It was pretty horrifying. I mean honestly? I think Americans generally don't get that this is IN THE PRESENT. They have a couple romanticized ideas about ~The Romani~ and they've read a little urban fantasy and watched Snatch a couple times, but it's not a present and urgent cultural issue over here so unless people educate themselves they assume it's something that's either over or not a big deal. Which needless to say is not an excuse, just a reason. It was a pretty big shocker to me too when I realized they were playing it straight.

(Especially because if they'd dropped the sensationalist aspect they could have done a really interesting episode involving a "normal" (for them) crime taking place in a Romani group, and there would be cultural issues and difficulties due to transience and distrust, and they could get their "creepy superstitious killer perverting tradition" while actually HAVING OTHER ROMANI CHARACTERS and presenting it in the context of an actual culture. How awesome would that have been? SIGH.)