The folks at ScreenPrism have done a great deep dive into why Mindhunter’s slow release is so effective – because what you fear is not what they show you. It’s what they tell you. They call it breaking all of the rules because most screenwriting teachers and instructors who teach film will always say “show, don’t tell.” That is how you’re lured in, the same way the main character in the series, is lured into a world that ultimately threatens to consume him. That ending, that tight grip of near strangulation by the end, could not have been had if the series showed you the killings — that’s because, like a python slowly wraps itself around its prey, the element of ultimate surprise depends on having complete control.
I don’t think I saw a better performance on TV last year than Cameron Britton as Ed Kemper. A youtuber did a side by side comparison here and it’s chilling to watch. Britton, though, doesn’t just impersonate Kemper – because that would be like standing up a block of wood and watching it talk – serial killers all have one thing in common: the lights are on but nobody’s home. Rather, Britton, who should be up for Emmy consideration if people are paying attention, brings more context and emotion to Kemper to help guide the story where it needs to go. And this is what the ScreenPrism creators have done here:
Mindhunter is the antithesis to shows like Criminal Minds, which elevate serial killers to supernatural gods almost. The truth is they are the dullest people you’ve ever met, so dull in fact that no one notices them. Just look at the Golden State killer who committed rapes and murders in Sacramento and still manages to live there, among its residents, completely unnoticed. If there is any unifying detail they all have it’s that crushing ordinary-ness of them. The juxtaposition of that and their crimes is what makes Mindhunter the right way — I think — to SHOW what they really are. While you’re watching them talk, hiding who they are as they’ve become so good at doing, you have no choice but to imagine what they’ve done, to imagine how they must have looked at the moment they abducted, then did horrific things to their victims. You imagine the blood splatter on their faces. You imagine what they looked like while raping or killing. Those who show us what they think that looks like? It never really comes off 100%.
As for David Fincher, he’s done both. In Zodiac we see the brutality – even if done behind a masked man. We see the knives entering flesh, the bullets tearing them apart. And funnily enough, what you’ve heard about the Zodiac – that he shot people in cars – never had the same kind of power as seeing the way they were murdered in the film. Conversely, with Se7en, we’re never shown the violence, just the aftermath. We don’t see the giant metal cock ripping the woman apart from the inside – we just see the guy who had it strapped to him, shaking and near collapse begging them to take it off of him. We don’t see the woman’s nose being cut off her face, we just see her laying there after it already happened but most importantly, and most effectively, we never see poor Gwyneth Paltrow being raped, then having her head cut off and put in a box. We know it happens but we never see it. Mindhunter plays around with both of these concepts – serial killers and their crimes crawling around in our heads.
Mindhunter, Black Mirror and The Crown seem to be strong Emmy contenders this year but it’s hard to say where the voters will go. The Emmys are almost always like a record stuck in one place. They go for the same stuff every year and breaking into that is not easy. It’s one of the reasons the Emmys are not as interesting to cover as the Oscars (for me anyway) – but it’s hard to deny how great the offerings are becoming in this new golden age of streaming. The Emmys just have to figure out how to keep up.
The Emmys are just so great right now. Stranger Things, Game of Thrones, The Americans, Westworld, The Crown, Handmaid’s Tale, This Is Us … and Better Call Saul (skipped a year) … it’s hard for new shows to get nominated when there are 8 shows that are phenomenal right now.
I think Ozark, Mindhunter and The Deuce have the best shot though.
Mindhunter was great (Britton is good, but I thought it was best when Anna Torv and Hannah Gross were on screen – and especially when they were talking about the 70s intellectual scene, which is just so fascinating; Groff was cute, didn’t convince me the first half of the season, but grew on me by the end) … but I still think Handmaid’s Tale was hands down the best of last year. What do people on this site think about it? Never see it talked about.
Mindhunter was completely snubbed at the Globes. Hopefully that doesn’t happen with Emmy.
That’s not a Globes-y show. It should at least show up somewhere at the Emmys. Hopefully…
Off topic:
… I… just… can’t…
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/bernardo-bertolucci-says-ridley-scott-should-be-ashamed-replacing-kevin-spacey-1106803
The man who admits Maria Schneider was raped on set and on screen for his film “The Last Tango in Paris”, and is corresponsible for that, says Scott should be ashamed to replace Spacey. Oh, the humanity!
That guy that played Kemper was the bees knees. I have no idea what awards are available but he should get one.
He should be a shoo-in for Guest Actor in a Drama Series. The serial killers from Mindhunter could fill out the entire category, to be honest.
The headline is true only because Twin Peaks: The Return is a theatrical motion picture, a film if you will–a purebred talkie. Otherwise it wouldn’t be true.
p.s. Andrew Dominik has joined season 2
Did you see episode 19 of “The Avengers Show”? It’s my favorite and it’s going on my all-time “movies” list for sure.
Now you know better than this.
I thought you usually saw everything.