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Netflix dropped the Evan Peters-starrer limited series Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story on Wednesday, September 21, 2022. It documents the real-life crimes of American serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. The series portrays the perspective of the victims' families as well as Dahmer's testimony during his insanity trial.
Episode 8 of Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story compels Dahmer's parents, Lionel Dahmer and Joyce Flint, to reflect on their past and how they contributed to Dahmer's vicious behavior.
Peters, who won the Emmy Award for his performance in Mare of Easttown, is seen stepping into the shoes of the Milwaukee serial killer in Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.
In addition to Peters, Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story also features Richard Jenkins as Dahmer's father, Penelope Ann Miller as Dahmer's mother, Molly Ringwald as his stepmother Shari, Niecy Nash as Dahmer's neighbor Glenda Cleveland, Michael Learned as Catherine Dahmer and Shaun J. Brown as Tracy Edwards.
Read on for a detailed recap of episode 8 of Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.
Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story episode 8 recap: Why did Jeffrey Dahmer's father blame himself?
Episode 6 of Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is titled Lionel, after Dahmer's father, Lionel Dahmer. While it looked at both Dahmer's biological parents, Lionel Dahmer and Joyce Flint, it focused on Lionel since he shared his interest in dissecting his son's criminal activities.
The episode began with Lionel visiting his son, who was in custody. A human interaction marked by an awkward father and an unfazed son unraveled. Lionel asked Dahmer why he did what he did. Dahmer replied that his interest in the human body arose from the days when Lionel would dissect roadkill in his garage. It is to be noted that Lionel, a research chemist, had taught Dahmer how to preserve animal bones as well as use different acids.
However, Lionel was dumbfounded to learn that he could be one of the potential reasons behind Dahmer's crimes. Lionel said,
"You're not going to lay this on me, no. It's not my fault. I didn't do this. I was a good dad to you."
He added,
"What I was doing was I was showing concern for my son who finally showed an interest in something. You know, what you did, I didn't teach you how to do that."
Richard Jenkins' portrayal of Lionel Dahmer in Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is as real as reality can get. Pauses pregnant with discomfort and defensive arguments, Jenkins' incredulous reaction to his son's impending doom brought forth the oft-forgotten reality that criminals have families too.
Lionel spent five sleepless nights walking down memory lane and contemplated what could have gone wrong. Lionel also brought attention to Joyce's drug abuse during the time that she was pregnant with Dahmer and said,
"You do know that pills are what started this whole thing. How many pills you think she was on when she was pregnant with him? Thousands. She was on sleeping pills, sedatives, seizure medication."
He blamed Joyce for being an absent mother. He said,
"She never even held him. She scared the s**t out of him. And then she just left. She got in her car, and she drove away, and she left that kid in that house all summer."
In the midst of this, Shari acted as Lionel's moral compass when she questioned,
"Well, where were you that summer, Lionel?"
This kind of back-and-forth between Lionel and Joyce continued throughout episode 8 of Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. While it looked like the former couple was screaming in the courthouse after Dahmer was sentenced to 15 prison terms, from up close, two parents were trying to figure out what went wrong.
Joyce had her way of dealing with the event. The most heart-touching scene was when she told a patient they were HIV-negative. When asked why she cried while announcing the news, Joyce replied,
"I'm just so happy you don't have to give your mother any bad news."
In the latter part of the episode, Joyce also tried to die by suicide but survived. She even approached the Straughter family to persuade them to say something positive about Dahmer in court but to no avail. The police ransacked Dahmer's grandmother's house because it was a crime scene. However, the officials had little regard for the elderly woman who had dementia.
To make matters worse, the media interviewed anonymous individuals who claimed to be Dahmer's friends from childhood. In the series, they claimed that Dahmer was s*xually molested by his father as a child and that his stepmother used to scream at him all the time. These lies worried the Dahmer family.
However, Lionel held his ground. He approached Dahmer with an attorney to fix things and asked his son to convince the judge that he was insane, at least "at the time of the killings."
Dahmer, who seemed convinced of his own crimes, refused and said,
"But it wasn't crazy. It was like a compulsion."
The scene then jumped to the courthouse proceedings, where the victims' families presented their impact statements, while Dahmer also got the chance to present a statement.
Dahmer said:
"I didn't ever want freedom. Frankly, I wanted death for myself. This was a case to tell the world that I did what I did, not for reasons of hate. I hated no one. I knew I was sick or evil or both. Now I believe I was sick. The doctors have told me about my sickness, and now I have some peace."
Dahmer was sentenced to 15 prison terms. Subsequently, Lionel blamed himself for not doing enough and said,
"I wasn't a good father. I wasn't, because I wasn't a good husband."
The imminent racism in Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story characterized the undercurrent of the show's narrative. The two white police officers, suspended for negligence in handling Konerak Sinthasomphone's case, were reinstated after Dahmer's sentencing.
All the episodes of Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story are currently streaming on Netflix.
