Show Us Your Face

In 2020 the 6 part documentary series "I'll Be Gone In the Dark" was released on HBO, about the slew of sexual assaults and killings in the 1970s and later by the man who became known as the Golden State Killer. At the very end of the 2020 series, the man was amazingly identified and brought into custody. Now almost a year later, we get this new episode that brings an update on what has happened in the past year.

As Episode 7 "Show Us Your Face" (2021 release; 50 min.), we are in "Sacramento, California", at the sentencing hearing of the Golden State Killer, now in his mid-70s. In a different story line altogether, Episode 7 then reflects on Michelle McNamara's upbringing in Oak Park, IL (just outside of Chicago), and how she became interested in the possible parallels between the 1894 murder of a young lady in Oak Part, and the 1982 assault of another young lady, just blocks apart from each other....

Couple of comments: producer-director Elizabeth Wolff faced a challenge: it was clear that an update of some sort was needed, but what if you simply need more material to fill an entire episode? The answer, it turns out to be, is to look at a completely unrelated case that McNamara had an interest in at some point. It feels a little bit like trying to push a square through a circle. The episode is at its very best when it continues the Golden State Killer case, in particular when the victims provide victim statements in court and directly to the Golden State Killer. Just chilling. But overall, this episode feels at best like a "post-scriptum" episode and not an essential part of the entire documentary series.

Episode 7 of "I'll Be Gone In the Dark" premiered on HBO in late June, and is now available on HBO On Demand, HBO Max, and other streaming services. If you liked the original 6 episodes, I encourage you to check out this new episode, and draw your own conclusion.