Love and lies: “Dirty John” is coming to Netflix

BY ARIELLE KRAUS

“Dirty John,” which originally aired on HBO, was supposed to make its Netflix debut on Valentine’s Day, but has been postponed. However, the eight-episode series is available on Bravo. Netflix’s decision to not release the show on Valentine’s Day is probably for the best, as this story is not romantic and more like romance gone wrong.

The show is based on the true story of John Meehan and Debra Newell as well as the true-crime podcast hosted by Christopher Goffard. Meehan was a man who led a life of lies. He met Newell after being released from prison and married her shortly after. However, he never informed her of his dark past, leaving her to find out the hard way.

John Meehan, played by Eric Bana, swept Debra Newell (Connie Britton) off her feet when they first met through an online dating website. Over the course of the season, Newell discovers that Meehan has a mischievous past of drug dealing, stalking, possession of a rifle and has many lawsuits against him.

The acting in this show is quite remarkable as the audience truly does think Meehan is charming, at first. As the show progresses, they soon see that he is not the man one thinks him to be. Britton also does an incredible job playing the naive wife who continues to run back to Meehan.

The acting in this show is quite remarkable as the audience truly does think Meehan is charming, at first.

Newell’s daughters, Terra (Julia Garner) and Veronica (Juno Temple), despise Meehan from the moment they are introduced on the show. They are skeptical of his actions and hire a private investigator to find out information regarding Meehan.

The actresses portraying the daughters make them out to be very annoying and spoiled. Although they do reveal much of Meehan’s past through their discoveries, the girls themselves are not the most enjoyable characters to watch.

Unfortunately, the story does not end well as Meehan attempts to commit physical violence on Newell’s daughter, who fights back using skills she learned from “The Walking Dead.” “Dirty John” overdramatizes the story it was based on in some scenes. Yet, those like the ending ones are actually depicting what occurred in real life.

“Dirty John” engages the audience with its mysterious storyline that develops with each episode.

The official Netflix release date has not been rescheduled, but the show should be added to the streaming service in the near future. This show is a must watch for anyone into true crime. The material is heavy, but interesting and engaging.

“There’s no set schedule as to when we acquire new contents,” Netflix customer service representative Nelia Canlas said. “‘Dirty John’ is not yet available.”

“Dirty John” engages the audience with its mysterious storyline that develops with each episode. It keeps viewers’ eyes glued to the screen and makes them want to continue watching the plot unfold. The show is definitely worth giving a chance.

“Everything was a lie,” Newell said. “You feel like John just thought he was the greatest guy on earth. It was like he was convinced of it, how great he was, how good-looking he was.”

Photo courtesy of Pop Sugar