But it is something new, in the context and time period of the show, and that's kind of what makes it fascinating. Like this knowledge we take for granted, that seems so simple and understood and even cliched now, is treated with hostility and dismissal by many and as a untapped field being uncovered.
Also it's a historical period piece so the notion that the reasonings are so cliched and not more exotic seems kind of weird. It seems cliched because these cases are what inspired those thrillers. Sometimes reality is just that disturbingly simple.
The show isn't about catching killers like so many serial killler procedurals; it's about the process of understanding and catching killers, and that's a big difference. Compare this show to a show like Criminal Minds. You'll have your theme for that episode, you'll have your scene or two where the resident experts explains the relevant concept that'll end up being what helps them catch the killer in a layman-friendly way so the audience gets it, and so on
But Mindhunter isn't like that. It's more interested in the protagonists learning from these cases and gradually building a foundation of knowledge than it is about the common ”catching the killer" thrills. The usual interviews and mulling over evidence scenes isn't merely there for a plot twist or to deepen a mystery, but as teachable moments that the protagonists struggle to understand and adapt to in the service of the show's greater goal of showing how the field was established
yeah i see all of that of course but it just deosn't work as i would like for me. See, for example, i find Masters of Sex, which is also a show about a new scientific area struggling to exist, way better at showing that. The cultural barrier etc..
Here, and maybe that's just me, but every time they are like "maybe we could catch criminals better if we knew what's their actual problem" and a cop is like "bro we don't give a shit, they're just animals we should kill them".. It feels really stupid. It makes you think "wait we waited the late 70's for that ? really ?"
I'm not saying that's not true. I'm saying the show seems to make all that simple and almost funny at times to be accessible, and it results in something a little cheap, to me. And the application of all that seems to only be an ex negotiator trying to be buddy with the criminal with over simple shenanigans like "hey i'm gonna take the object of his fetish with me" and bam it works lol. Do they really need all those complex psychological studies for that seriously.. The show is bad at showing how those complex studies are used in a smart way. But maybe that's cause the main protagonist is meant to be pretty bad at it.
It's like the show wants to focus on the super simple stuff to not be too obscure, and that's what i'm complaining about here. And i'm really critical of House of Card to. I think Fincher is not going for the ambitious "not for everyone" show. He's not david simons i mean. Maybe i would expect him to be.
The show isnt meant to be an Murder Investigation Cop show lol. Its a period piece about how the FBI started their research into the mind of a serial killer. The random investigations that happen inbetween are just them helping out on cases with local police since noone is equipped yet to deal with these types of killings. The FBI agents werent even calling them Series Killings until super late into the season.
If anything, I was hoping for more Se7en in this show. But so far im really liking it.
I'm justly saying it shouldn't be and its acting like it's not just that, but it's still too much of a murder investigation cop show. When you have half the season being local investigations of some random case, it's at least a way to fill the 10 episodes. When you think about it, a bog part of that season is indeed a buddy cop show about criminal cases, i'm sorry. That's just a big part of it.