How do we get ahead of crazy if we don’t know how crazy thinks?
In the late 1970s two FBI agents expand criminal science by delving into the psychology of murder and getting uneasily close to all-too-real monsters.
New Netflix series was released today. David Fincher ("House of Cards") and Charlize Theron ("Monster") executive produced this series inspired by real cases.
Early reviews have been good, I plan on watching tonight.
I watched the first episode and it was awful. The premise has poor execution, the plot has no focus, characters feel like they are reading off a script half of the time and the main character is the most bland main lead that I have ever seen on television. Terrible, just terrible.
Felt like it was pretty good tbh, I started watching it after a debacle in the Netherlands about a "crazy" person killing people. Its not an unused formula but its pretty decent, seems down to earth and up to a certain point quite "realistic" I feel.
I found the first episode too slow, but it started getting more interesting after that. I am now 6 episodes in and it's pretty good actually. Not the fastest paced show, but it's solid.
Yeah I have liked it, but it is slow paced and more focused on how they are coming up with theories on criminal psychology and interviewing serial killers to try and understand what they are thinking, than about the serial killers in action so far.
For those curious where the title of the series came from, the series is based on the book Mindhunter, which chronicles the life of real life FBI agent John E. Douglas, who the character Holden Ford is based on (Jack Crawford in The Silence of the Lambs is also based on Douglas).
Also if you haven't figured out who the guy is in the prologue's for most of the series, and want to be spoiled, it's the + Show Spoiler +
BTK Killer. Here is a list of all the real serial killers that are on or mentioned on the show.
I watched some later episodes but mostly skipped around. The interviews with the serial killers are well done. I especially liked that guy with the women's shoes fetish. That said, it's the only redeemable quality of the show. The acting outside of their encounters with the killers and all the internal politics of the FBI are boring and terribly acted. At certain points it really does seem like they did one take and didn't bother to do the scene again. The relationship plot with the hippie girl is also pretty terrible and has no reason to exist beyond "we need some sorta relationship in the show."
Netflix has got to get its shit together, so far it's only good exclusive is Stranger Things - and the second season is still up in the air in terms of how good it will be.
Love this show about trying to understand the mind of ''sequence killers''. And the pace is just right, you need time to let things hit you. It's not some mindless action tv show/movie like there are so many of these days.
It's not really a show you can skip around on and expect to follow. I understand that it might be too psychological and dialogue heavy for some people's tastes, but I never had any issues with the acting.
It plays against the stereo typical bad-ass cop hero, with a lead character who is pretty much a naïve dork at the start. As much as anything the "in between" scenes show the psychological toll that their jobs are having on their personal lives and personalities. It's a slow burn and some of the scenes that one might ask what the point is, probably won't pay off until future seasons.
I really enjoyed the series. I find it very different then other shows around. The show isn't a traditional crime show, but as much of a series about developing a new science with its own terminology. Its about wanting to understand the reason behind gruesome acts of violence instead of just calling them Evil. I can agree that the main character is stiff and awkward but think that is the way he was, more than bad acting. Nice to see that not all main characters need to be exciting personality.
7 Episodes in i'm enjoying this a lot. It tells a story that is very different in terms of pacing and story, compared to what we're used to today.
This is one of the great things about the renaissance of television. They're able to pull of plots here, that would be impossible to tell in cinema. What comes close in terms of atmosphere is Zodiac (2007), which is also by Fincher and great. Certainly not suitable for everyone's taste.
That end with Holden going into a panic attack after Kempen hugs him was the perfect ending to this season. He finally seems to have realized this is not a game and how fragile life is. His partner actually dealt with his emotions, Holden didn't. And the guy at the end was the BTK killer apparently.
On October 17 2017 23:41 Technique wrote: Love this show about trying to understand the mind of ''sequence killers''. And the pace is just right, you need time to let things hit you. It's not some mindless action tv show/movie like there are so many of these days.
This is classic David Fincher.
Ya that's what I thought too. Very similar feel and pace to that of Zodiac (about a serial killer and one of his best films). If you are only in it for action sequences or the episodic cases or w/e this might not be your show.
As people have already mentioned, this is not a typical cop show. Some sociological knowledge might be necessary in order to fully understand and appreciate some of the stories. The plot is: FBI agent Holden Ford doing research into the psychology of the serial killers. I think the cast, script and acting are some of its best features.
Don't know if anyone had any curiosity in googling some of the killers in the show. + Show Spoiler +
snippets from an interview with edmund kemper can be heard in the show
I think the final scene is very powerful, its a slow watch and not much "action" (in terms of things happening, not neccesarily violence). Its slow but very well crafted.
These people are serial killers, they killed numerous people yet Holden is tortured by the reasons that they did it, did they choose for this life? Moreover, is Holden feeling mercy or empathy for Kemper? How can you feel empathy for a serial killer? pretty scary stuff tbh, very powerful scene.
It's definitely not mercy but it's interesting that you said "empathy". It's pretty obvious that Holden's character changes gradually from that shy, hesitant, innocent boy who can barely utter those deviant words in ep 1 to a confident, driven, kind of arrogant man "Gotta make it with that young pussy before it turns into mom" is something Kemper says in ep 2 and Holden uses it in ep 10 to trap Devier Agent Ford also keeps fixating on what the actual spark for each of the killers might be and whether or not, without that small element, would those people continue on the same path. The more he learns about them and starts thinking like them, the more he becomes like them. I think it's this unconscious realisation that triggers the panic attack I have to say, there is something captivating in hearing Edmund Kemper talk
I liked season 1 except for the last couple of episodes. The bureaucratic bullshit surrounding that Speck interview is boring and not why I and, I assume, most people watch the show. + Show Spoiler +
I also don't understand why the spy, Smith, wasn't immediately fired from the unit after his (first) betrayal.