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Impostor syndrome ironically plagues The Serpent, a series about a man who lies to himself and others. The filmmakers seem intent on paying homage to their cinematic inspirations, but don’t offer much depth beyond the all-too-familiar genre archetypes. Rahim struts around without doing much quality acting whatsoever, or at least that’s how it seems when the writers don’t properly flesh out his character arc. As for Coleman, she has a dynamic screen presence, but her character essentially checks off the Glamorous International Girlfriend box. Beyond that, Howles’ Knippenberg aligns with the Obsessed Investigator archetype that is seen time and time again in TV and movies. The Serpent’s flashback and flashforward sequences add little to the story, and seemingly exist to gloss over the obvious fact that the writers struggled with character development when structuring a story based on historical events.

The Serpent finds its groove by the fifth episode. The filmmakers seem to have a better handle on the suspense, and wisely favor a slow burn element over constant flashbacks. When the Netfix series does go back in time, it’s to properly explain Sobhraj’s backstory and the familial factors that affected his worldview during the 60s. Unsurprisingly, the collective performances become much better from this point forward, as there’s more emotional depth to the story. Coleman especially stands out when conveying Marie-Andrée’s confusion and despair, and Howles succeeds in capturing Knippenberg’s evolution from a mild-mannered gentleman into someone consumed by inner rage and frustration. Thematically, these wild-eyed performance moments complement and contrast with the lead’s balanced interpretation of a psychopathic narcissist, but Rahim strangely doesn’t have any big acting scenes of his own, even when the filmmakers attempt to explain Sobhraj’s insecurities and perceived inadequacies as a young man.

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Ruby Ashbourne Serkis makes a strong impression early on as Knowlton’s traveling partner, Celia Wilson, and Alma Jodorowsky similarly stands out as the ill-fated Stéphane Parry. However, there’s no consistency with the storytelling, as the writers and directors feel inclined to repeatedly establish Sobhraj as some type of stylish, globe-trotting figure.The Serpent filmmakers seemed to have asked themselves “How we can make this straightforward tale about a narcissistic killer into something more glamorous, something more global?” So, rather than making more room for Serkis (a clear star-in-the-making) as an episode 1 audience hook, they continuously focus on the subject’s persona via constant flashbacks/flashforwards, which really adds nothing when there’s no backstory context to justify the safe (i.e. boring) lead performance. And rather than developing suspense in the subsequent first-half episodes, the filmmakers drown the audience in more archetypal cliches, presumably as a means to connect with global audiences who want and need to see themselves on screen in some form. The writers and directors seem to trust the audience’s intelligence — evidenced by the heavy flashbacks/flashforwards — but they don’t seem to trust their creative approach.