Mindhunter: Season 1, Episode 10 (B+)
I wasn’t sure what the focus of this finale would be, and I think that its two main plotlines in this episode were equally compelling. Holden once again used very coarse, brutal language to get his latest interviewee talking, and, after they set up the room together, it was clear that the other law enforcement officials in the room weren’t comfortable with his line of questioning, itself just as disturbing as the content of what they were hearing from a man discussing fourteen as the age of consent in Georgie. Bill and Holden did go in together to really get them when they had started to convince him he was guilty, but those moments are much rarer these days. Holden and Wendy flying down to speak to the judge after the article got picked up didn’t go well, and it’s clear that they’ve gone past the point of hiding their research and using it only for analytical purposes. Holden being completely honest with the Office of Professional Responsibility made sense as an offensive tactic, but he really is on thin ice. Getting a call that he was Ed’s proxy seemed to show him that he had crossed a line, and when he told Holden that he could kill him before anyone showed up and then had him in his grip, he sent Holden running down the hallway and spinning out both physically and mentally. Holden’s home life is also out of control, as he didn’t even grasp that Debbie asked if he wanted her to shut up and adore him was an angry remark about the unacceptable nature of their relationship. The final scene shows that we’re far from done with all this, and I think season two should be intriguing. I haven’t always loved this show, but I think it is worthwhile and plan to return for more when it comes back.
Season grade: B+
Season MVP: Jonathan Groff and Holt McCallany as Holden and Bill
Showing posts with label Mindhunter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mindhunter. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 20, 2017
Thursday, December 14, 2017
What I’m Watching: Mindhunter
Mindhunter: Season 1, Episode 9 (B+)
We’re getting to the point where the actual interviews encompass a small portion of the hour and it’s the analysis and, in this case, fallout that occupy much more time. Richard Speck was probably the most memorable interviewee yet, mainly due to the showy entrance that Holden and Bill had tried to avoid and the vicious language that he used. It was indeed interesting that Speck was so insistent that he wasn’t crazy like the other people they were talking to, though he didn’t do much to prove that. The most disconcerting part of the entire interview was Holden deciding to use crude language of his own to bait Speck, which worked but also ended up getting the team in hot water after that. The ousted principal’s wife tracking Holden down at home and commenting repeatedly on how young he and Debbie were to be ruining someone’s life was yet another signal that Holden, in his calm, matter-of-fact way of speaking, is going totally rogue. Having Gregg redact Holden’s controversial part of the conversation was a deliberate act, and the fact that no one in the Office of Professional Responsibility actually cared about Speck’s complaints doesn’t negate what happened. Wendy and Shepard listening to the tape indicated that they don’t trust Holden, and their joint decision to destroy the tape didn’t mean much when Gregg decided to mail it in anyway. I’m curious to see what happens in the finale and how that plants the seed for the second season that was recently announced.
We’re getting to the point where the actual interviews encompass a small portion of the hour and it’s the analysis and, in this case, fallout that occupy much more time. Richard Speck was probably the most memorable interviewee yet, mainly due to the showy entrance that Holden and Bill had tried to avoid and the vicious language that he used. It was indeed interesting that Speck was so insistent that he wasn’t crazy like the other people they were talking to, though he didn’t do much to prove that. The most disconcerting part of the entire interview was Holden deciding to use crude language of his own to bait Speck, which worked but also ended up getting the team in hot water after that. The ousted principal’s wife tracking Holden down at home and commenting repeatedly on how young he and Debbie were to be ruining someone’s life was yet another signal that Holden, in his calm, matter-of-fact way of speaking, is going totally rogue. Having Gregg redact Holden’s controversial part of the conversation was a deliberate act, and the fact that no one in the Office of Professional Responsibility actually cared about Speck’s complaints doesn’t negate what happened. Wendy and Shepard listening to the tape indicated that they don’t trust Holden, and their joint decision to destroy the tape didn’t mean much when Gregg decided to mail it in anyway. I’m curious to see what happens in the finale and how that plants the seed for the second season that was recently announced.
Tuesday, December 5, 2017
What I’m Watching: Mindhunter
Mindhunter: Season 1, Episode 8 (B+)
This was an interesting and unsettling episode, especially in an age where allegations about misconduct are rampant and, at least lately, the accusers are starting to be widely believed. In this case, there isn’t any evidence of wrongdoing, but rather what Holden sees as a very applicable real-world example of how behavior can be used in a predictive context. It was intriguing to see how Holden had to tone down the content of what he wanted to say, using the word “disturbing” as an imperfect euphemism for “deviant,” prompting teachers to come talk to him about something they would classify as disturbing practiced regularly by the very man who brought Holden in. Tickling is far more innocuous than much of what graces the headlines today, and both Bill and Wendy were quick to dismiss Holden as trying to impugn the reputation of a man whose record has no blemishes on it. The fact that a teacher was perceived as having “extra time” because she wasn’t married is fortunately one notion that isn’t nearly as prominent in today’s society, though those who fight the system do still encounter consider resistance and attempts to discredit them. Bill and Holden have experienced a real split after Bill decided he wasn’t going to continue with one subject, and Holden’s opinion isn’t being taken at all into account for their new hire, leading him to contribute his unsolicited thoughts. Holden’s jealousy of Debbie was not becoming, though it does seem that he was right to be worried.
This was an interesting and unsettling episode, especially in an age where allegations about misconduct are rampant and, at least lately, the accusers are starting to be widely believed. In this case, there isn’t any evidence of wrongdoing, but rather what Holden sees as a very applicable real-world example of how behavior can be used in a predictive context. It was intriguing to see how Holden had to tone down the content of what he wanted to say, using the word “disturbing” as an imperfect euphemism for “deviant,” prompting teachers to come talk to him about something they would classify as disturbing practiced regularly by the very man who brought Holden in. Tickling is far more innocuous than much of what graces the headlines today, and both Bill and Wendy were quick to dismiss Holden as trying to impugn the reputation of a man whose record has no blemishes on it. The fact that a teacher was perceived as having “extra time” because she wasn’t married is fortunately one notion that isn’t nearly as prominent in today’s society, though those who fight the system do still encounter consider resistance and attempts to discredit them. Bill and Holden have experienced a real split after Bill decided he wasn’t going to continue with one subject, and Holden’s opinion isn’t being taken at all into account for their new hire, leading him to contribute his unsolicited thoughts. Holden’s jealousy of Debbie was not becoming, though it does seem that he was right to be worried.
Monday, November 27, 2017
What I’m Watching: Mindhunter
Mindhunter: Season 1, Episode 7 (B+)
This was an intriguing if disturbing episode, with Holden employing unusual tactics to coerce their latest uncooperative interviewee to open up about his motivations. He was more than happy to boast about some of the things he did but none of the details, and it was only when Holden showed up with a pair of women’s shoes that they got him to start really talking. Referencing Kemper and the fact that they would believe anything suggests that they shouldn’t put as much stock in what their number one subject told them, and also shows that their study isn’t flying quite as under the radar as perhaps they had hoped. The most interesting part of this episode was how it showed the home lives of our two FBI agents, with Bill reacting badly to his wife’s response to his son finding a photo of a murder victim in his office and Holden being very sentimental with Hannah before she tried something new that didn’t go exactly as planned. I’ve read that people believe Holden has sociopathic tendencies of his own, and the way he looked at those shoes suggested that he couldn’t escape the world that he now lives in while he was in that moment of intimacy. Sharing a true moment from his childhood also got Bill upset since it made him vulnerable when he really shouldn’t have been. Wendy doesn’t seem to approve either, and she’s hitched herself to this wagon and needs to commit fully now. On a lighter note, Bill’s revenge on the guy who refused to move out of the middle sweet was entertaining.
This was an intriguing if disturbing episode, with Holden employing unusual tactics to coerce their latest uncooperative interviewee to open up about his motivations. He was more than happy to boast about some of the things he did but none of the details, and it was only when Holden showed up with a pair of women’s shoes that they got him to start really talking. Referencing Kemper and the fact that they would believe anything suggests that they shouldn’t put as much stock in what their number one subject told them, and also shows that their study isn’t flying quite as under the radar as perhaps they had hoped. The most interesting part of this episode was how it showed the home lives of our two FBI agents, with Bill reacting badly to his wife’s response to his son finding a photo of a murder victim in his office and Holden being very sentimental with Hannah before she tried something new that didn’t go exactly as planned. I’ve read that people believe Holden has sociopathic tendencies of his own, and the way he looked at those shoes suggested that he couldn’t escape the world that he now lives in while he was in that moment of intimacy. Sharing a true moment from his childhood also got Bill upset since it made him vulnerable when he really shouldn’t have been. Wendy doesn’t seem to approve either, and she’s hitched herself to this wagon and needs to commit fully now. On a lighter note, Bill’s revenge on the guy who refused to move out of the middle sweet was entertaining.
Sunday, November 19, 2017
What I’m Watching: Mindhunter
Mindhunter: Season 1, Episode 6 (B+)
I was very puzzled when I saw that this episode was only thirty-four minutes long since every other hour has been closer to sixty. I’d argue that it was actually a positive thing for this show, since this episode felt much fuller and more engaging than the installment that came before it. Picking up right in the middle of the other case in Park City, Kansas did feel strange, and what ended up happening there was a conclusion that all three were complicit in the murder. I thought Wendy did an excellent job blunting summing up how they were all involved, but it seems that law enforcement and, more importantly, the judicial system aren’t ready for this kind of complex understanding of criminality. We got a peek into the home lives of the other two main characters that haven’t yet been featured, and Wendy’s was fascinating. Casting Lena Olin as her partner was a great choice, and she wasted no time in ripping the notion of her working more with the FBI to shreds. Wendy wears an incredible mask when she’s with Holden, who is very inquisitive, and her response to whether her colleagues knew she was a lesbian was so immediately dismissive but also tracks with her not revealing any aspect of her personal life despite many questions. Bill’s home was pretty tranquil, with his wife eagerly chatting Debbie and Holden up. It’s crazy to think that Bill has a son he comes home to, and that made his conversation with Holden about children all the more interesting.
I was very puzzled when I saw that this episode was only thirty-four minutes long since every other hour has been closer to sixty. I’d argue that it was actually a positive thing for this show, since this episode felt much fuller and more engaging than the installment that came before it. Picking up right in the middle of the other case in Park City, Kansas did feel strange, and what ended up happening there was a conclusion that all three were complicit in the murder. I thought Wendy did an excellent job blunting summing up how they were all involved, but it seems that law enforcement and, more importantly, the judicial system aren’t ready for this kind of complex understanding of criminality. We got a peek into the home lives of the other two main characters that haven’t yet been featured, and Wendy’s was fascinating. Casting Lena Olin as her partner was a great choice, and she wasted no time in ripping the notion of her working more with the FBI to shreds. Wendy wears an incredible mask when she’s with Holden, who is very inquisitive, and her response to whether her colleagues knew she was a lesbian was so immediately dismissive but also tracks with her not revealing any aspect of her personal life despite many questions. Bill’s home was pretty tranquil, with his wife eagerly chatting Debbie and Holden up. It’s crazy to think that Bill has a son he comes home to, and that made his conversation with Holden about children all the more interesting.
Sunday, November 12, 2017
What I’m Watching: Mindhunter
Mindhunter: Season 1, Episode 5 (B-)
This episode shifted its focus to an active case, one that it didn’t even really manage to solve, and I for one wasn’t too thrilled about that. This show has been a very dark slow burn since it started, and going back over a case over it’s been very much closed is a completely different thing than participating in an open investigation. I understand that’s the point, and that Holden and Bill want to apply what they’ve learned to help law enforcement identify and anticipate trends like the ones that have led to serial killers emerging and cutting short the lives of many victims who could otherwise have been saved. Yet there was something about this episode that felt like it stalled, and it was really hard to get into it. Ending on a question was also peculiar, and felt very unsatisfying, and not in the kind of way that piqued my interest to return to find out how questions like this can be answered going forward. I’ve read a few things about how Holden has some sociopathic tendencies, and that’s more intriguing than most of the rest of this episode’s content. Bill suggesting they get different rooms and asking Holden to get off his bed was a sign not of any discomfort with sharing a room with another male but with the fact that Holden has no sense of boundaries and gets so zoned-in with he’s on a case that he tunes the rest of the world out. Let’s hope for a return to more compelling interviews without so much crying in the coming weeks, otherwise I may have to stop watching this show.
This episode shifted its focus to an active case, one that it didn’t even really manage to solve, and I for one wasn’t too thrilled about that. This show has been a very dark slow burn since it started, and going back over a case over it’s been very much closed is a completely different thing than participating in an open investigation. I understand that’s the point, and that Holden and Bill want to apply what they’ve learned to help law enforcement identify and anticipate trends like the ones that have led to serial killers emerging and cutting short the lives of many victims who could otherwise have been saved. Yet there was something about this episode that felt like it stalled, and it was really hard to get into it. Ending on a question was also peculiar, and felt very unsatisfying, and not in the kind of way that piqued my interest to return to find out how questions like this can be answered going forward. I’ve read a few things about how Holden has some sociopathic tendencies, and that’s more intriguing than most of the rest of this episode’s content. Bill suggesting they get different rooms and asking Holden to get off his bed was a sign not of any discomfort with sharing a room with another male but with the fact that Holden has no sense of boundaries and gets so zoned-in with he’s on a case that he tunes the rest of the world out. Let’s hope for a return to more compelling interviews without so much crying in the coming weeks, otherwise I may have to stop watching this show.
Monday, November 6, 2017
What I’m Watching: Mindhunter
Mindhunter: Season 1, Episode 4 (B)
I don’t think that I’ve made note yet of the bizarre, unfinished tone to the opening sequences that this show employs, seemingly recreating a moment that would later play into a serial killer’s crime without much definition or closure. It’s unsettling, to be sure, but I wish that it was a bit more connected. After the completely open experience of talking to Ed, Holden and Bill encountered a less cooperative and certainly less polite interviewee who was much more interested in what it was that they were planning to do with his answers. Bill had no qualms about cutting to the chase, giving his opinion on the despicable nature of what he had done and explaining that he couldn’t hope to understand how someone could do it. Later on, Bill was the more composed and reserved one, showing Holden that he had to work a different way with local law enforcement since they’re not as interested in the bigger picture and more in the investment to solve just one case. Wendy doesn’t seem to want to spend any time on active individual cases but rather on the work as a whole, and, somehow, it appears that they’ve received more than adequate funding to be able to pursue the research full-time. I liked seeing Debbie meet Wendy and how they spoke to each other with Holden there, and it was also intriguing to see how strongly Bill reacted when they got into their car accident, forcefully protective of Holden and ready to reign hell on the man who dared to hit them.
I don’t think that I’ve made note yet of the bizarre, unfinished tone to the opening sequences that this show employs, seemingly recreating a moment that would later play into a serial killer’s crime without much definition or closure. It’s unsettling, to be sure, but I wish that it was a bit more connected. After the completely open experience of talking to Ed, Holden and Bill encountered a less cooperative and certainly less polite interviewee who was much more interested in what it was that they were planning to do with his answers. Bill had no qualms about cutting to the chase, giving his opinion on the despicable nature of what he had done and explaining that he couldn’t hope to understand how someone could do it. Later on, Bill was the more composed and reserved one, showing Holden that he had to work a different way with local law enforcement since they’re not as interested in the bigger picture and more in the investment to solve just one case. Wendy doesn’t seem to want to spend any time on active individual cases but rather on the work as a whole, and, somehow, it appears that they’ve received more than adequate funding to be able to pursue the research full-time. I liked seeing Debbie meet Wendy and how they spoke to each other with Holden there, and it was also intriguing to see how strongly Bill reacted when they got into their car accident, forcefully protective of Holden and ready to reign hell on the man who dared to hit them.
Monday, October 30, 2017
Take Three: Mindhunter
Mindhunter: Season 1, Episode 3 (B)
I was wondering when Anna Torv of “Fringe” fame would show up, since I’m always surprised when notable streaming stars don’t appear for a few episodes because it takes me a few weeks to meet them as compared with most viewers who binge and finish the season is days or hours. Her Dr. Wendy Carr is changing the game in a big way for Holden, who never would have thought that people would be interested in reading a book on the work they’re doing. Of course, said book is the basis for this show, so that’s good to know, but I think it will definitely help to have a purpose for the research they’re conducting other than just separate interviews that aren’t as formal as Wendy would have expected. Bill was right to remark that they shouldn’t give killers notice that they’re going to interview them since they might decline, and for the moment they pretty much just have Kemper to regale them with stories of murder while they’re eating pizza with him in jail. Even if he isn’t a terribly affectionate or complimentary boss, Bill did commend Hold by asserting that he was a great FBI agent because Kemper thought that Holden was his friend. As Bill realizes that their work is worthwhile, Holden is ready to push the boundaries further, changing terms of deviancy after being inspired by a joke about sex in his own life. I’m sure he’ll get some flak down the road for that, but it also shows a dynamic perspective on what it means to stray from the norm and how those definitions shape truly deviant behavior.
I was wondering when Anna Torv of “Fringe” fame would show up, since I’m always surprised when notable streaming stars don’t appear for a few episodes because it takes me a few weeks to meet them as compared with most viewers who binge and finish the season is days or hours. Her Dr. Wendy Carr is changing the game in a big way for Holden, who never would have thought that people would be interested in reading a book on the work they’re doing. Of course, said book is the basis for this show, so that’s good to know, but I think it will definitely help to have a purpose for the research they’re conducting other than just separate interviews that aren’t as formal as Wendy would have expected. Bill was right to remark that they shouldn’t give killers notice that they’re going to interview them since they might decline, and for the moment they pretty much just have Kemper to regale them with stories of murder while they’re eating pizza with him in jail. Even if he isn’t a terribly affectionate or complimentary boss, Bill did commend Hold by asserting that he was a great FBI agent because Kemper thought that Holden was his friend. As Bill realizes that their work is worthwhile, Holden is ready to push the boundaries further, changing terms of deviancy after being inspired by a joke about sex in his own life. I’m sure he’ll get some flak down the road for that, but it also shows a dynamic perspective on what it means to stray from the norm and how those definitions shape truly deviant behavior.
Monday, October 23, 2017
Round Two: Mindhunter
Mindhunter: Season 1, Episode 2 (B)
I’m very mixed on how I feel about this show. In its first few minutes, I found it relatively uninviting, and I wasn’t sure where it was going to go. After Bill makes some creepy cracks about how nothing good would come of Holden talking to Ed Kemper, we got a chance to see Holden sit down with the world’s politest serial killer, who wanted to make sure that his FBI visitor had an egg salad sandwich before they started talking. This was an interesting first interview to showcase, since Ed really does love opening up, fully aware that a lobotomy is a likely outcome and that he’s done deplorable things. As he put it, “I’m just an extremely accomplished murderer who spent my adult life evading capture until I gave myself up.” It’s intriguing to see just how much Holden opens up and lets his guard down when speaking to a convicted killer, and it makes any future conversations he has with far less forgiving audiences likely to get him into major trouble. The time montage and song that chronicled their many travels, cars, suits, and food demonstrated how quickly this show wants to move, chronicling the rise of this kind of work and profiling in the FBI. There’s no denying that this is off-putting material that is very, very dark, but I do think that there’s something here. Now that they have official approval to move down to the basement and start interviewing more killers, I’m curious to see what insights they’ll gain and willing to give this show another shot as they begin their real work.
I’m very mixed on how I feel about this show. In its first few minutes, I found it relatively uninviting, and I wasn’t sure where it was going to go. After Bill makes some creepy cracks about how nothing good would come of Holden talking to Ed Kemper, we got a chance to see Holden sit down with the world’s politest serial killer, who wanted to make sure that his FBI visitor had an egg salad sandwich before they started talking. This was an interesting first interview to showcase, since Ed really does love opening up, fully aware that a lobotomy is a likely outcome and that he’s done deplorable things. As he put it, “I’m just an extremely accomplished murderer who spent my adult life evading capture until I gave myself up.” It’s intriguing to see just how much Holden opens up and lets his guard down when speaking to a convicted killer, and it makes any future conversations he has with far less forgiving audiences likely to get him into major trouble. The time montage and song that chronicled their many travels, cars, suits, and food demonstrated how quickly this show wants to move, chronicling the rise of this kind of work and profiling in the FBI. There’s no denying that this is off-putting material that is very, very dark, but I do think that there’s something here. Now that they have official approval to move down to the basement and start interviewing more killers, I’m curious to see what insights they’ll gain and willing to give this show another shot as they begin their real work.
Monday, October 16, 2017
Pilot Review: Mindhunter
Mindhunter (Netflix)
Premiered October 13
I try hard not to read anything about new shows since I find that going into them knowing next to nothing enhances the experience and allows them to speak for themselves in terms of premise and quality. Yet I’m constantly surprised when a debut episode doesn’t make clear specifically what a show is about, and while I was drawn in enough based on the content of the pilot as compared with something like “The Deuce,” I still had no idea that this show would be about its protagonists interviewing imprisoned serial killers to gain insight into why they committed their crimes and why others might. It makes sense as a logical next step, though the way this first episode ended, that wasn’t clear at all. I just finished “Manhunt: Unabomber,” which showed how an unconventional way of thinking helped to catch a notorious killer who went uncaught for many years, and therefore this does appeal. Yet I think that the strongest part of the entire episode was the first scene where Jonathan Groff’s Holden Ford showed up and took charge of a hostage negotiation with just the right approach, only to find his work cut short by a fatal gunshot to the man’s hand. I liked Groff a lot in his role on the second season of Starz’s short-lived “Boss,” and he seems like the right person for this part. I was very fond of Holt McCallany on FX’s one-season boxing drama “Lights Out,” and so it’s good to see him get another major role. I guess we’ll meet Anna Torv from “Fringe” in a subsequent episode. This premiere didn’t draw me in as much as I’d hope, but it piqued my interest to the point that I’ll tune in for episode two to see where it goes.
How will it work as a series? Holden and Bill seem to be on the same page even if they don’t always see eye to eye, but almost everyone they encounter wants direct results that don’t involve nearly as much introspection. Their uphill battle will be made engaging if the stories told by the killers they interview are gripping, chilling, and can be used to productive effect to glean knowledge about why others might do what they do.
How long will it last? David Fincher’s involvement in the show seems to have bolstered its buzz, earning a second season renewal way back in April. While premature pickups often backfire for non-streaming dramas, this might not actually be so bad for this well-reviewed drama that’s probably going to be considered a hit for the network.
Pilot grade: B
Premiered October 13
I try hard not to read anything about new shows since I find that going into them knowing next to nothing enhances the experience and allows them to speak for themselves in terms of premise and quality. Yet I’m constantly surprised when a debut episode doesn’t make clear specifically what a show is about, and while I was drawn in enough based on the content of the pilot as compared with something like “The Deuce,” I still had no idea that this show would be about its protagonists interviewing imprisoned serial killers to gain insight into why they committed their crimes and why others might. It makes sense as a logical next step, though the way this first episode ended, that wasn’t clear at all. I just finished “Manhunt: Unabomber,” which showed how an unconventional way of thinking helped to catch a notorious killer who went uncaught for many years, and therefore this does appeal. Yet I think that the strongest part of the entire episode was the first scene where Jonathan Groff’s Holden Ford showed up and took charge of a hostage negotiation with just the right approach, only to find his work cut short by a fatal gunshot to the man’s hand. I liked Groff a lot in his role on the second season of Starz’s short-lived “Boss,” and he seems like the right person for this part. I was very fond of Holt McCallany on FX’s one-season boxing drama “Lights Out,” and so it’s good to see him get another major role. I guess we’ll meet Anna Torv from “Fringe” in a subsequent episode. This premiere didn’t draw me in as much as I’d hope, but it piqued my interest to the point that I’ll tune in for episode two to see where it goes.
How will it work as a series? Holden and Bill seem to be on the same page even if they don’t always see eye to eye, but almost everyone they encounter wants direct results that don’t involve nearly as much introspection. Their uphill battle will be made engaging if the stories told by the killers they interview are gripping, chilling, and can be used to productive effect to glean knowledge about why others might do what they do.
How long will it last? David Fincher’s involvement in the show seems to have bolstered its buzz, earning a second season renewal way back in April. While premature pickups often backfire for non-streaming dramas, this might not actually be so bad for this well-reviewed drama that’s probably going to be considered a hit for the network.
Pilot grade: B
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