Posted October 11, 20222 yr This is obviously one of the most spoken about shows at the moment. In all true Ryan Murphy style, he gives a back story and somehow attempts to make you sympathise for Dahmer.
October 11, 20222 yr We've watched this. It was okay, I think it got better as it went along as more of the other characters became more prominent. I can safely say that I never felt even remotely sorry for Dahmer's character though. I'm pleased it wasn't as gory and gratuitous as it could have been with Murphy at the helm. It didn't shy away from what he did but we didn't actually see too much of it - although as with all things like this, the implied things and the sounds heard from next door were more chilling than actually seeing it depicted.
October 11, 20222 yr I am intrigued to see this. A few years ago I listened to a true story on a podcast, about a guy who went to a bar every so often and saw the same guy every time he went. He was attracted to the guy but couldn't pluck up the courage to talk to the guy. Every time he would see this guy leaving with other guys. One time at the bar, the guy decided to just go for it and instigated conversation. The other guy bought him a drink but when the first guy went to the toilet the other guy disappeared. Years later the first guy saw the other guys face all over the TV screens as it was Dahmer..... That story has always stuck with me. I am happy the LGBTQIA+ tag was removed from the programme. That's the sort of thing that causes homophobic people to go 'look, this is what gay men do'
October 12, 20222 yr Author it's also to note that Ryan has merged two character in one with the neighbour, as the Glenda person didn't actually live next door
October 12, 20222 yr Author It's interesting re; the LGBTQ tag as you do wonder if Dahmer was actually even gay or just wanted to target a certain group of people. It should be under the tag though as it's literally about gay black people being killed.
October 12, 20222 yr I don’t think LGBTQ+ is quite the key aspect of this show though! It absolutely should not be tagged that way… it’s a show about a serial killer who happened to target gay men - and probably was gay himself. Its key elements are serial killer and real life story.
October 13, 20222 yr Author what would you consider part of the LGBTQ+ tag? Lighthearted and positive representation only?
October 13, 20222 yr Not at all, just not stories that happen to have gay people in them. LGBTQ+ tags should be used imo for shows that are actually about the culture, which this show is not. This is about a serial killer and, if anything, the subject it’s actually trying to address as a secondary element is a story about how the police department failed the victims due to the majority being BAME and from a poor socioeconomic background. After all, a murder show set in a football club wouldn’t be tagged as a sports show.
October 13, 20222 yr Author Right. I see your point. I’d slightly argue that as most of the victims were gay and targeted for that it would deem it suitable for that genre whereas a tv show having gay characters in it wouldn’t be appropiate as its not the basis for the show. Its sorta like if a reinactment of the Manchester bombing happened & it was tagged as Ariana Grande when, although relevant, not really the theme. Edited October 13, 20222 yr by dannjohn
October 25, 20222 yr I have now watched this and I am not sure if being a fan is the right word, but I found it totally compelling, engrossing, horrifying TV. Firstly, Evan Peters as Dahmer is one of the most convincing roles I've seen in a long time: it is terrifying how he portrays the killer right down to slight nuances, quirks and mannerisms. Secondly, the entire atmosphere of the show is spot on in creating a forboding sense of horror. It is fairly slow moving but luckily the tension and need to see what happened next in the horrifying true story kept me going. My problems with it are the factual inaccuracies, the back story at times seems convuluted and the final two episodes frustrated me (mainly because of the events that happened - but the reaction to him once he was arrested did happen so it had to be shown). Another issue away from the show is the celebrity nature that Dahmer is re-receiving in the light of the show - children dressing up as him for Halloween etc.. I can't even bear to think of the thought process behind decisions like this. On the argument of the LGBTQ tag... I think it is an interesting discussion. I would've kept the tag on, not that it means much in the grand scheme of things. This is because the show explores the prejudices towards the community, the way the world viewed LGBT people at the time and some of the hurtful stigma that existed. Therefore, it does offer a brief insight into what life was like for LGBT people at the time (and I mean away from the murders - the scenes in the clubs, the reactions from the police officers when visiting the apartment of a gay person etc). I wouldn't have kept the tag on purely because Dahmer was gay and killed gay people, but because of the insight it offers into some gay people's experiences at the time. I hope that makes sense and I've explained it well enough - I don't want to cause offence!
October 26, 20222 yr Author the one narrative i don't understand is why Ryan Murphy merged two black women to make the neighbour.
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