Leslie “Les” Wexner speaks onstage at the 2016 Fragrance Foundation Awards presented by Hearst Magazines on June 7, 2016, in New York City. Credit: Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images via TNS
“Victoria’s Secret: Angels and Demons” is a docuseries that dives into the controversy surrounding the rise and fall of Victoria’s Secret, led by notable local billionaire and Ohio State donor Les Wexner’s fall from grace in the public eye — and his personal ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
Director Matt Tyrnauer’s three-part series was set to look at the rise and fall of the legendary lingerie brand, and while accomplishing this to some extent, the series falls short in the depth of its investigation. It failed to deliver key answers to its audience as many questions remained unsolved in the lengthy three-hour runtime.
The series does manage to uncover some levels of deception and abuse that Victoria’s Secret models — and its generation of impressionable young customers — faced as a result of a company’s efforts to empower women from a male’s perspective.
There are a number of real first-hand accounts from former Victoria’s Secret Angels and executives, yet something feels lacking. As the series progresses, it becomes obvious that there is an absence of cohesion within the storytelling, and the goal of the series feels unclear. While there is an exceptional amount of nuance to the real story and much to be told, the series leaves an equal amount left to be desired.
The three episodes ultimately leave the audience feeling bloated for many reasons: a lack of focus on Victoria’s Secret, a push of recycled Jeffrey Epstein-related interviews and conspiracies tangled within the storyline, or lack thereof.
While the series does deliver a cultural overview of the company from its inception to downfall, it caters more to the demon side of its title, focusing less on the models’ and executives’ struggles and more on those who preyed on them. While that certainly still makes for something worth watching and learning about, it leaves the title feeling ingenuine and a clear attempt to grab hold of a viewing demographic by title-baiting.
While the series fails to serve as anything profound, its goal may never have been that. Even if documentaries in the modern era are meant to be educational, many could have guessed what this series tries to teach. Tyrnauer could have only meant to examine the situation rather than solve it, which doesn’t mean it should be written off. But be wary as expectations may be subverted.
That’s not to say it’s disinteresting. In fact, audiences will learn some of the seriously questionable decisions and behaviors by the wealthiest people in Ohio, including Wexner’s decision to grant Epstein full power of attorney over his assets, one of the most baffling aspects of the story.
For a docuseries that’s so full and disordered, it does a decent job of engaging its audience for the time being, but quickly becomes forgettable due to its arbitrary storytelling. There are moments that stick, and hearing the damaging stories of countless victims feels real and important. Unfortunately, that was not the focus of a series that seemingly didn’t know what it wanted to be.
Rating: 2.5/5
