Deep dive into the minds of serial killers with detectives Holden Ford, played by Jonathan Groff, and Bill Tench, played by Holt Mccallaney, as they determine the patterns of psychotic behavior to take preventive measures against criminals. Based on real-life serial killers, this thriller series exposes the gruesome thinking that encompasses the mind of serial killers as they contemplate violent actions. Moreover, it derives its reality from the exploratory behavioral science unit ‘BSU’ that examined psychopaths and coined the term serial killer in the late 1970s.
Credit: Netflix
The Blurring Lines between Work and Life as a Crime Investigator
Despite drawing some lines between his personal and work life, Bill often finds himself stuck in the rut of overthinking about the gruesome crimes at home, it becomes worrisome for his wife as she believes his work makes him unsuitable to be the contemporary family man.
Holden Ford is no stranger to this as the work impacts him in ways that trigger anxiety and panic attacks and his private love life, in an instance his girlfriend throws on some lacey lingerie to entice him but it repulses him because his head is so deeply engrossed in a criminal case with a killer who has a fetish for women’s heels. There are instances where Holden’s anxiety becomes so terrifying that he envisions nightmares and even becomes conscious of the true intentions of harmless individuals. This all goes to show how his psyche has changed due to the fieldwork. Although he has shouldered a great responsibility of bringing justice, he knows the fight against evil is not one without challenges.
Similarly, the female lead Wendy Carr is depicted as a headstrong professional who not only displays a cold demeanor but instead of conducting the fieldwork, she uses her analysis of the interviews to make intellectual inquires into the patterns of behavior that are obvious in the serial killers.
Credit: Netflix
What Distinguishes Mindhunter from Other Crime Thrillers
As a crime show enthusiast, MindHunter has been recommended to me by many who follow the genre on Netflix. The series consists of the department looking deep into the psychological profiles of criminals to predict patterns and take action to prevent any gruesome murders. The dialogues are powerful and there are more hidden meanings behind the dialogues than one can fathom.
Among the fascinating elements of the show for me were the opening credits; it’s subtle but slowly captures your attention, diminishing the lines between raw and honest with snippets of a tape recorder that depict how this method has been well employed for authentic psychoanalysis of serial killers. The eerie tune combined with the images that variate becomes creative yet instrumental in defining the context of the show in a brilliant manner.
Mindhunter derives its reality from true crimes committed by these individuals but is presented in an eloquent manner that stimulates the thinking and intrigues the interest of the viewer. The themes behind the crime’s motive range from jealousy, revenge, or male dominance, yet paint the true picture of the serial killer as they share with the detectives why their personalities developed towards an indifference of emotions when it came to murder and violence! It also highlights the gaps in the justice system that have failed to give honor to those that have become victims at the hands of merciless murders in certain states, the bold header that showcases the name of the state right before the episode begins was detail oriented to describe how across the many US states variances in demographics as well as the type of crimes differ.
Credit: Netflix
The Fragmented Realities of Mindhunter’s Serial Killers
Mindhunter sets the precedent for crime shows due to its unique trajectory with exceptional cinematography that builds pulsating tension as the criminal in focus intentions are gradually revealed. As the crime show explores the gruesome nature of crime and its preparators, the audience will contemplate how the latter choices have been widely ignored while exhibiting human nature’s internal frustrations.
As a fan of David Fincher, I found that Zodiac delivered a gripping storyline – and you’ll find that MindHunter brings the same hype to true crime genre series. One may think they have figured out the puzzle but it’s only then that the episode’s ending will knock you right out of the park without a warning. Holden has a similar tendency to become more obsessive as he dives deep into his work and that does not always bring him peace. Despite the audience believing that all evil comes to an end, MindHunter’s reality does not lead to those ends.
If you’re a crime junkie you’ll definitely enjoy this. You get to deeply analyze criminals from a psychological perspective and predict their next gruesome act. But one also develops sympathy for the BSA unit that has to maintain composure while interviewing criminals and keep their emotions at bay. The dialogues seize the audience and the cinematography is brilliant as it holds the key to setting a unique place in a widely crowded genre.
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