It seems stories of cons, crime, and deception are hot now with the popularity of documentaries like The Tinder Swindler and The Puppet Master: Hunting the Ultimate Conman, as well as the dramatized true stories portrayed in Inventing Anna and The Dropout (just to name a few). Streaming services are full of stories about characters that somehow manage to grift scores of people.
In this story about Sarma Melngailis, we watch as this intelligent and successful entrepreneur gets lured into the web of a con man—and marries him! Why? Because Sarma participated in the documentary, we get answers—instead of speculation—though not always logical or justified answers. Some believe Sarma to be a part of her husband’s grift, while others see her as a manipulated and gaslit victim who also lost everything to Andrew Strangis’ scheme.
After Strangis promises Sarma he can make her dog immortal, let’s just say … things get weird. From being a black ops spy to an nonhuman god, Strangis wraps Sarma up in a world that even she has a tough time explaining. This is a wild ride through the rise and fall—and hopefully redemption—of Sarma. However, sussing out the truth behind the bizarre story still feels like a mystery. (four 44- to 61-min. episodes)
—Anna Starkey
This article appears in Mar 31 – Apr 7, 2022.