Tyler Krenzin
Lantern Staff
Netflix originals have been some of my favorite T.V. shows for the past couple of years. From Orange is the New Black to the recently released American Vandal, Netflix continues to give consumers solid reasons to pay that monthly subscription fee.
I had been excited to watch Mindhunters since the trailer came out about a month ago. The trailer made the show look like the earlier days of Criminal Minds. The way that I looked at the trailer turned out to be exactly true. It really was the early version of one of my favorite crime shows.
We meet Holden Ford, an aspiring FBI detective, at the beginning of the series in the late 70s. Ford later becomes a teacher for the FBI, teaching students’ hostage negotiation. After an encounter with a crazed individual at a hostage negotiation, Ford becomes entrenched in the idea that he can solve problems, so they can find criminals faster.
Ford, given the opportunity to escape the classroom and be in the field, joins Bill Tench and teaches police officers FBI techniques.
While in California, Ford’s curiosity gets the best of him. This is where we meet the most compelling character of the series, Edmund Kemper, a convicted killer that showed the exact signs Ford was looking for. Kemper is an insane individual that keeps the civil part of his brain intact, and he is someone who kills for more than just a crime of passion. Kemper, played by Cameron Britton, was by far the best acting performance of the entire show. Kemper only appears in three episodes of the series, but his tone and ideas resonate throughout the entire show. His creepiness, but like ability will leave viewers confused if they want him dead or if they want him to be saved.
The show brings history from the 70s pop culture. The music of the soundtrack mixes very well between the staunch FBI parts of the episodes, to the time that Ford is spending with his hippie girlfriend. One of the overlaying themes of the show was how all of this was inspired by what Charles Manson did. The show takes place after Manson is caught, which seems to be and Ford’s entire mission to figure out how the FBI could have caught onto Manson sooner.
Overall, the show had some lackluster moments where I was left thinking whether or not I should skip a little further. As much as character building is important, the time that viewers spend with Ford and his girlfriend seems forced. There could have been quicker, more efficient ways to show that Ford still keeps his humanity. Even with these slow parts, the show left me amazed at how Netflix is improving over the years, and I am looking forward to the presumed season two. 8.5/10