Review of McMillions

"McMillions" tells the story of an ingenious fraud where lottery prizes awarded by McDonalds kept ending up in non-deserving hands. A fine example of lively, vivid documentary making, "McMillions" is quite as entertaining as many a work of fiction. There's a lot of humour involved, both of the voluntary and involuntary kind. (Just listen to the story of a man setting up a sleazy nightclub full of vice and degradation - but mind you, it's a classy, tasteful affair.) The series is also very good at explaining the who, why and how of a diabolically complicated fraud involving dozens of intermediaries and accomplices.

Much of the scandal AND the scandal's discovery involves something as basic as family dynamics : for instance, a man loves and trusts his brother because he's, well, his brother, or a wife gets angry at her husband on finding out he's been cheating. (I can't speak for everyone, but if I were a male gangster involved in a variety of unsavoury activities, and if my spouse knew a lot of my secrets, I would treat her like a queen, showering her with love and fidelity 24/7.)

Many viewers will be wondering about the precise mechanics of the deception itself. Hang on till the last episode, where All Will Be Revealed. Turns out that the deception hinges on a simple but brilliant idea in the "egg of Columbus" category...