Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives. is a 2022 Netflix docuseries[1][2] by director Chris Smith. It documents how restaurateur Sarma Melngailis illegally transferred money to her husband so he could pay a deity to bestow immortality upon them.[3]
| Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives. | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Docu-series |
| Music by | Dan Romer |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 4 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Cinematography |
|
| Editors |
|
| Running time | 44–61 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | Netflix |
| Release | March 16, 2022 |
Synopsis
editThe series tells the story of Sarma Melngailis, former owner of the New York City vegan restaurant Pure Food and Wine. Melngailis met and married conman Anthony Strangis (who called himself Shane Fox), and she alleged that he coerced her into stealing money from her own restaurant and later going on the run from authorities. The pair were ultimately charged with transferring over $1.6 million from the restaurant into their personal accounts.[4]
Episodes
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Mr. & Mrs. Fox" | Chris Smith | March 16, 2022 |
| 2 | "Happily Ever After" | Chris Smith | March 16, 2022 |
| 3 | "No Angels in Hell" | Chris Smith | March 16, 2022 |
| 4 | "Everything Will Be Fine" | Chris Smith | March 16, 2022 |
Reception
editOn review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the limited series holds a 94% approval rating based on 17 critic reviews, with an average rating of 7.4/10.[5] On Metacritic, the series has a score of 72 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[6]
Lucy Mangan of The Guardian gave the show a rating of 3/5 and described it as "[An] unhurried but fascinating four-part documentary..."[3]
Melngailis herself disputes the veracity of the series and its conclusions, citing numerous misrepresentations of her story in an attempt to heighten drama in ways that impugn her character, particularly in the editing of the show's final minutes.[7]
References
edit- ^ Tallerico, Brian (March 16, 2022). "Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
- ^ Wheeler, Greg (March 16, 2022). "Bad Vegan: Fame, Fraud, Fugitives Season 1 Review – A gripping and poignant docu-series". The Review Geek. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
- ^ a b Mangan, Lucy (March 16, 2022). "Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives review – fascinating tale of a $2m fraud and an immortal dog". TheGuardian.com. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
- ^ "Netflix Docuseries 'Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives' Ending Explained: Shane Fox's Supernatural Con". trinikid.com. March 18, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
- ^ "Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives.: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
- ^ "Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives.: Season 1". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
- ^ Melngailis, Sarma (April 5, 2022). "BAD VEGAN IS NOT A DOCUMENTARY". Sarma RAW. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
