In The Beast in Me, Aggie Wiggs (Claire Danes) is a reclusive writer who gets drawn into the world of her new neighbour, Nile Jarvis (Matthew Rhys), a narcissistic and possibly psychopathic businessman. When Aggie begins digging into the suspicious disappearance of Nile’s first wife, Madison (Leila George), their tentative alliance quickly descends into a dangerous game of cat and mouse.

Netflix has given the series a TV-MA rating, which they define as not suitable for ages 14 and under. Given this rating, I was surprised and troubled by a scene in episode seven, directed by Antonio Campos, in which Nile repeatedly and violently bludgeons Madison until she dies.

The sickening thuds are intercut with flashes of artworks hanging on the gallery walls around them, adding to the scene’s theatricality. Afterwards, Jarvis curls up sobbing beside Madison while the camera lingers on her caved-in, barely-recognisable-as-human face.

For a series that deals with such a delicate and complex topic as intimate partner homicide, the scene feels not only gratuitous but tone-deaf: an indicator that showrunner Gabe Rotter does not understand his subject matter or how his female audience might relate to it.

Violence against women is a worldwide epidemic. One in three women experience intimate partner violence at some point during their lifetime. Young men are being radicalised online by misogynist influencers. Porn has........

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