There are tons of Jeffrey Epstein documentaries out. Surviving Jeffrey Epstein is the latest, and has some of the most up to date information. While a lot of the information we’ve heard before, it also includes the arrest of Ghislaine Maxwell. There is much more emphasis on her as the woman who apparently ran Jeffrey’s sex trafficking ring for him.
There are lots of interviews with his victims, and they provide tremendous insight into how Jeffrey manipulated and controlled young women, enslaved them, terrorized them, and raped them. He was a complete monster, and Ghislaine seems to be a bird of a feather. She did not personally have the resources to do what Jeffrey did on her own, but it seems that she had the same desires.
There are still many unanswered questions. Where did Jeffrey’s incredible wealth really come from? What happened to all of the videos that were seized? Will Alexander Acosta and Alan Dershowitz ever be held to account for their conspiring to violate the law and let Jeffrey off the hook with the biggest sweatheart deal for a rapist in history? A judge just ruled that the court can take a second look, but what is really needed is a criminal investigation of both Dershowitz and Acosta. Maybe next administration.
Under this deal, Jeffrey got just 13 months after sexually assaulting dozens of underage girls. He was charged with two counts of soliciting prostitution. I don’t imagine a regular pimp would get the same deal. Jeffrey was a rapist and sex trafficker, not just a client. During those 13 months, he spent most of his time in his luxurious office, where there was limited supervision and he continued to have women brought to him.
Dershowitz appears in interviews in the documentary and it is hard to believe a word that he says. This is a man who strongly advocates for changing the age of consent laws and allowing older men to have sex with young girls, and who has been credibly accused of taking advantage of the underage women Jeffrey had procured. He does not have much credibility at this point.
There are also interviews with Prince Andrew, who does not come across as any more credible than Dershowitz. In fact, his interviews tend to make him look even more guilty. After Epstein got out of prison, the man known as the “Party Prince” said of his days long stay with Epstein: “I went there with the sole purpose of saying to him that because he had been convicted, it was inappropriate for us to be seen together.” He sounds just like every single man on To Catch a Predator. They just showed up to warn the girls that it was dangerous to be home alone with a strange man. There is actual video of the prince bidding one of the girls goodbye from the doorway of Epstein’s home.
Besides learning a lot more about Maxwell and the prince, there is also more detailed coverage of Pedo Island and what took place there. The entire series fills you with sadness. Epstein and Maxwell were and are predators of the worst sort. And yet, it is all about context.
The things they did on Pedo Island are things that I have done and greatly enjoyed. By that I mean open sexuality and orgies. In my case, it was done with willing partners and there was no known power differential. On the island, the women were in no position to consent. Whether it was the fact that they were underage or the fact that they were being manipulated by extremely rich and powerful people, they did not feel that they had much choice.
Great sex requires consent and mutual desire. None of that was on display with Epstein and his victims. It was never about great sex. If you want great sex, you don’t have your former lover go on the prowl to find you virgins. It was about power and control and creating fear. That is what got Jeffrey and Ghislaine off. I am sure the sex felt good to them, but it was the abuse that made it exciting.
The four one hour episodes premiered on Lifetime on August 9th and is available for streaming.