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'Mindhunter' Season 1 Review

The Best Show Netflix Produced in 2017

By Katie BurnsidePublished 6 years ago 3 min read
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Plot: Set in 1977, Holden Ford and Bill Tench interview murderers in order to gain an insight into what goes on inside their heads. They attempt to catch serial killers by analysing and trying to understand their behaviour.

Created By: Joe Penhall

Starring: Jonathan Groff, Anna Torv, Holt McCallany, Hannah Gross, Cameron Britton, Cotter Smith, Happy Anderson, Stacey Roca.

It's bold, smart, and strong. It's intellectual without being arrogant. Character development is meticulous. I honestly couldn't praise this show enough. I'm in awe. It's incredibly inspiring.

“If what we’re doing doesn’t get under your skin, you’re either more messed up than I thought or you’re lying to yourself.”

Throughout the episodes, Holden seems unfazed, or he did to me. Nothing about these killers bothered him. He was fine with going along with their twisted and sickening stories; in fact, towards the end of the season, Holden joined in with these stories. He began to say some dark sentences that were scary and uneasy. That's why I've placed the above quote. It sums up this character arc perfectly. At the end of the season, it all becomes too much and we finally see that talking to these killers does affect Holden. It's a scene that's filled with so much relief because as a fan of his, he becomes someone you don't recognise. However, this scene shows you that he's still in there. He's still human and these sick crimes are affecting him like they would any human being. He was lying to himself.

I think the ending scene between Holden and one of the show's most captivating killers was a necessity to develop Holden even further as a character and set him on another path for season two. It's a scene where Holden realises he is in a room with a hugely dangerous person and he's on his own. It's scary for the audience and for Holden but it had to happen. It was nice that this took place in the finale episode because he was the first killer introduced to us so it was riveting getting to revisit this character.

The show is so different from anything else. There are so many crime dramas out there and police procedural dramas but they're all the same. Mindhunter stands out from the rest because of its captivating and raw structure. It takes its time with events and doesn't rush scenes. These characters interview several different killers. Some of these killers are on only one episode and some are in a few spanning across two or three, making it unpredictable.

It's also a very different show because it's kind of based on true events. These characters are based on real people, people who analysed killers behaviour and actually interviewed murderers and rapists. I find stuff like this really interesting, which is why the show captivated me. They're spending time with the world's most dangerous and scariest people and it's extraordinary. Not everybody would be able to hack that. Even the killers in this show are inspired by real-life killers.

As the show is set in 1977, it's a time before the term "serial killer" existed. They didn't know what to call these people who killed more than once with the same patterns. They used words like sequence killer until Holden actually spawned the terminology "serial killer" in episode 9. It was just remarkable to watch. It's quite informative, too.

The show pulls off everything. I couldn't pick a fault with it. Looking back at 2017, I would say this is the best TV show to come out of it and I would hands down say that it is the best Netflix original series by far. It trumps everything because of how smart and clever and stylistic it is.

I'm excited for season two. If it's anything like the first season, it will blow our minds, again. I think it's the most compulsive show I have ever seen. I was drawn to every episode and never found myself distracted. It's a show that you will easily lose yourself in. It really does get under your skin and it marvels in taking its time to do so. Season two can't come quick enough.

Cinematic Genius!

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