‘Don’t Pick Up the Phone’ Netflix Series Review - Calls that Traumatized Some Innocent People!

Don’t Pick Up the Phone is a mini-documentary series released on Netflix recently. The series delivers a true crime story through its three episodes each having an average run time of 42-57 minutes.

Restaurants especially fast-food places start receiving phone calls from an unknown person who claims to be a police officer in the neighborhood. Over the call, he manipulates the managers into making them believe that one of their employees has done theft or some petty crime and makes the employee perform some bizarre stuff by instructing through the phone call. Such phone calls started to happen in almost every other restaurant, and the police started investigating who was behind such hoax calls. As they proceed with the documentary the audience will watch some of the obnoxious things that the employees had to go through at their workplace because of the caller.

The documentary contains a very unique story. This type of incident is so bizarre that its existence is highly questionable. The series makes us doubt every person that obeys the caller. The caller caused humiliation and disgust and trauma to the victims. And we see how easily he manipulated the managers into what he said.

It’s a three-part documentary and each episode gives clear detail about the incidents that happened at those restaurants. Police officers and the victims tell us the details of incidents that happened that day. The most shocking thing about this case is that the suspect is only going to trial after almost ten years of all these incidents happening. Throughout the three episodes, we get an account of what made the case run for so long, the experience of the victims having to deal with such traumatic things (some of the victims were minors when the incidents occurred).

The case kind of puts us into a dilemma of whom to blame. Of course, the culprit, but what about the managers that failed to protect their employees? These are certain thoughts that will surely catch up with the audience as they watch the series.

There aren’t any disturbing videos included in the series, and only mild descriptions of the disturbing parts of the incidents are included. The series is interesting to watch as it has been delivered in a detailed manner, and also the case itself is interesting. Since it’s a mini-series, it is a perfect choice for a binge-watch. For viewers who like crime series that doesn’t include much blood-shedding, Don’t Pick Up the Phone would be a decent watch.

Final Score – [8/10]
Reviewed by - Poornima Balsu
Follow @BalsuPoornima on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times