(This is not a review, which means it absolutely contains spoilers. If you haven’t watched this series, you should keep this tab open until after you finish watching it.)
Perfect Wife: the Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papini is the second Sherri Papini true crime documentary I’ve watched recently. The first one was a two hour special that I tracked down on Peacock. The one on Hulu is a multi-episode series. Usually, I prefer a multi-episode series because the documentarians can go into a little more depth, interview more people, and provide more insight.
And while the documentary tried to structure it so people who are unfamiliar with the case might feel the drama of the twist that she was never kidnapped, the issue is it creates a narrative where perhaps the “monster” is actually sympathetic or misunderstood. And I am not sure how I feel about that.
I guess one has to ask themselves whether Munchausen or Munchausen by Proxy are sympathetic diagnoses? It relies so much on the act of deceiving others – and people generally do not enjoy feeling deceived. Also, so often these diagnoses involve harming children. I’m going to take the risk and assume that the answer is no, these are not sympathetic diagnoses. But perhaps Hulu feels differently because at times while watching the series, I wondered if Hulu wanted me to feel sympathy for Sherri Papini.
Let me catch you up: Sherri Papini goes missing. All that is discovered is her iPod and a clump of hair on the side of the road. While everyone searches for her, Someone discovers her alive on the side of the road with a chain wrapped around her. The police investigate and she tells them that she was kidnapped by two women of Mexican heritage who were attempting to sell her to a cop.
It was all a lie. She was actually picked up by her ex-boyfriend where she faked her injuries and watched the news footage of her own kidnapping.
The program did not mention Munchausen because she was never officially diagnosed with it. But it alludes to it many times, and eventually relays a story from one of her children about how she and her mother had participated in activities to make themselves seem sick. I think the audience is expected to assume Munchausen even if no one consulted a doctor.
I finished the series. I felt like it had some interesting information. I also feel like a lot was left out of it. It took a long time before they approached the reason why she claimed it was two women of Mexican heritage who abducted her. They could have dug in more about the cultural climate of the community and her history of making false accusations.
But I guess the reason I kept watching is watching how Sherri Papini could pivot from a lie into another lie without breaking stride. Like watching the Olympic Track and Field competitors as they seamlessly leap over hurdles.
What I liked most about this doc:
The husband explains why he stayed. I think that when you are dealing with real life humans, it’s good to listen to them explain why they made a choice to stay with someone who they knew did bad things. In other docs (like The Staircase) the family at times comes across as a little delusional. Where in this one, he doesn’t seem like he was taken in by the excuses, but also knows that he married this monster. He confessed to ultimately being confused over everything and had no idea what to do, especially considering that he has children with this person. We all want to say we know what we would do in these situations, but it’s never simple when children are involved.
What I didn’t love:
The interviews with the sister were interesting, but I didn’t quite get the tone. Perhaps she also is frustrated and confused like the husband, not understanding why her sister did what she did but also knowing they had a traumatic childhood. She didn’t make excuses but I didn’t know whether the documentary wanted the viewer to dismiss Sherri Papini’s choices as the result of a traumatic childhood.
This will likely be the last special I watch about this particular case, unless – obviously – Netflix does one.
Read Books. Wear Boots.
XOXO,
B.
If you are interested in the content I am consuming, be sure to sign up for the Books and Boots Newsletter where every month I send out an email catching readers up with everything I am watching, reading, listening to, and loving that month!
Sign up at brandibradley.com/newsletter
I have a little experience with liars. Check out my short non-fiction "In the Company of Liars".
Comments