Film Review

Mindhunter Season 2: The Art Is In The Dialogue

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Oh and what dialogue it is. You might say that almost the entire premise of the TV series is based on dialogue, but as you may already know… it’s not a deterrent. In fact it’s a highest possible accolade, a fantastic compliment that actually makes Mindhunter what it is. A fantastic TV show worth the binge.

Yes, I highly recommend the second season of Mindhunter. It is excellent and it’s been a while (well, when I think about it, since Chernobyl) that a TV show has grabbed me with this much finesse, style and quality. Yes, it’s really good, but coming from David Fincher… Did you really expect anything less than excellent?  I thought so.

You can safely assume that the direction, acting, cinematography, accuracy both in real life events and in props is top notch, and you would be right on all accounts. Fincher directed the first 3 episodes of the second season, but frankly every single episode is magnificently shot. Not just the episodes directed by Fincher.

No, I’m here to make note on the fine writing. And much like everything else… the writing is excellent as well. I was particularly fascinated by the dialogues. Most specifically in the scenes where Holden Ford and Bill Tench are interviewing some of the most notorious serial killers. The entire 2nd season is focused on the Atlanta murders, but some of the well known serial killers are also featured as well. Manson is here, Ed Kamper has returned for a brief period near the end of the season, but the interviews with David Berkowitz, William Pierce, Jr, William Henry Hance and Elmer Henley are a thing of beauty.

If you look past the disgusting, deranged details about their killings you’ll find the interview scenes quite fascinating. At least I did. They’re lengthy, intellectual but you don’t feel the burden of their entire length or their nature. They’re not over-stuffed with phycho-analysis and most importantly they’re not boring to watch. In fact it’s quite the opposite. They’re fantastic to watch. You see, dialogue can seem quite boring, repetitive at times, and unless it’s used properly in a scene (regardless if it’s in TV shows or in feature films) can become tiresome for the viewer.

You risk losing the viewer’s attention quite quickly, and you’re at a dead-end right after that. And in a 10 episode long TV series where’s not much action, that can cause some trouble. But what’s fascinating here, is that the dialogue is so clever, so fantastically written that you can’t but feel immersed in the story, in the interviews and in the minds of the serial killers. You want to know what happens next. You want to know if they’ll catch the bad guys.

The same can be said about the scenes after the interviews. Where the entire criminal profiling team and the lead psychologist Wendy Carr discuss their strategies, their profiles and their next steps. They’re an extension of the interviews and again… They’re not even remotely stuffy or boring.  So…. If you’re looking a fantastic TV show to binge on, Mindhunter is really a master piece. It’s really a gem that deserves more love, attention and exposure. It’s really awesome and the second season is even better than the first. You should definitely watch it.

 

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