Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich – Netflix Season 1 Review

Episode Guide

Hunting Grounds
Follow The Money
The Island
Finding Their Voice

Money can’t buy you happiness but when it comes to Jeffrey Epstein, it can buy you pretty much everything else. Split across four episodes, Filthy Rich is a shocking and heart-wrenching account of one man’s abuse of power and how he destroyed the lives of many young girls. With ties to some of the wealthiest people in the world, the power of the MeToo movement takes centre stage as the survivors are given the spotlight and the chance to retell their horrific ordeals at the hands of this sexual predator.

The series take cues from Surviving R. Kelly and predominantly revolves around the victims and what happened to them. A lot of the girls have similar stories that back up what was really going on and episode 1 acts as the foundations for which the rest of the series builds off of. With over 30 different victims coming forward and telling their stories (but only a handful depicted here), the second part sees the police mobilize and try to convict this slippery felon, only to see his influence and money bend the rules once more. Episode 3 returns to more victim stories as we learn about Epstein’s private island and his ties to famous people including Trump, Clinton and Prince Andrew before the final part turns the tables and sees this man brought to justice.

The episodes themselves are well-paced, with numerous talking head segments interjected with unhelpful police testimonies from Epstein who asserts his amendment rights to weasel out of answering questions fired at him surrounding the underage trafficking and sex he was a part of. His long-time girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell denies all allegations surrounding her involvement in this but across the episodes it’s clear that she was a big instigator in recruiting more victims for Epstein to feast on. With each episode clocking in at around an hour or so, there’s a fair amount of material to sift through but the series certainly doesn’t waste a second of your time.

Much like Surviving R. Kelly, the most powerful and gut-wrenching moments come from hearing the victim stories and some of them are incredibly difficult to listen to. From Prince Andrew’s disgusting profuse sweating to Epstein’s glee at molesting a 14 year old girl, there are a lot of stories told here that paint a portrait of a cruel, malicious millionaire who used his wealth to get away with whatever he wanted. As the lawyers within this documentary note, Epstein’s suicide in prison really underlines the cruelty this man had, especially coupled with the way he signed off a will several days prior to this act as a middle finger gesture to the many women he hurt and destroyed over the years.

The series relies heavily on these talking head segments, with expository text helping to visualize a timeline of events that jump back and forth through time to fill in the blanks and show the true extent of what was happening behind closed doors. The musical score picks up during some of the more shocking reveals and the stock photos of a smug and confident Epstein during these moments work to elevate the disdain toward this man.

Overall, Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich is a difficult, emotionally draining and essential documentary series. It’s one that shows the influence the super-rich elites have and how some, like Jeffrey Epstein, use that to get whatever they want and abuse whomever they want to along the way. This informative and educational series is one of the more important true crime series of the year and another excellent addition to Netflix’s roster.

Published: 27 May 2020 at 11:20pm on TheReviewGeek.com

Click Here To Go Back To Our TV Show Reviews