The Jinx is simply a masterclass in narrative and documentary that humbles the overexploited true crime format. The second season concludes with surprises, but, unfortunately, without resolving the original source of everything: the “disappearance” of Kathie McCormack Durst, in 1982. It was this mystery that moved director Andrew Jarecki to make an average film and a spectacular documentary series, but Robert Durst‘s death in 2022 didn’t provide the closure her family had hoped for.

Among the absurd and almost unbelievable tragic facts in the life of Durst and those close to him, perhaps the disappearance of his first wife, Kathie, has everything to have been one of the most brutal and complex crimes committed by him. Kathie was last seen alive on December 31, 1982, and Durst never admitted his guilt or gave clues as to, as he blurted out, “where her body was buried.” It was only with the success of the 1st season of The Jinx that the police finally admitted that she was murdered in 2017. That’s why the second season of the documentary, which follows the arrest and trial of Robert Durst for another crime, is so important.

This time, without direct testimony from Durst himself, Jarecki managed to create images to cover the audio of the process, in addition to mixing it with the images from the trial. It’s fascinating, simple and effective. We know every bizarre character that was part of Durst’s universe, leaving one of the most mysterious for last, which is his second wife, Debrah Charatan.

Articulate, clearly aware of everything he did and wanted to omit, Debrah went through both seasons as an enigma and today, as heir to his estate, is a key figure in the lawsuit by Kathie’s family, the McCormacks, who are seeking compensation in a lawsuit of manslaughter against Durst’s estate. They hoped to one day locate the remains of the young medical student, to also understand how she died, but, without Durst, it became impossible.

In the final episode of the second season, she took an important step further. The tragedy was not just caused by Robert Durst’s crimes or abuse, but the permissiveness of people who knew about his psychopathy for decades, but profited from it and omitted it. And with that, The Jinx proves its quality above any other in its genre.

None of the people close to Durst seemed to believe in his innocence, but they protected him nonetheless. He was only convicted of the death of Susan Berman in 2022 and she was murdered with a shot to the head in 2001. In other words, for at least 20 years, he lived free from this crime. And there is the sad irony that when justice was “finally” served, it came too late. As it was in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, Durst became ill and passed away months after his conviction and as a result, the trial was declared a mistrial. Technically, he died “innocent.”

Among the various “friends” who profited financially from their friendship, his marriage to Debrah Charatan was undoubtedly the biggest unknown. Without any shame, she inherited Durst’s estate and has been active in trying to fight the McCormacks in court. The romance between her and Durst was as transactional as possible from the beginning. She wanted money, he needed a confidante to replace Susan Berman, who he killed days after marrying Debrah.

While we saw how Durst’s own lawyers didn’t even bother to share the verdict with him before walking away with the $12 million he paid them to mount a weak defense, Debrah, who had been living with another man for 15 years, was left without the smallest problem. In the final confrontation between her and her husband, he realizes that the vultures have taken everything, including her. And as Jarecki brilliantly exposes us, no one cared or cared about Kathie, not Durst’s family or those who know of his fate. There are suggestions as to where the body may have been discarded 42 years ago, but these are speculations.

Thirteen years after his feature film and eight after the first season of The Jinx, Andrew Jarecki doesn’t let us forget that the original victim, Kathie, continues to be ignored by the rich and powerful. A deep sadness that makes the series a pearl to be seen and revisited.

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