Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

There’s a hilariously viral video of a woman giving a speech at her sister’s birthday, where she asks the bride and groom to look into each other’s eyes. As they do so, emotionally bracing for something sweet, the woman says, “Just know that the person you’re looking at right now… is statistically most likely to murder you.” Everyone bursts into loud laughter, including the bride and groom, who were in a fragile state, ready to cry if something more heartfelt had been said. As funny as the joke was, it’s also sadly very true. Netflix’s 2024 documentary series “Worst Ex Ever” dives into true-crime stories of horrible partners who went from being caring lovers to frightening strangers.

Season One of “Worst Ex Ever” (I’m pretty sure they’ll eventually come out with a second season) has four episodes, each about an hour long, focusing on different individuals who endured both psychological and physical abuse at the hands of their significant others. The format is similar to Netflix’s docuseries “Worst Roommate Ever,” except that things are far more personal and traumatic when the perpetrator is a romantic partner.

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The first episode, titled “Dating the Devil,” follows the case of Benjamin Obadiah Foster, a serial abuser who physically assaulted and tortured several of his ex-girlfriends. Three of his ex-girlfriends are featured in the Netflix documentary, all of whom suffered abuse at Benjamin’s hands. Real recorded 911 calls, bodycam footage from cops, photos, and animated reenactments reveal the chilling story of how Benjamin was a monstrous man to be in a relationship with.

The Benjamin Obadiah Foster story is a frustrating case study of how the police and justice system don’t take victims of domestic violence seriously. Benjamin assaulted three different women over a period of a few years, had even been arrested and jailed for beating up an ex, yet he managed to get out and target two more victims. His last girlfriend barely survived, thanks to a concerned friend who immediately called the police when she sensed something was amiss.

An animated scene from "Worst Ex Ever"

While the animated reenactments aren’t the best, they are adequately engaging to reconstruct crucial events and incidents, pushing these real crime stories forward. While three out of the four stories feature male abusers, the third episode, titled “Killing for Custody,” focuses on a woman who made her husband’s life hell and committed a brutal crime, for which she displayed zero remorse.

“Worst Ex Ever” is made for true crime fans looking for swift retellings of real-life cases and a basic lesson on recognizing the obvious signs of problems in a partner. Unfortunately for Seemona, a restaurant owner, things got worse even though she decided to get out of a relationship as soon as she discovered her boyfriend had been lying to her. Despite being an intelligent, independent, entrepreneurial-spirited individual, Seemona fell for a crook named Jerry, who pretended to be a cop. It was all about timing—Jerry came into Seemona’s life when she was at an emotional low point; she had just lost her dad and had just started running a food joint.

Netflix should’ve interviewed a few behavioral experts or psychologists to explain these aspects of manipulative relationships and how coercive control works. But, well, it’s pretty clear “Worst Ex Ever” wasn’t made to educate anyone, so if you’re looking to see some stories about horrible, violent partners, stream this documentary series on Netflix.

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