I have a confession to make, Agent Groff. I have yet to make time to watch the second series of Mindhunter, caught up instead as I was with The Boys. I'd like to apologise, your highness, for this lapse in my binge-watching judgement, as it has caused me severe difficulties with regards to writing this report, which focuses very heavily on the David Fincher-produced series. On the plus side, preparing this week's report has given me insight into the crimes of some of the most depraved individuals in American history. However, to my detriment, preparing this week's report has given me insight into the crimes of some of the most depraved individuals in American history. Aside from the pervasive presence of Mindhunter, however, the report is rather diverse, and was a joy to compile, composed as it is with entries from silver screen both Eastern and Western, animalistic curiosities, and political intrigue/idiocy. Enjoy.
Without further ado, for the week of August 18 to 24, 2019, the 25 most popular articles on Wikipedia, as determined from the WP:5000 report were:
Netflix never ceases to dominate the Top 25 Report when any of its behemoth series release new content, from Black Mirror to Stranger Things. However, even with its remarkable consistency at the apex of the report, it is difficult for me to recall a week when one series captured the Wikipedia zeitgeist to quite as dramatic an extent as Mindhunter evidently has this week. Barring the untimely demise of an Indian politician, the customary shenanigans of The_Donald, and a film tangentially related to the series, Joe Penhall's incredibly engrossing series would have a complete stranglehold (delectable pun absolutely intended) on the top entries of the report.
The second series of the striking show sees the FBI'sBehavioural Science Unit attempt to unravel the psyche of serial killers to put an end to a string of murders, specifically targeting children, in Atlanta. While the lead characters of the series are fictional historical inserts (get used to the concept, as they are just like Quentin's duo in #6), the criminals, and crimes, depicted are steeped in actual fact. At least 28 victims met their demise in the three year span in Georgia, at the hands of the ultimately apprehended (spoiler alert, I guess) Wayne Williams, who was only ever convicted of the murder of two adults during the same timeframe. Williams maintains his innocence, sighting an elaborate plan to frame him and avert a race war (get used to the concept, as it is the same as #7's concocted and contrived scheme).
While the series is framed around the police pursuit of Williams, there are several vignettes set in Park City, Kansas depicting the murderous activities of sexual sadist Dennis Rader, whose malicious machinations ran concurrently with Williams, but who would chronologically evade capture and detainment for his crimes for a further two and a half decades, following his inexplicable series of communications with local media that saw the then decades old cold case pinned on him. Fans of the show can expect this to transpire in the future, I guess.
The primary takeaway from the dominance of Mindhunter over Wikipedians' interest speaks both to Netflix's power, and to the number of people using Wikipedia on a second device to research real-life events as they unfold onscreen - something that detracts from the lustre of the show, for me personally, but a phenomenon that we will doubtless observe at full strength yet again come November.
The former Minister for Finance in the Modigovernment died during the week, leading droves of Indian Wikipedians to his article to recall his political achievements, which built to a crowning achievement of the implementation of an indirect tax on the purchase of goods and services that lines the vaults of the Indian exchequer with billions of rupees each month. The public perception and memory of his tenure will perhaps be softened by his controversy-embroiled predecessor (#22)
The latest film from violent visionary Quentin Tarantino, following on from his Nazi-torching flick, spaghetti western, and Bonanza-inspired western, depicts an actor who stars in a Nazi-torching flick, spaghetti western, and Bonanza-inspired western, and is somehow still one of the most inventive and creative releases of the year. An enjoyable and slow-paced romp, which derives its pervading tension by the looming spectre of our malevolent #7 and #21, portrayed by the same actor as in #1, the film is paradoxically either the least or most Tarantino film which Tarantino has ever produced. Irrespective of this, and the admittedly lengthy build-up, the explosive third act is gloriously satisfying, reveling in near gleeful bloodshed, and the film is one of the better cinematic experiences of recent times, an experience just recently made available to those on the other side of the Atlantic.
The reaper never ceases to claim souls for the underworld, and the denizens of Wikipedia never cease to be captivated by the list of his latest wretched and reluctant recruits, a list headlined this week by our #5.
Seriously? Are we serious here? Every week that passes in our increasing world of politicalinsanity makes me less convinced that our existence is not some elaborate, comical simulation. It turns out, as 690,000 or so Wikipedians discovered, that you can not claim sovereign territory of another nation, much less one with a burgeoning independence movement, with stacks of freedom francs, regardless of how much you would like to. Notanymore, anyway. Can't wait until the next episode of this riveting, Room-esque disasterclass of a show, when the Commander-in-Chief will presumably attempt to hire Iron Man as part of the Space Force.
This delightful individual, propelled towards the pinnacle of the report by his appearance in #1, fits securely within the rogues' gallery of the show, infamous as he is for the murder of his grandparents while still a teenager. Following his release for these crimes, the so-called "Co-ed Killer" embarked on a brutal killing spree in California in 1973, targeting young women who he would (reader discretion advised), decapitate, before engaging in various depraved acts of necrophilia with the corpses. His terrifying and torturous crimes culminated in the matricidal slaughter of his mother, who psychologists ultimately surmised was the target of his misogynistic malfeasance. Cheery stuff.
Courtesy of a groovy director, we have...a hard-hitting superstar-filled cinematic exploration of the various sexual harassment claims levied against Roger Ailes, the deceased founder of American state TV.[citation needed](Please don't source this via Fox News, as it is not a reliable source. Like, at all.) The film, which received its first trailer during the week, will doubtless be in contention come awards season, with many in the media already highlighting its relevance in the MeToo era, and the prospect that Margot Robbie could be competing with herself in the Oscar race.
Religious conservatives claimed that the legalisation of gay marriage would destroy the convention by expanding it too far. Whilst I initially dismissed this rhetoric, it now appears that even geological formations are capable of marriage now, as evidenced by the wedding of Lauren Hashian and the enigmatic star of Hobbs & Shaw, so perhaps they had a point. (They didn't) It was this event that drove such large article views for the wrestler, with many like myself wondering what aromas emanated from the food he had prepared for the reception.
Another prominent death in politics this week, alongside our #5, was that of David Koch, one of the fraternalfunders of the GOP. One of the leaders of the eponymous conglomerate, Koch was a billionaire who used his fortunes to influence the state of politics stateside, pouring money into a number of non-profit think tanks such as the Cato Institute and the Federalist Society, with the broad aim of furthering their libertarian and conservative agenda. I will deign to pass any judgement on these investments and their efficacy (or ethicality), for if I speak I am condemned.
The tritagonist of Tarantino's indulgent new film (#6) is one of many actual historical figures portrayed in the movie (unlike the two lead historicalinserts), with tragic actress Tate being played rather excellently, if subtly, by Margot Robbie. Tate starred in a number of prominent films, such as Valley of the Dolls, and was part of a power couple alongside (a then less rapey) Roman Polanski, but she is unquestionably most remembered nowadays for her brutal murder at the hands of the Manson Family, a horrifically vitriolic incident in which the pregnant actress' blood was used to scrawl "pig" on the wall.
Some see conspiracy, in the way in which Epstein's suicide prevents him from testifying against a whole alleged cohort of celebrity co-conspirators. Some see the harsh realities of an overburdened prison system, which failed to maintain an adequate suicide watch. Others see a convicted child sex trafficker at the end of a self-imposed rope, and find it difficult to muster either sympathy or intrigue. The latter groups are evidently outnumbered by the former, and I, for one, have grown tired of hearing speculative rumours, and assertive statements of how convenient it is for both prominent figures of the aristocracy, the left, and right that he wound up dead; aside from anything else, it makes adherence to WP:BLP more difficult.
Another tragic fatality on the report is that of Cedric Benson. The former Cincinnati Bengal and Chicago Bear, with a distinguished college career as a running back, perished in a fatal motorcycle accident. The subsequent surprise and outpouring of grief for the 36 year old, similarly to José Antonio Reyes earlier this year, propelled him to a regretful slot on the report.
When it comes to the mononymous world of Bollywood stardom, we have unearthed anotherone, this time working in conjunction with the report's favourite binge addiction pushers. Set in Bombay Mumbai, the show, which just released its second season, revolves around the police, and reputedly has an incredibly intriguing cliffhanger at its climax.
Like most of the more diverse and interesting entries to invade each iteration of the report, we have the perusers of Reddit to thank for this fascinating entry. A entomological marvel, the hag moth rose to fleeting internet infamy after an image of one was taken, where it appeared to be a physical manifestation of some of Lovecraft's monstrous terrors. After investigating the image, one Reddit user identified the creature not as an enemy of Eleven, but rather as this little insect, whose offspring are intriguingly enough referred to as monkey slugs.
Another despicable deplorable returned to the public consciousness by #1, David Berkowitz, or "the .44 caliber killer" as he was dubbed by the media owing to his weapon of choice, which he used to indiscriminately murder six New Yorkers during a year-long reign of violent terror over the Big Apple. Berkowitz reputedly relished the media attention his petrifying slayings brought about, and deposited a cryptic letter at the scenes of his later crimes identifying himself as the "Son of Sam" and espousing his intentions to continues his crimes in a vague manifesto. This ambition was thwarted by an unpaid parking ticket, which led to the arrest of the alleged Satanist, portrayed by Oliver Cooper.
Among the very notable celebrities to ford the Styx a decade ago in 2009 where Michael Jackson and Swayze, both of whom have had documentaries revealing secret facets of their personality released. While Leaving Neverland made many people reconsider their passion for the King of Pop, I am Patrick Swayze, released during the week evoked more endearment and empathy for the enigmatic star of Dirty Dancing, with many of the famously attractive actor's friends, and his widow, discussing their relationship with Swayze and providing a loving tribute to the source of one of the most memorable jokes in Community.
Any list of the world'smostdeadlycults would be incomplete without considering #7 and his heinous family, who infamously infiltrated Hollywood before fouroftheirmembers, in order to incite a race war, marched up 10050 Cielo Drive and murdered actress Sharon Tate, events dramatised in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
This report's second former Indian Minister of Finance, following the deceased Jaitley, has attracted a different kind of undesirable attention courtesy of corruption charges stemming from the INX Media case. This led to his arrest during the week, and the resultant media furore of a high-ranking government official facing the legal ramifications of serious accusations of, amongst other things, money laundering, in the world's second-largest English speaking nation lands the disgraced potentially politician on the list.
Given that I only associate mixed martial arts with a national embarrassment, and find it to be an entirely unentertaining exercise in violence (and not even the enjoyably extreme Tarantino type), I have never cared for nor paid heed whatsoever towards the UFC. That is not about to change. If you wish to know more about this event, the link is right there - knock yourself out.
Any iteration of the Top 25 Report would be incomplete without the inclusion of the newest Bollywood hit raking in the crore. This week, our Indian contingent have had their eyes turned by a film depicting the efforts of Indian scientists who successfully launched the Mars Orbiter Mission five years ago. The film is well reviewed, and is helping drive continued subcontinental interest in Martian affairs, and the strive to discover life on a place that's cold as hell.
Rounding out the list is Prime Video's latest hit streaming sensation, which depicts a universe in which superheroes exist, are heavily commercialised, and are massive assholes. The team, dubbed the Seven, are led by an arrogant, malicious Clark Kent clone named Homelander, commit all manner of crimes and immoral actions in the alleged name of justice, and a group of urban vigilantes with an axe to grind target them with extreme violence, rather befitting of our #6.
Most Popular Wikipedia Articles of the Week (August 18 to 24, 2019)
This list excludes the Wikipedia main page, non-article pages (such as redlinks), and anomalous entries (such as DDoS attacks or likely automated views). Since mobile view data became available to the Report in October 2014, we exclude articles that have almost no mobile views (5–6% or less) or almost all mobile views (94–95% or more) because they are very likely to be automated views based on our experience and research of the issue. Please feel free to discuss any removal on the talk page if you wish.
Note: If you came here from the Signpost article, please take any discussion of exclusions to this article's talk page.
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