Love can be a beautiful but very scary emotion. An example of a worst case scenario, is having an ex-lover who jilted you out of a lump sum of money through a break-up. After we lose in the game of love, we are hesitant to re-engage and usually proceed with caution when it comes to dating the next solicitor for our hearts. Blumhouse Productions will have singles rethinking their need for romantic love with their newest psycho-thrilling docuseries, Worst Ex Ever. The unlikely relationship between fear and love is the basis for the true-crime series that exposes the dangers of falling in love with the wrong person. For most people, breakups involve heartbreak, rejection and infidelity. Instead of broken and betrayed hearts, the exes featured leave their relationships with long-term memory loss due to violent beatings, bankruptcy and financial ruin because of undeserved prison sentences and murders of family members. ‘Worst Ex Ever’ is not the for the weak, or hopeful in heart, and sheds a light on the probability of encountering a significant other with mental illness that could be life-threatening.
Instead of slowly building the journey of a beautiful love story with a shocking pivot midway through, the 1st episode starts off with a woman walking into a grisly scene, finding her best friend Justine Siemens in her garage, beaten beyond recognition. Before the viewer is assured, the first victim survives; a beautiful young woman named Amber, shares her experience meeting a handsome, charismatic, bartender named Benjamin Foster. Arguably, Benjamin is a bachelor most women would swipe right on because of his rugged good looks and outgoing personality. Amber speaks candidly about their courtship, acknowledging the two moved in together and considered building a future together. Once Amber’s guard was down, Benjamin blacked out and beat her mercilessly. Thankfully, Amber managed to escape, running to a neighbor’s home for refuge and calling the police. Amber would endure another bout of physical violence before leaving the relationship. Amber’s reluctance to believe Benjamin was a “bad guy” will undoubtedly resonate with many viewers. After spending time in jail, Benjamin starts stalking Amber, exhibiting all the signs of a psychopath. Although Amber was victimized by Benjamin several times before she left the relationship, her commentary never suggested she realized the danger she was exposed to during the relationship.
Episode 1, ‘Dating the Devil’, details Benjamin’s seduction of several women over the period of almost twenty years. He victimized three very different women during that time, kidnapping and beating one for almost two weeks before she managed to escape. The episode ends revealing a triumphant and very much alive Justine, although the physical abuse she endured at the hands of Benjamin left her disfigured with long-term memory loss.
A Single Mother Betrayed by Her Lover
Just as the goosebumps are settling from the horror of the first episode, part 2 ‘Betrayed by the Badge’ tells a completely different but equally horrific tale of Seemona, a responsible single mother betrayed by her lover and local law enforcement. A first generation U.S. citizen and successful entrepreneur, Seemona owned a local eatery and bought the home where her parents raised her. If viewers couldn’t relate to the women dealing with the domestic violence caused by Benjamin, they will certainly relate to the handsome Jerry, who appears to be well-versed, successful and, most importantly, patient. Jerry pursues Seemony with the intensity of a man who is serious about commitment and a relationship. Jerry’s attention to detail convinced Seemona, her friends and family and even other law enforcement agents that he was a member of the local police department.
When Seemona discovers Jerry is married and not employed by the local police department, she breaks things off with him and refuses to listen to his excuses. When he realizes being with Seemona is a lost cause, Jerry’s malicious attention to detail is directed at Seemona and destroying her life. Surprisingly, Jerry’s connections with the police department enable him to frame Seemona for aggravated assault. He enlists the cooperation of three strangers to falsely accuse Seemona of accosting them at gunpoint. The narrative digests like an unbelievable movie as Seemona is eventually jailed, tried and shipped to prison for several crimes she didn’t commit. The innocent mother spends almost 8 months in prison before one of Jerry’s confidants gains a conscience and tells the truth. Although Seemona eventually gained her freedom, she loses everything, including time with her pre-teen daughter, her brick and mortar business and her beloved childhood home.
Worst EX Ever Kills For Custody
Episode 3, ‘Killing for Custody’ switches things up, focusing on a male hero with a female villain. Eric, a shy introvert, meets a reserved woman named Rosa, with whom he is remarkably compatible. Relieved to find a romantic partner he felt comfortable being himself, Eric proposes marriage to Rosa and is excited to start a family. The couple welcome a beautiful baby girl and although Eric finds himself ecstatic about having a family of his own, Rosa abruptly begins to withdraw. Eric grapples with feeling unwanted, but Rosa leans into the disconnect, and soon he realizes it’s becoming increasingly harder to spend quality time with his daughter, not to mention his wife. Rosa ices Eric out completely, and reluctantly he acquiesces to begin the process of divorce. Suddenly, it becomes clear that Rosa intends to divorce Eric from both their marriage and his right to fatherhood. The situation becomes frightening as Rosa becomes desperate to keep their daughter away from her father. Eric enlists the help of his close-knit family to support him in the divorce and with his custody battle. Rosa enlists the help of her family also, but instead of focusing on support, in an effort to keep Eric away from his daughter, she resorts to murdering his 91-year-old grandmother and attempting to take his life also.
Episode 4, ‘Married to a Monster’ rips the facade off the fallacy of the perfect family. Amanda and Kevin appear to be the perfect couple to their friends, family and strangers alike. Handsome and protective, Kevin wins over Amanda’s parents and brother, assuring them she is his ultimate priority. Amanda falls head over heels for Kevin and the two get married and move on to phase 2, creating their family. After the three previous episodes, the viewers aren’t surprised to see the perfect-looking couple’s relationship implode and Kevin’s nice guy disguise exposed to his reality as a physically abusive and narcissistic maniac. Even with Kevin’s relationship with Amanda’s family, he proceeds to abuse her physically, resulting in them assisting her in a speedy divorce. Post divorce, Kevin’s facade continues unraveling and Amanda re-locates to escape his threatening presence. Kevin’s relentless pursuit of his ex-wife extends to her immediate family. He enlists the help of a small-town criminal in a plot to kill his ex-wife. Kevin’s diabolical plan has a painful twist as the killer-for-hire murders Amanda’s niece in an attempt to kill her.
One of the Most Bone-Chilling Docuseries
Worst Ex Ever is one of the most bone-chilling docuseries on Netflix. The reason the series is so poignant is not because of its gruesome or senseless brutality. Blumhouse Productions removed our basic human need to believe that crime or danger is recognizable by distasteful characteristics. It’s unfathomable to imagine a murderer being handsome and charming or an abuser being shy and introverted. It soothes our psyche to believe that evil is recognizable by being adverse to the qualities we value. We can watch a handsome serial killer in a fiction series such as ‘YOU’, but again, there is the comfort of understanding the series is not real and assuming the actor, Penn Badgley, is a good-looking guy who is probably great in real life, just playing a bad character. Furthermore, we feel safer when there are flaws in our victims, that allow us to distance the likelihood of something similar happening to us.
We need to believe the good-looking man on the dating app is a good guy, and the beautiful, soft-spoken woman is an exemplary potential wife. If we can’t make assumptions about danger or violence, the dating world becomes an increasingly scarier, even life-threatening landscape. In this technological age of dating apps and artificial intelligence, the reality of meeting a mentally unstable but incredibly attractive stranger poses a threat to everyone.Worst Ex Ever has received great reviews online thus far, but the biggest impact most likely takes place around water coolers, and girlfriend group chats across the world discussing the dangerous reality of dating in 2024. Worst Ex Ever is available to stream on Netflix.
Watch on Netflix
