“Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story” is the kind of series that leaves you needing a break between episodes.

Bloody, disturbing and emotionally heavy, the latest installment of the “Monster” anthology takes viewers into the world of Lizzie Borden, while also bringing in the story of Aileen Wuornos and introducing that of the Countess Elizabeth Bathory.

The result is an ambitious attempt to connect three women from very different generations, all associated with violence and crimes that shocked society.

But for me, the biggest question throughout the series was: Why Wuornos?

I found myself particularly confused by the way Wuornos’ story was integrated into Borden’s world.

Some scenes left me wondering what exactly the connection was supposed to be. I could not quite understand whether the series was suggesting a historical connection between the two women or using Wuornos as a creative and symbolic parallel to Borden. If it is the latter, I think the series could have made that connection clearer.

The storyline I found myself most drawn to, however, was that of the countess. Her character added another dimension to the series and made the broader idea behind the season more interesting: three women from different generations, connected not necessarily by history, but by the way society remembers and judges women who commit terrible crimes.

That is where the series becomes more than another true-crime retelling. It tries to look behind the crimes and explore the women themselves, making their stories more emotional and, at times, even sympathetic without removing the brutality of what they did.

Still, this is not an easy watch. The violence is graphic, the atmosphere is dark and the subject matter becomes increasingly heavy.

I found it difficult to watch in one sitting because there is simply so much to process. The series does not give you much room to breathe between disturbing scenes and emotional storylines.

For me, “Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story” works best when it focuses on its characters and the complicated women behind the infamous names.