Streaming on Netflix
Starring Jonathan Groff and Holt McCallany
With all the popularity surrounding true crime docuseries and films lately, Netflix has been doing a great job keeping the volume of content high. With so many to watch sometimes it’s hard to pick which to watch next. I’m sure some of you finished Making a Murder or The Ted Bundy Tapes and still don’t know what to watch until the biographical film starring Zac Efron comes out. I suggest straying away from the documentary style and checking out this incredibly well-done Netflix Original series. There is only one season available right now, but the second season is in the works.
If you enjoy learning about psychology, serial killers, or anything true crime related, I am confident you will appreciate Mindhunter. The show takes place in the late 1970s when the term “serial killer” didn’t even exist. Unfortunately, this world has since become all too familiar with senseless violence. These days we know all about Jeffery Dahmer, Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, The Zodiac Killer…the list goes on and on. This show takes place during a time when the psyche of serial killers was a total mystery. The idea of someone killing another person with no motive was completely unheard of. In Mindhunter our protagonists think outside the box and study the disturbed minds that kill for little to no reason. What they come to learn over the course of a season is equally disturbing and educational.
Here is a quick plot rundown with no spoilers. Two FBI agents, Holden Ford and Bill Tench, team up to conduct interviews with killers in prison to get a glimpse inside their psyche and figure out why they committed such terrible crimes. They figure the information gathered from these interviews can be helpful when trying to solve open cases, future cases, and possibly even cold cases. This series has a very True Detective season one vibe since the main characters are two very different people with common goals. Throughout the season there are very clear character developments and changes. By the time you get to the season finale you might feel like some are completely different people (much like Walter White in Breaking Bad). I suppose it’s not surprising that talking to serial killers and hearing their messed up stories would change a person.
I randomly started watching this show one night because Netflix started it automatically. By the end of episode one I wanted to pull an all-nighter so I could binge the entire season. I had to force myself to spread out my viewings so I could actually decompress mentally and process each episode. This show feels like a long movie instead of a series. The episodes melt into one another with each vivid crime scene and dialogue that sometimes seems like a hair-raising whisper, compelling you to listen to each word carefully. Then before you know it, the credits will roll after the season finale and you’ll scream “AH! I need to know what happens!”
Report Card: 9/10
Not all Netflix Original shows and movies are very good, but this one is top shelf compared to most in my opinion. Right now, there is no set release date for season 2, but it is rumored to be released in the first half of 2019. Do yourself a favor and get caught up so you’re ready! I highly recommend doing what I did and spacing out the episodes so you can think about each one and dissect the characters and story. Plus, this might help avoid falling into a very dark rabbit hole of creepy serial killer information. However, if you want to binge then go right ahead. No judgement here and I’m sure you’ll still really enjoy it.
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