‘Des’ is a Serial Killer Drama That Thankfully Centers the Victims Instead
As a society, we’re obsessed with stories of serial killers. This is easy to understand, given that people who commit multiple murders are clearly operating so far out of the realm of recognizable human behavior that they’re as fascinating as they are frightening.
However, far too often, dramas focused on these sorts of stories can feel exploitative and gross, gleefully detailing the grisly details about human remains and the awful ways the victims died. Yet, remarkably, despite snagging a popular star in David Tennant and casting him as one of the U.K.’s most notorious serial murderers, the three-part drama Des is careful to keep its focus firmly on the unfortunate victims of a monster, rather than the man himself.
As a result, it’s absolutely riveting television, a terrible story responsibly told, devastating without ever becoming lurid.
