SBF · LISK · Van Gogh
Plus: Is The Gold going for, uh, it?
the true crime that's worth your time
The Gold dropped in the UK early this year, so I already know some of you have seen it. I’m relying on you folks to tell us if it’s worth our time this weekend1, as the BBC’s six-part dramatic adaptation of the Brink’s-Mat robbery hits Paramount+ on Sunday with its first two eps (the rest will appear weekly).
Some of the early 2023 reviews I can find seem written primarily to serve a punny headline; here are some examples:
The Gold review – a 24-carat drama about one of the UK’s most shocking robberies [Guardian] (Too obvious!)
The Gold review: Pure primetime fun that bubbles away with the vigour of a red-hot crucible [Independent] (Tortured, but I get it!)
The Gold on BBC One review: a truly smart British crime drama with a classic feel and a knockout cast [Standard] (On fuddy-duddy brand!)
But in the U.S. we don’t do any better. From the last few days:
The Gold Shines Brighter Than Most True Crime Offerings [Primetimer]
The Gold review: British heist drama fails to shine [AV Club]
‘The Gold’ Review: Aftermath of an Accidental Jackpot [WSJ] (The Standard is all “still too voicey!”)
Clearly, critical consensus is divided once it gets past the luster (aw shit now I’m doing it too) of the whiz-bang cast: Hugh Bonneville, Sean Harris, Dominic Cooper, and Charlotte Spencer, among others. Six eps seems like a lot for a heist, but it sounds like the series surpasses that event, as the real issue — how do you sell off 90 million British pounds (in today’s standards) of gold bullion? — takes the forefront. So, it’s potentially process-y, which you know Sarah and I both love. I’ll probably try at least the first two, unless you warn me away. Take it away, England:
A day before, on Saturday, there’s a new episode of 48 Hours devoted to the most recent developments in the Long Island Serial Killer case. I don’t always make time in my schedule for this workhouse newsmag, which — at risk of sounding like a jerk! — I sometimes feel is intended for a more general interest audience than I consider myself to be. But I also feel like I could use a little more visual packaging around Rex Heuermann and his neighborhood.
When I think about the case, right now, my brain goes to static images from his architecture firm’s website, or photos I’ve seen of his oddly dilapidated house. I think I need some of this in motion, even if the narration accompanying it isn’t providing new revelations. Is that a weird thing to say? 48 Hours airs on broadcast at 9 PM Saturdays, and is released on Paramount+ at that same time.
That does mean, however, that we have Friday night and all of Saturday without any new true crime to consume, unless you all have some ideas. Since I’m working on a lot of true crime-related stuff for various day job stories, I’m giving myself a break on Saturday and am diving into Winning Time, HBO’s series about the early 1990s LA Lakers basketball team that our esteemed colleague Tara Ariano has ceaselessly recommended, and even people who don’t care about sports seem to like. Guys, I’m in Indiana, the basketball capital of the universe. I kind of gotta.
What about you? Will there be true crime in your weekend, or are you into something else? As always, we’d love to hear. — EB
Justin Roiland Denies New Report Alleging Sexual Assault and Messages With Young Fans [Variety]
I strongly believe that we’ll soon see a high-profile documentary or series on the rise and fall of Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland. News of his domestic violence charges (since cleared) spurred a wave of social media anecdotes about problematic (or worse) interactions with the until-then beloved Adult Swim creative; a new NBC News report places him under way more scrutiny this week.
Per NBC, which interviewed 11 women and nonbinary people, Roiland allegedly sexually assaulted at least one fan, and engaged in text exchanges with teens that allegedly turned sexual in nature. Roiland denied the new claims by, through a rep, directing reporters to the tweet he posted following the domestic violence case. Not the strategy I would have chosen, but I’ve found myself saying that about a lot of celebrities over the past week. — EB
Stolen Van Gogh piece is returned in a bloody pillowcase inside an Ikea bag (gift link) [Washington Post]
“This is exactly how I’d return a stolen painting,” a curator friend of mine announced via Insta, and while she was kidding I kind of see the point. Every detail in María Luisa Paúl’s report is just as memeable, and makes for a brilliant read.
Groninger Museum director Andreas Blühm “was eating Indonesian-style french fries” when he got the news of the artwork’s return (don’t know what that means, but I want it). The bag was one if IKEA’s iconic blue bags, the kind I use to ferry my laundry to the nearest -mat. The thief “fled on a motorcycle” after shattering a door to get to the painting, on March 30, 2020, Van Gogh’s 167th birthday to the day. How can you not click on this thing? — EB
‘One of the Most Hated People in the World’: Sam Bankman-Fried’s 250 Pages of Justifications (gift link) [New York Times]
I wonder if feeling like the world is verging on parody is a universal function of middle age, or if the sensation I get when reading stories like this one about currently jailed former crypto magnate Sam Bankman-Fried is one that everyone (age be damned) feels.
Because the first three grafs are satire BINGO, alone:
At the end of a 15,000-word Twitter thread he never posted, Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of the failed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, offered a blunt assessment of his predicament.
“I’m broke and wearing an ankle monitor and one of the most hated people in the world,” he wrote. “There will probably never be anything I can do to make my lifetime impact net positive.”
He added: “And the truth is that I did what I thought was right.”
The rest is just as bizarre, schadenfreude-y, and eye-rolling as you might expect. Pairs well with a cocktail or bowl of buttered popcorn. (Or both.) — EB
Next week on Best Evidence: War crimes, quitting true crime (god forbid!), and love frauds.
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