Netflix Series thread

[camgarsky4]

Figured we would create a thread just for us to post thoughts as the series progresses.

As Lorcan said, it starts tomorrow.

Personally, I am 'prepared' for an 'over-the-top' sensationalist portrayal along the lines of the movie "Lizzie" and the original Borden movie, "The Legend of Lizzie Borden", with Elizabeth Montgomery. A caricature of Cinderella's stepmother, oh sorry, I mean Abby, Scrooge (Andrew), subtly blended with a passionate love affair between Lizzie and Bridget.

I've promised my family I won't keep 'telling them what really happened' or moan and groan too much. Unless of course, if they ask.

Just going to try to sit back and enjoy.

[Inspector]

Not to be a negative Nancy, but I’ll just trust you guys to post if there’s anything worth mentioning.
Maybe the series will spark a new idea for y’all.

[camgarsky4]

It appears all 8 episodes of the series will be available to view tomorrow. So if its palatable, you can binge watch the entire thing in one sitting.


Netflix Release Time for Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story on September 17
Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story will be available on Netflix at 3:00 a.m. ET on Thursday, September 17, 2026

How this works
Netflix is releasing all eight episodes of the new Monster season in a single binge drop on Thursday, September 17, 2026
. This means you can start watching immediately at the release time — no weekly waiting.

[Lorcan]

I'll stay off this thread to avoid "spoilers" until I can finish the series, probably mostly over the weekend. I really hope they take advantage of the younger age of the actors to portray the rise of Andrew as a businessman and what Abby was going through before marrying Andrew. Showing the death of Sarah Borden and young Emma's promise would be a full extra star on my review.

If they set up some of the backstory I will cut them a lot of slack on the sensationalism that will surely be included so the story meets those who don't know the history's idea of a compelling drama rather than a documentary.

On the subject of a documentary, as much as many of us wish we could just see a few seconds here or there (not the actual swinging of the hatchet) so we could solve the mystery, as a thought experiment, pretend the murders never happened and there was no mystery. How many of us would have wanted to live in that house at that time even for a few hours? I mean really do the experiment - the temperatures, the clothes, the food, the smells, the tension, the hostility in that house would be nearly unbearable to us in our air conditioning with endless restaurant options and fresh fruit and vegetables year round. I know it's all relative and some of what we would find very uncomfortable would have been just the way it is from their perspectives. But, I think it goes to show why they can't really film a documentary with absolute realism without shrinking the audience to people like us and we'd likely nitpick their documentary anyway.

Teenabee, you being a screenwriter, would you consider chiming in to give us some professional perspectives on what the showrunners and writers likely had to compromise on to get the project filmed?

[camgarsky4]

Just watched the first episode. Not sure if I'll watch any more...probably will at some point out of morbid curiosity, but taking a lengthy break to purge my mind of what I just experienced.

No spoilers, but here are just a couple of examples of how well this show tracks to the true events. Please know this is a very vanilla listing.

Cherry trees = pear trees. (Magic cherry trees...they bear fruit and flowers simultaneously.)
Doves = pigeons
Bridget = can read and speak multiple languages and is some sort of gypsy prodigy
Borden backyard = Gardens worthy of Versailles

There really is no excuse for this absurdity.

[camgarsky4]

ditto

[Sminion]

Also mostly ditto... Just watched the first 2, the second episode does continue the same way but even more so! What is this mess?

[Philmento]

Haven't watched yet, probably will start tonight but, already seeing from the absurd "trailer" how disappointed I will be. Especially the layout of the house. OMG, how come NO ONE has created the house as it should be. It is Integral to the whole dang thing to me, almost a character unto itself. Every fictionalization I've seen automatically gets a docked grade for that.

I digress. I will go into this one knowing that this isn't a series to be based on any fact outside of the event itself. So, maybe I will just try and enjoy it as some weird alternate universe version of the story, eh?

[Sminion]

Episode 3 OMG. I will persevere to get through it by Monday but definitely joining Lizzie as a "I watched it once, and that's enough"

[camgarsky4]

Finished #2. I can't binge this thing......needing at least half a day to between episodes!!

I presume it's supposed to be a dark comedy.

Bridget somehow got hold of Mary Poppins purse (or maybe its Hermione Granger's bag).

Spoiler alert...Bertha Manchester makes a cameo appearance!

[Inspector]

I had a feeling if the house in the movie, The Legend Of Lizzie Borden, starring Elizabeth Montgomery bothered me for not being accurate, this series would probably be far worse.

Then with what has been mentioned above, glad I chose not to watch it.

[Sminion]

Finished #2. I can't binge this thing......needing at least half a day to between episodes!!

I presume it's supposed to be a dark comedy.

Bridget somehow got hold of Mary Poppins purse (or maybe its Hermione Granger's bag).

Spoiler alert...Bertha Manchester makes a cameo appearance!

But looking a lot older than the 22 she was when killed the year after the Borden murders in real life.

[Inspector]

At least in 1975 there were some plausible scenarios to consider., some actual research was done, and an effort for authenticity.
I guess in the Netflix series we’re
just waiting to hear more about Mary Poppins .

[camgarsky4]

Tell you what, I feel so naive and narrow-minded realizing now that in spite of studying this case intensely for six years, I've missed all the clear cues that everyone was having sex with everyone and doing it everywhere except in their bedrooms!!

Regarding the 'Mary Poppins like' purse that Bridget possesses...its repeated use informs the viewer that Bridget was clearly a chemist in a former life...but seemingly has now redirected her life's aspiration into the field of domestic servitude.

Now that I am 4 (or maybe its 5) episodes in, my brain has accepted the show as a tongue-in-cheek, dark comedy and has transitioned to being somewhat entertaining to me. Channel your inner 'Fargo' and watching is more enjoyable.
The mind is an amazing thing.

[camgarsky4]

Finished the series. Happy to discuss as the rest of you wrap it up.

[Inspector]

Let me guess. RUBBISH!
Well, this comes from someone who refuses to read any novel on the case.

[jamfaws]

Hello, I hope it’s ok to post this has it has been many years since my last post, but here goes on my thoughts on Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story
I’m surprised the name Mary Contrary isn’t listed in the credits as a writer for this show! Instead of pears we have cherries instead of pigeons we have doves instead of dogs we have cats instead of overweight Abby we have trim Abby and that’s not the main reason this show fails miserably! Even if I take my bias out of the mix due to studying the case since 1985 and accept artistic licence this show still stinks! It doesn’t know what it wants to be it’s far too inaccurate to be an historical drama far to lame to cut it as horror no real humour to call it a dark comedy deciding to incorporate 1980s and beyond music into multiple scenes just doesn’t work. Part way through the season it decides to take it a bit more serious even adding on screen text telling the viewer the words are from actual transcripts from the case, but all this comes too little, too late! NONE of the characters are remotely like the real-life people they are playing, the actors act well for the most part the few moments where things are interesting were far too fleeting Linda Reiter as Bertha Manchester is superb, but it’s all so absurd the entire show feels like a skit for Saturday Night Live! The killing of Abby is gruesome in parts but let down by having absolutely no tension attached to it, the killing of Andrew is even more absurd! It’s frustrating, sad and annoying in equal parts that the makers of this show were given a huge amount of money that could have done justice to this story but instead went for sensationalised drivel and one must wonder who the intended audience are? The reason this case has stayed relevant for over 130 years is due to the mystery of who killed Andrew and Abby the show fails on all counts to make the viewer feel like they are watching a mystery or wonder did she or didn’t she (since they show she did right from the get go there is zero mystery) finally putting Eileen Wuornos into the show visiting the Borden House decades later when it became a bed and breakfast connecting her to Lizzie just for the sake of including her in the show when it’s clear it would have been better for Ryan Murphy to actually make a Monster series about Eileen instead of Lizzie. Final points, I struggled to watch this series but kept on going to the bitter end! was it worth it? Even with all my negative insights I will say yes, it was worth watching just to see how bad it was it would have been better if they scaled back the CGI (the barn felt like the Tardis from Doctor Who a smallish building on the outside but humongous on the inside!) I wish they had kept the characters more grounded to the original real-life people of the time and not been so contrary in changing relevant details just to be contrary (also at no point do you feel like you are in Fall River) ultimately, they throw everything but the kitchen sink at it and in the process, it backfires spectacularly! the Lizzie Borden Story it is not! Cheers, Aaron (London, UK)