The Serpent

Name: The Serpent
Genre: Drama, Suspense
Released: April 2, 2021
Rating: 59

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 18 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 15 Ratings

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7.0

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7.0	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 15 Ratings

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Series Details & Credits

Netflix | BBC One | Release Date: April 2, 2021

Summary: Set in the 1970s, conman Charles Sobhraj (Tahar Rahim) and his girlfriend Marie-Andrée Leclerc (Jenna Coleman) begin their crime spree in southeast Asia which catches the attention of Dutch diplomat Herman Knippenberg (Billy Howle) and his wife (Ellie Bamber) in this eight-part series inspired by real events.

[Premiered originally in theSet in the 1970s, conman Charles Sobhraj (Tahar Rahim) and his girlfriend Marie-Andrée Leclerc (Jenna Coleman) begin their crime spree in southeast Asia which catches the attention of Dutch diplomat Herman Knippenberg (Billy Howle) and his wife (Ellie Bamber) in this eight-part series inspired by real events.

[Premiered originally in the UK on BBC One on 1 Jan 2021 and in the US on Netflix on 2 Apr 2021]… Expand

Genre(s): Drama, Suspense

Recent Episodes

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S1:E8. Episode 8
Air Date: November 30, -0001
tbd
S1:E7. Episode 7
Air Date: November 30, -0001
tbd
S1:E6. Episode 6
Air Date: November 30, -0001

See all Seasons and Episodes

Metascore

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Critic Reviews

IndieWire Steve Greene

Apr 2, 2021

Season 1 Review: The added time and the measured work from the show’s core cast help to show the full psychological toll it takes to both evade justice and to attempt to see it delivered. Read full review

Dorothy Rabinowitz

Apr 1, 2021

Season 1 Review: [Tahar Rahim] brings a breathtaking subtlety to the part of Sobhraj. ... It takes time, admittedly, until the full details of the master plan Sobhraj followed sink in. Read full review

Bob Strauss

Mar 31, 2021

Season 1 Review: Rahim’s is a great, if slow-building, performance, perfectly persuasive in a role riven with secrets and lies. Edireweera and Coleman also locate human frailties in the despicable people they play. The pace of “The Serpent” quickens in its later episodes, whiplashing the audience with well-conceived character revelations, plot reversals and tightening international manhunt mechanics. Read full review

The Independent Ed Cumming

Mar 5, 2021

Season 1 Review: It’s not quick. Even allowing for the need to introduce the characters and the timeframes, the pace is glacial, at odds with the rapid changes of time and location. ... It’s Herman’s storyline that’s the more interesting of the two. We know what the snake is going to do. The challenge is catching it. Read full review

i Gerard Gilbert

Dec 3, 2021

Season 1 Review: With the local Thai police both corrupt and uninterested in the fate of ‘long-hairs’, Knippenberg becomes the detective figure in the subsequent story; once you grasped that, The Serpent became less slippery. Read full review

Daniel D'Addario

Mar 30, 2021

Season 1 Review: As it becomes evident that fundamental questions about Sobhraj’s temperament and decision-making are beyond this series’ grasp, the temporal leaps start to seem like distraction more than edification. Sobhraj is, by the end, an ably played monster who did things at a certain time, with neither man nor time convincingly explored beyond depiction. Read full review

Daniel Fienberg

Apr 1, 2021

Season 1 Review: The Serpent ends up being an infuriating blueprint for how bad storytelling choices, bad accents and an opaque central performance can thwart even the most inherently gripping of yarns. Read full review

SEE ALL 18 REVIEWS

User Score

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User Reviews

Nathonas

Apr 1, 2022

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I really enjoyed this show. First off, I love the retro way it was shot, it makes you feel like you're there in the 70s and 80s. The cinemotrapgy is also quite unique with the camera zooming and the environment backgrounds. The writing is good and the characters are interesting. The show also does a great job of making you feel creeper out about how the antagonist… Expand

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TVJerry

Apr 9, 2021

This series is based on the true story of con man Charles Sobhraj (played by Tahar Rahim, who was brilliant as the prisoner in The Mauritanian). In the 70s, he befriended hippies travelling thru Asia, slipped them a solution that made them sick, stole their money and passports, thenThis series is based on the true story of con man Charles Sobhraj (played by Tahar Rahim, who was brilliant as the prisoner in The Mauritanian). In the 70s, he befriended hippies travelling thru Asia, slipped them a solution that made them sick, stole their money and passports, then sometimes killed them. Meanwhile, a Dutch diplomat started an investigation into 2 missing travelers which eventually led to Sobhraj being captured. This is an English production, which may be one of the reasons for the subdued pace and the off-camera staging of anything horrible. Rahim plays his character with almost no expression, just a quiet intensity. It makes it seem unlikely he was that charismatic or seductive. While the case plays out over 8 episodes, it could have 6 or 7 if the tension had been tighter. As it is, the story is fascinating, but the “execution” could have used more umph. (Mostly in English, but some foreign-language segments have subtitles)… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Seasons & Episodes

59

Series Overview
Season 1

59
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: April 2, 2021
- tbd
  S1:E8. Episode 8
  Air Date: November 30, -0001
- tbd
  S1:E7. Episode 7
  Air Date: November 30, -0001
- tbd
  S1:E6. Episode 6
  Air Date: November 30, -0001
- tbd
  S1:E5. Episode 5
  Air Date: November 30, -0001
- tbd
  S1:E4. Episode 4
  Air Date: November 30, -0001
- tbd
  S1:E3. Episode 3
  Air Date: November 30, -0001
- tbd
  S1:E2. Episode 2
  Air Date: November 30, -0001
- tbd
  S1:E1. Episode 1
  Air Date: November 30, -0001