The Netflix Original series, “Mindhunter” is about two FBI agents that travel the United States to interview serial killers during the late 1970s. Criminology and Psychology has never been so appealingly gruesome.
Holden Ford played by Jonathan Groff and Bill Tench played by Holt McCallany compile data to help further the study of criminal psychology, a very unusual field of study. The characters are based on two real agents- Robert Ressler and John Douglas.
The story begins with Bill Tench offering Holden Ford a job to travel with him to instruct a class of detectives and police officers about FBI techniques and the way serial killers operate so that they are able to catch, and possibly change, the serial killers that are blatantly doing the killing.
The two FBI agents are total opposites but develop a funny friendship that viewers will quickly grow to love. Bill Tench is your typical athletic agent who is cautious with a tough exterior and noticeably admiration for Playboy.
Holden Ford is a curious character with communicative skills that will be a big help when they meet face-to-face with some of the most disturbing killers in this country’s history like Ed Kemper.
The show includes women that play strong roles, which is the relief that we need in modern television. This year seems to be the year of actresses that play strong characters in movies and television.
Dr. Wendy Carr, who is based on Dr. Ann Wolbert Burgess, is the brains behind creating a book about the accounts of a serial killer’s mind and Debbie, a sociology student, is an exciting bookworm.
The television series has introduction music that is similar to the one that is on American Horror Story. The beat is slow. That alone will make you feel uncomfortable but that awkwardness is what sets up the beginning scene of each episode.
The cinematographer uses bold white letters that take up the entire screen when the director wants to let the audience know about the location of the next scene. Although it is set in the late 1970s, the film editor decided to use a color enhanced filter, which was an interesting choice.
Pay close attention when watching this television series because it has a lot of details that are all essential to understanding the purpose of the characters plans to get into the mind of serial killers. It seems like the big question that they are trying to answer is—Are criminals born or are they formed?
