The much-awaited documentary What Jennifer Did has officially dropped on Netflix. While this review might contain some spoilers, the biggest spoiler and the infamous crime of 2010 are in the title itself. However, the actual documentary does provide the viewers with more context but fails to answer all the questions one might have been curious about upon hearing about the documentary.
What Jennifer Did talks about the case of Jennifer Pan and how she orchestrated the murder of her mother and the attempted murder of her father. This case took place in 2010 and was on everyone’s television screen and newspaper, especially in Canada.
While this case didn’t gain traction worldwide, it certainly will after Netflix’s latest documentary. Keep reading this review of What Jennifer Did, which will help you decide whether you want to stream it or skip it.
Not the Best True Crime Documentary on Netflix
What Jennifer Did wasn’t extraordinary. Netflix has a monopoly on true crime documentaries and docuseries, and there are far too many titles to go through on the streaming platform, What Jennifer Did was yet another addition to that list.
However, did it manage to stand out amongst the crowd? we’d have to say no, simply because it was like every other true crime documentary, with some archival interviews and pictures, followed by details that have already been known to the public for over a decade now.
Jennifer Pan’s case was brutal and heart-breaking as one learns about just how far a daughter can go, far enough to conspire with people and stage a home invasion that eventually led to the death of her mother, while the father survived.
When it comes to the documentary, What Jennifer Did, the most interesting part was being able to see the progression of Jennifer’s interviews with one of the best detectives, who could catch a lie from miles away.
There’s little to no suspense because the viewers already know what the outcome is, but despite that, this interview gives an insight into Jennifer’s life, her lies, and her twisted mind.
Other than the archival interviews, where one can watch Jennifer break down after she was caught in her own lie which led to the death of her mother, there wasn’t much going on with What Jennifer Did as a whole. The runtime of this documentary could have been shorter, with more focus on Jennifer’s side of the story, and less on the obvious, which has been splashed across newspapers for a while now.
This is why we previously said, What Jennifer Did wasn’t extraordinary. The documentary served its purpose, however, it barely gave the viewers something they didn’t already know.
Conclusion
Jennifer Pan’s case was truly one of a kind, and there’s extensive material online about the same, after which What Jennifer Did might seem like yet another addition to Netflix’s true crime folder. if you’re a true crime fanatic who needs to watch every documentary out there, streaming What Jennifer Did will be on your list, however, if true crime doesn’t interest you, you won’t miss out if you sit this one out.
