Director: Alexandria Stapleton
Genre: Documentary
Cast: Kalenna Harper, Aubrey O’Day, Erick Sermon, Al B. Sure!, Mark Curry, Roger Bonds, Capricorn Clark, Kirk Burrowes.
Duration: 4 episodes
Reviewer: theguardian.com
Now streaming on Netflix
If its subject gets his way, this documentary might not be available on Netflix for long. On Monday, lawyers on behalf of Sean Combs (P Diddy) sent a cease and desist letter to the streamer, demanding that the series be withdrawn based on the inclusion of footage that they claim violates copyright, and involves discussions of “legal strategy that were not intended for public viewing”.
After watching the series, you can see why Combs might be rattled. This is a man whose fall from grace last year was sudden and comprehensive, and yet Sean Combs: The Reckoning feels like the moment of no return for him. It does such a thorough job of laying out and backing up so many horrific allegations that his way back to stardom is surely blocked forever.
Combs is serving a 50-month prison sentence for transportation to engage in prostitution. Additionally, he faces a tidal wave of civil cases from former girlfriends, employees and associates. Many of these allegations are addressed in Sean Combs: The Reckoning. And while this means that the series is not a pleasant watch, it does feel like a grimly necessary one. Over the course of four episodes, the director, Alexandria Stapleton, paints a pattern of behaviour that starts to feel horribly inevitable.
The existence of Sean Combs: The Reckoning seems to suggest that the arch manipulator has finally been outmanoeuvred. Although there are certainly elements of this story that have not been told – Combs’s infamous “freak-off” parties are presented as an afterthought, and none of their long line of celebrity attendees are mentioned – the series does what is most needed right now.
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