatively than giving them area to take all of it in, they’re interrupted by Fox Information’s “Choose Jeanine” Pirro, who was liable for the primary prosecution of Kathleen’s case, squawking about authorized protocols. It’s, to place it mildly, a selection.
There are different worthwhile components within the following episodes, which dig into the trial itself and Durst’s destiny. “The marvel twins”, David and Michael Belcher – regulation college students who labored on the case with Lewin – stay infectiously passionate about their work, explaining how they had been all the time first there and final to depart. However this isn’t as feelgood a story because the framing suggests. It’s nonetheless horrifying you can be as cack-handed a serial killer as Durst and nearly get away with it. It’s additionally a little bit long-winded when it shifts focus to the machinations of the justice system moderately than the wild selections of a diminutive assassin. The Jinx – Half Two would have made a strong two or three episodes, however feels the necessity to take the sprawling method. Like Durst, it doesn’t all the time know when it’s time to cease speaking.
