The How To's of the Dark Side

Now this series is a great one. The amount of satire in these 3 different series is amazing! Essentially it pokes fun at being a cult leader, being a tyrant and being a mob boss. It is a fun way to watch and learn about some of the biggest names in the crime game, basically making fun of the mistakes that the big names make.

It is slightly comedic how they break down step by step what you need to do in order to become a cult leader, a tyrant or a mob boss. In each episode too they showcase a big figure who was a great example of one of the steps in "building their empire". From Pablo to Hitler to Manson, each series offers the “Playbook” on how to do things right and wrong when trying to get to the top of the food chain.

The method of how each episode showcases one of these famous individuals’ “strength” for what they were known for and how exactly they were able to travel up the food chain to be the best really showcases how these people started with nothing. Pablo, Gotti, Hitler, all started as nobodies who wanted to be somebody and did not really want to work at things in a normal sense. Like really, there was a 50/50 of how these outcomes would have gone. But because they were hardworking and were able to get a few people behind them, they are now almost legend status when you think of their “respected” fields.

What is nice too, is that it showcases a wide variety of these infamous individuals. Not only the ones who are really well known to everyone, but the ones who were the “best”. For example, in How to be a Mob Boss, they have an episode dedicated to a Boston mob boss who was not only infamous for being a mobster, but also managed to hide for 30+ years. Like the amount of skill that takes, to move across country and hide your true identity while trying to not draw suspicion to you as you blend into a new environment. The commitment that takes, rather than just staying at home and hiding, to just up and leave, take nothing from your old life with you and move. It is something that is insane to think about that people do.

These are viewed as being slightly controversial because they are poking fun at something serious. Like people do not like when you do that. They poke fun at these terrible people making them seem like they were doing the greatest thing ever and some people think that this is serious which is hilarious. I am sorry but if you think that these shows are “promoting others to act like these people and with this someone will become the next Hitler” you need some serious help and to reevaluate certain aspects of your life because it is really not that serious.

Enjoyable and educational are what these are for those of us who like the darker stories and figures in life. These are definitely not for everyone to watch, but if you enjoy shows like Narcos, any one of the Mob stories out there or even the satire of Jojo Rabbit then this is a good watch for you. It is simple, but effective in how it presents itself and does not shy away from saying how dumb these certain people were thinking that they were above the law and above the world essentially. These are basically the crime version of the How To for Dummies books out there. And these men are definitely dummies at the end of it all.