Catch and Kill: The Podcast Tapes Review – Shocking Revelations on Power, Corruption and Collaboration

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Category: Streaming, Cable

Published on Monday, 12 July 2021 07:16

Written by Janet Walker

Catch and Kill: The Podcast Tapes, from HBO, brings to the screen the intimate behind the scenes personal interviews with with whistleblowers, journalists, private investigators, and other sources, conducted by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Ronan Farrow.

The podcasts, a series of six half-hour documentary episodes, conducted for the "Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies and A Conspiracy to Protect Predators" book begin with information already in the public purview. Harvey Weinstein, a convicted rapist, and serial predator, left a trail of women in Hollywood who understood by turning him down, leaving, reporting him, causing any stir in the kingdom, would face retaliation, either long-term or permanent. It was a well-known and understood secret, no one accuses Harvey Weinstein and survives.

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Each episode crystalizes the fact that Weinstein had been able to maintain his bullying, functioning sociopathic predatorial lifestyle for decades. He was powerful, his films were successful, and more often than not were always showing up in Awards season.

Ronan Farrow, who makes the podcast interview look easy and comfortable, continued the journey with first person accounts from actresses, models, assistants, who all recounted the same sickening stories of sexual assault and rape and how they would attempt to circumvent Weinstein's rape attempts by wearing double sets of clothing when in his presence.

Journalists also have a segment and tell of the shutdown, of the point-blank statements of printing "You rape women" and the volcanic eruptions, as he was known for his verbally abusive outbursts which bordered on physical violence.

Tapes of his point-blank statement of "Don't ruin your friendship with me over five minutes," and "One thrust and it will be over" are presented.

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As the tapes continues the story moves from investigative news reporting to airing the explosive story. We begin to see the deep collaboration, and network of quid pro quo power structure of the entertainment industry. NBC refuses to air the story.

Farrow essentially begins shopping the explosive insider story and ends up in the office of David Remnick, the editor of the New Yorker. We are also privileged to these conversations, which are both informative and conversational, as we are getting closer to blowing the lid off of this long simmering caldron of wickedness.

Each of the episodes reveal the forensic countermeasures that power accesses when facing exposure and the possibility of criminal prosecution and destruction. With most of the women signed to non-disclosures and forced into accepting payouts, do or your career dies, those who couldn't be bullied, including David Reminck were facing attempts by Weinstein's legal team to ground them into dust through every legal maneuver possible.

The New Yorker fact-checkers were also given a podcast and explain how they wrestled with the word's "rape" and "sexual assault" and were concerned their readers would be offended if they refused to use the appropriate words or produce another safe watered-down version of the truth, enough to placate the writer and demean the victims.

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Finally, the episode of spies and counter-surveillance, with Farrow introducing the episode with his own memories of the surveillance he and the accusers faced which is when the audience understands there are no limits to what those who live on the pinnacle will do when facing criminal time.

Catch and Kill: The Podcast Tapes are a behind the scenes look into the dark world of entertainment espionage and the perfected tactics of silencing victims and living an incredibly open tortuous lifestyle without restraint.

Catch and Kill: The Podcast Tapes begin with two back-to-back episodes Monday, July 12, 2021, on HBO. See it.

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Country: USA.

Language: English.

Runtime: Six 30-minute episodes.

Release Date: Monday, July 12, 2021.

Directors: Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato.

Producer: Ronan Farrow, Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato.

Writer: Ronan Farrow.

Cast: Ronan Farrow, Ken Auletta, Fabio Bertoni, Rowena Chiu, Deirdre Foley-Mendelssohn, Tammy Kim, Rich McHugh, Igor Ostrovsky, Ambra Battilana Guierrez, Kim Masters, Fergus McIntosh, Zelda Perkins, David Remnick, John Scott-Railton.