Mindhunters

Recently for a class activity, we played a clip of Mindhunters, with only the audio, to evaluate it for subtleties that we recognize and relate to things that we have seen previously. As I watched the entirety of the first episode of this series, I began to relate it to series I have watched previously. Most notably, I was able to relate it to both Barney Miller and NCIS. Barney Miller is a show based on detectives that ran from 1974-1982. The subjects that Mindhunters brings up, along with the fashion and lighting techniques used are very reminiscent of Barney Miller and create what feels like a valid atmosphere where you believe it is taking place in that time period. NCIS is a series that is based on naval crime, where they focus on minute details, and it always relates back to motive. For these fictional cases, it is always the least likely scenario, tied to some tiny overlooked detail, as that is what makes for good television.

Addressing motive, that is entirely what the introductory episode to this series focuses on. We are introduced to the main character, Holden Ford, and learn that his motive is to understand the psychology of criminals. A quote from a lecturer at the very beginning of the episode is as follows, “Where do we go when motive becomes elusive?”. In kind of a roundabout way, this describes the way that Holden’s life is going. Holden struggles to implement newer psychology knowledge in his first real life attempt, when confronted with a hostage situation. After this “failure”, he takes this discouragement, and follows it to accept an offer to accompany another FBI guy, Tench, on his journey to different communities and their police departments. We learn from a very aggressive, seasoned cop from one department that Holden is book smart, but has little real life experience. As this fact gets presented to the crowd, they automatically disregard him. When he tries to present information on thinking and psychology, he is shut down hard, because the room of officers think that he is trying to get them to empathize with the killers. This is not what he is trying to present at all. I think Holden’s presentation of his information is encouraging society to understand and explore the human mind. However, he does not know his audience, the resistant police officers that spend their days in the field, not in a book, and it is not accepted whatsoever. Conversely, it may be accepted for the viewer of the show.

Just like anything else, initial ideas are rejected almost automatically if they do not conform to the way that things have been previously. Watching this show in 2017, most people can understand what Holden is trying to do and say, to help them understand that not everything is black and white. For people that grew up in this time period, I think that this message hits home harder. They are able to see both sides of the equation. Watching this show, I can see the blending of elements of both Barney Miller and NCIS. The old set ways of white male cops, and the analyzing of details. As far as lighting, the dusky and hazy scenes when Holden, Tench and the aggressive cop are in the restaurant are exceptionally relatable to older television. The one quality that Mindhunters is lacking, where I would hope it would improve in subsequent episodes, is a little bit of comedy, in some fashion. Only a slight bit of comedy could add to this, without it being taken in a completely different direction. I hope that a few lines of dry humor are added after this episode to increase the ability to continue watching, if the dense content itself does not already draw you in.

Searching for Motive: Society’s Interest in Killers

This week, I have concluded two of Netflix’s new series Mindhunters and Alias Grace. The first took my notice for its casting of Jonathan Groff as the protagonist, a name who any musical fan (especially for 2015’s Hamilton) will remember. The second garnered my attention while watching the opening credits and seeing another buzz phrase for 2017, “Based on the Novel by Margaret Atwood.” Besides both shows utilizing their pop culture icons as  promotional ploys, Alias Grace and Mindhunters share another theme; they both focus on trying to unravel the mind of a killer.

While viewers may already be drawn in by both these shows storylines, it is even more fascinating to discover both Alias Grace and Mindhunters are based off of real life people (with fictionalized liberties taken in their filmatic construction). Alias Grace is about the famous 1840s “murderess” from Canada, Grace Marks, and the mystery that surrounds her case. Mindhunters is about the real life behavioral science unit at the FBI in the 1970s and their interviewing of famous serial killers. If you want a starting point for more research on this, check out the Smithsonian article “The Mysterious Murder Case that Inspired Margaret Atwood’s ‘Alias Grace’” or Vulture’s “The Real FBI Agents and Serial Killers Who Inspired Netflix’s Mindhunter” (note that this second article will contain spoilers, so read at your own risk). However, as much as these shows may want you to think they are novel ideas, interest in unnatural human behavior is not a new craze.

Both Alias Grace and Mindhunters are exploring the sensationalism behind murderers that has been society’s fixation for at least the past two hundred years. The first modern day serial killer that dominated the western world was London’s famous Jack the Ripper in the 1880s followed by Chicago’s H. H. Holmes a decade later. Both of these men flooded newspaper headlines and inspired the horror and curiosity of the western world. While there are numerous killers throughout history, the American public found a resurgence in its fascination of killers in the 1960s with the release of Truman Capote’s nonfiction novel, In Cold Blood, and media sensationalized killers like Ted Bundy, Ed Kemper, and the Zodiac Killer. Since then, our interest has only grown with shows like Hannibal, Dexter, or American Horror Story: Hotel placing the murderers as the protagonist (that we sometimes even root for).

While we may root for Grace Marks in Alias Grace, it is less likely we are fans of the killers in Mindhunters due to the heinous crimes that are described. Both shows involve a psychologist interviewing the killer, but due to the show’s point of view, the audience is far more likely to feel empathy towards whoever’s point of view is depicted in the story. In Alias Grace, the story of these murders is being told by Grace Marks herself, depicting out her abusive childhood and hard life she had endured leading up to the crime. Grace’s voiceover throughout the series keeps the audience focused on her, and the series follows the story she is recalling for the psychologist by visualizing the events on the screen for us viewers. We know this is supposed to be depicting what is in her mind due to her quick “flashbacks” she has in episode one when the doctor asks her simple questions, and we can’t help but understand her plight. In Mindhunters, the main storyline follows the actions and life of Detective Holden Ford with his partner, Detective Bill Tench, and we get to see their personal struggles within their families, romantic partners, and work life. While Detectives Holden and Trench also interview the killers, because we are not given the visual play by play for the killers’ stories (instead we only see men being interviewed), we are not going to reach the same level of empathy. We essentially are not “walking in their shoes” as we do with Grace’s story, and ultimately, while we may be fascinated by them, we aren’t going to wish for their freedom in the end.

If anyone out there decides to view either of these shows, I challenge you to consider the commentary it makes on society’s psyche when we elevate stories of killers as our popular media. Are we encouraging society to explore the human mind or find empathy in the least likely of places, or are we glorifying and encouraging these gruesome acts? Let me know below!

Fearless (Episode 1)

Hi, Grandpa. I'm glad to have you know I'm coming home for all of next week for Thanksgiving break. However, speaking of college, one of my classes has me write "posts" for TV show or movies to certain people designated every week. This week, we're to write to an older family member, and you were the first to come to mind. Now, I tried looking for a show that either involved farming, westerns, or baseball, but I couldn't find it. But eventually I found something that might work: Fearless.

Fearless is a documentary about the PBR, the Professional Bull Riding League. Specifically, it focuses on the contestants of the PBR world championship, as well as their backstories and personal lives, as well as the origins of the rodeo, the league, and the rodeo on a national scale, such as the Barretos festival in Brazil. Speaking of Brazil, I've only seen the first episode of the series, and this first episode focuses largely on the Brazilian competitors and their mark on the sport of bull riding. Unfortunately, the only Brazilian bull rider whose name I can remember is Silvano Alves, 3-time championship title holder, who unfortunately suffered a serious injury to his pelvis which seemed to have greatly affected his bull riding skills. However, at the end of episode, when the Barretos festival is on its way and Silvano is about to go for round 2, the episode abruptly ends on a cliffhanger. I may possibly continue watching the series sometime.

The show seems to portray bull riding as something majestic and awe-inspiring (which, frankly, it pretty much is considering they risk their lives in this sport). A lot of the bull riding footage is slowed down and the sound is either turned down or ambient, and even at one point a cracking sound plays alongside the crowd gasping as one bull rider gets stamped on after falling off. And a lot of the bull riders talk about how not only dangerous it is, but also how exhilarating it is, and that fear is the one thing keeping ordinary people from bull riding. It can get pretty emotional and breath-taking.

Overall, I may probably continue watching the series sometime in the future, and I would very much recommend this show to you, although you have to go on Netflix (which I'll probably explain to you at Thanksgiving), and you don't have anything that Netflix can be streamed onto, so I'd most likely have to bring something over to your house that I can play it on, although when exactly I'd do that I'm not sure. Maybe during Thanksgiving break or AT Thanksgiving, maybe winter break, or maybe some other time, but I do want to show it to you. Another thing I need to note is that a lot of the dialogue in this episode is in Portuguese, so you'll probably need subtitles for a majority of it. But other than that, I want to show you this show as soon as possible.

Gypsy

Dear Ben,

Gypsy is about Jean, a therapist in New York with a successful practice, loving husband and daughter, it all seems perfect. Jean starts to develop intimate and illicit relationships with the people in her patients' lives and the borders of her professional life and personal fantasies become blurred. Jean descends into a world where reality and the forces of her desires are disastrously at odds, which impacts her life and the lives of those around her. She seems to get involved and just spirals deeper and deeper into her fake life with these new people. I found this very intriguing and am very curious to see where it will go and how the friendships will develop throughout the season. This show is unpredictable but really good for guessing what will happen, it’s the kind of show that keeps you on edge because you never know if you are right or not.

I feel like you normally wouldn’t get into a drama show but this particular show is a bit different. I think the part of this show that would appeal to you is the physiological drama, what’s going on in her head and why she is doing what she is. I know that when you were doing your clinical for nursing school in the mental hospital you found it very interesting. Along with your many experiences being there you seemed to be fascinated with the many disorders and the science behind it. Why people acted and did what they did. This has always been an part of the medical field that you’ve loved so I think you would really enjoy watching a show where not only is the main character a shrink talking to people about their issues, she’s got her own.

I also think that being in the medical field yourself you would enjoy seeing a show that has the main character in the medical field too. You generally like to talk about mistakes and things of that such and would know that a therapist cannot be involved in their patients lives and you’d be curious of what will happen as the rules are broken and the problem progresses more and more. Plus we both know how much you like to get into people’s heads and speculate about their life so this is the perfect chance to do it with someone besides me! And you and I both know Chloe loves some good drama too. I think you’ll both get into it and be guessing what will happen next just like I am.

I really enjoyed this show and definitely think that you would enjoy this show and all of the background and Chloe would probably really enjoy it as well. I think that you two should think about it, give it a try and watch this show, maybe you’ll even want to keep watching more and get hooked.   

Stranger Things Ep 5

Hey Megan!

Since we both have not yet seen season 2 of Stranger Things, I want to write about the episode I’m on in season 1.  For season 1 episode 5 of stranger things, the relationships between several characters being to develop or transform.  These relationships continually influence the events that transpire and the effects they have on the people involved.  One primary relationship between Jonathan and Nancy begins to develop for the first time in the series.  Next, the relational dynamic between Eleven, Mike, and Lucas appears to boil over in this episode, which brings about much uncertainty for future episodes.  Through the aforementioned relationships, critical information about the series is revealed opening up many more questions for audiences to consider.

Jonathan and Nancy are finally seen working together in episode 5 to accomplish a goal.  Their cooperation with one another is especially interesting considering their past.  Earlier in season 1, Jonathan was caught secretly taking photos of Nancy and her group of friends at a party.  Jonathan was scolded by Steve, Nancy's boyfriend, where he broke Jonathan's camera preventing him from continuing to do photography.  Nonetheless, Jonathan and Nancy begin to work together to kill the supposed monster that they believe took Nancy's friend, Barbara, and Jonathan's brother, Will.  In one key interaction between Jonathan and Nancy in the previous episode, Nancy describes the appearance of the creature they suspect of taking Barbara and Will.  Jonathan then remembers the description of the creature that his mother, Joyce, gave him and realizes that the descriptions match up.  Another aspect of their relationship concerns the future of Nancy and Steve's relationship.  At this point in the show, it is difficult to determine which direction their relationship will go.  Nancy is seen avoiding spending time with Steve and spending more time with Jonathan, which may lead viewers to consider a possible intimate relationship between Nancy and Jonathan.  All things considered, Nancy and Jonathan's relationship definitely adds a special dynamic to the show that was not present before.  

Another relationship that appears to be shifting dramatically is one that the exists between Eleven, Mike, and Lucas.  For most of Eleven's appearances in the show, Lucas has expressed extreme discontent with her actions and intention.  Lucas has trouble determining whether or not Eleven is actually making a concerted effort to find Will.  Additionally, for the greater part of the show, Mike has been seen taking a liking to Eleven, which strains Mike's relationship with Lucas.  Lucas continually expresses to Mike that Eleven should not even be present in their search for Will.  In one particular scene, Mike and Lucas get into a fight over Eleven's intentions.  Eleven then uses her psychic powers to push Lucas off of Mike.  Lucas, after recovering consciousness, walks off visibly perturbed at Mike and Eleven; Eleven then disappears as well.  Being the core friend group in the series, this incident may cause future tension, especially in critical situations.

It is excited to see how the creators form bonds between characters and the bonds that are formed may break previous ones.  Nancy and Jonathan having a relationship is a bit of an unexpected twist, but also makes me excited for future events.  Additionally, how Eleven gains the respect of Lucas future episodes also remains a mystery, but an exciting one at that.  Finally, seeing the culmination of everyone’s relationships as the season approaches the end and as Will is ever so close to being found is definitely something I can look forward to.

The Magic School Bus Rides Again

Hey buddy. Right now, you’re probably thinking I’m insane for writing this blog post to you. Who writes a blog post about a Netflix show to their future kid? Well, I am. Not just because it’s assigned, but because it presented a fun opportunity to let you know about one of my favorite childhood series.

Back in the olden days when I was a kid (yes, I was a kid at one point), your aunt Abby and I were obsessed with a book series called The Magic School Bus. Pretty much every late 90s kid has at least heard of this series, so I was understandably excited to see Netflix giving it a new life. Watching this show with Abby was such a distinct memory from my childhood. We still own the original set of books that we bought, and we’ve read them countless times. Even ten years after their publication, your uncle Avery loved them just as much as did.

Because these books are still so near and dear to my heart, I had very high expectations for the Netflix revamp. I almost didn’t want to watch, because I was worried about ruining my childhood memory of the show. However, I just had to know whether or not this new show would be worthy of sharing with you sometime down the road. Obviously, you’ll be forced to watch the original series as soon as you’re old enough to comprehend it, but this could be a nice addition to the collection.

As I was learning about the plot of The Magic School Bus Rides Again, I learned that they replaced the lovable Ms. Frizzle with her younger sister, also Ms. Frizzle, who had recently become a teacher. I wouldn’t say I was upset about this change, but I was definitely a little worried about how such a big change to the plot would pan out. But I found myself really enjoying this twist in the story. It helped me justify this new show as more than just a “remake”. With a brand new teacher, but similar episodes and main characters (mainly students), it felt like a continuation of the show I once loved.

Another thing that really struck me about the show was the actual animation of it. I’ve inserted a picture from the original show (which premiered in 2001) and the new Netflix remake.

As you can see, the animation and coloring of the two shows are very different. Because the original was so ingrained into my memory, this was definitely a little jarring for me. But the longer that I look at it, I really do like the aesthetic of Netflix’s adaptation. It’s obviously not nearly as 90s grunge as the original Magic School Bus, but I have to say it’s more attractive. Additionally, it closely resembles a lot of the popular children’s shows today, which makes sense considering the market that Netflix is targeting. Unfortunately, I guess that market is actual children and not 20 year old college students looking to relive the past.

Overall, I enjoyed this updated version of The Magic School Bus. I can see myself watching it with you, my future kiddo. It’s something we can bond over, assuming you love it as much as I do.

Stranger Things to a teacher

Two days ago, I just finished watching the last episode of season two of Stranger Things. I have to say that watching this series on Netflix is one of the most interesting adventures which I decided to do since I have studied university in the US. Today I am going to write a blog to my high school’s English teacher in Vietnam to recommend that she should watch this movie.
Because my teacher is a fan of a horror movie so that why she must watch Stranger Things. Although Stranger Things cannot compare with famous horror movies like Insidious, The Conjuring, or the Excorsist, it still creates its own style. The first outstanding element in Stranger Things is its sound effect. Everybody has to agree that besides images, the sound effect is very important in describing the horror movie. Because the main purpose of the horror movie is to scare people with haunted pictures and sudden sound. The technique which the filmmakers use in this film is that before the sudden sound, everything will be completely quiet. The audience cannot detect any sound. Then suddenly, “bang,” a loud sound will make the audience startled.  In horror movie, the professionals call it as a jump scare. In addition, creepy music from the movie and creepy sound from the “Things” is quite unique. Many filmmakers have produced horror movies based on monsters, aliens, or something ugly which people have not ever seen before. Although Stranger Things is produced later than those movies, the sound of the “things” is still unique which means the filmmakers did not copy it from the previous movies. Secondly, the way that the filmmakers establish the “things” is really terrifying. The filmmakers were really clever because instead of creating monsters which were exactly similar, they created monsters with a different outlook. From a tiny one like a hamster to a ginormous monster. Furthermore, with a mouth which is full of teeth and can open like an “X” word and a slimy and nasty body, the “things” can become a nightmare to everyone who is afraid of creepy creatures.
However, although the film is a horror genre, it still conveys a priceless lesson to the audiences: a mother can do anything to her children. In the movie, when Will was missing, no one believed Joyce, Will’s mother, that Will was contacting with his mother through the light. Although everyone was still searching for Will, they did not believe that Will was kidnapped by a monster. Everyone thought that Joyce was crazy, but she ignored every rumor and continued to find her son. Finally, she found her son, but then she realized that the monster was inside him and used him as a spy in the real world. She did not give up on her son and continue to save him. At the end, she would sacrifice anything to protect her son and get rid of the “things” inside him.
In conclusion, I think you should watch this movie. The astonishing pictures and catchy sound will lead you to a whole new adventure which you cannot expect.

On Black Mirror

For this weeks blog post I've decided to take another look at Netflix's original SF series Black Mirror. A show that focuses on the effect that future technology can affect you physically, or mentally. The show is made of approx. one hour installments with separate plot lines for every episode. The writers of the show use these differing plots to look at different types of technology and how each type would have its own distinct effect on society.

Dear White People

Molly McGrady

            This week I decided to check out the series Dear White People on Netflix. I’ve been curious for awhile as to what it’s about, or even what genre it is. My initial thought was it might be a comedy or something, but it is actually a very serious show about racism. It follows a group of black students at a predominantly white ivy league school attempting to show the rest of the campus that racism is still very prevalent in our society as well as at their very own school. In the first episode, a spark that sets off the fire from this group of students that ensues occurs. A black face party is thrown in which white students paint their faces and get trashed. The main character Sam then starts a radio show called, you guessed it, ‘Dear White People.’ She talks about all her grievances with the ways the white students treat and talk to minorities, and basically tries to put at the forefront of everyone’s minds that racism is a problem they are still facing on their very campus. Spoiler alert, at the end of the episode you find out that Samantha herself made and sent out the invitations for the black face party.

            The premise of this show is great in my opinion, but some of the execution of it sat wrong with me. I get what Sam was trying to do on one hand by sending the invites, and that she wanted to prove a point with the fact that people actually went to the party and no-one seemed to have a problem with it. This does not change however, the fact that she was the one who instigated the whole thing. This was a little tough for me to wrap my mind around, but I guess her thinking was that it would take something big like this to get people to see what a problem it is. This part of the show didn’t bother me nearly as much as a different aspect did. Samantha is seeing a white guy in the show, and they make this out to be such a dramatic and crazy thing. For one, the scene where you find out about this was ridiculous in my opinion. It’s a bedroom scene where Sam is hooking up with someone, but for almost a whole minute it seems you can only see Sam and not the guy. When they finally pan over to him to show that he is white, it is extremely dramatic and slow. I was thinking, “ummm, ok… nothing out of the ordinary here…” And then Sam is in a meeting with other black students discussing how they are going to handle the issues that are going on, when the news of Sam’s supposedly scandalous relationship comes out. The way everyone reacts to it, you’d think it was Satan she was sleeping with. I should add that this particular guy she was dating is an incredibly respectful guy, never treats anyone differently regardless of skin color, and had absolutely nothing to do with the black face party. Not only do Sam’s friends act like she is doing the worst thing ever, when she brings them around them they all treat him horribly and refuse to let him help with their movement when he offers. I just feel like this is a terrible message to send and it’s completely counterproductive in attempting to eradicate racism in our society. Plus, I don’t feel like that is actually how anyone would treat a good person who is attempting to help them in reality.

            When it comes to racism, I don’t think anyone would argue whether or not it is still present, but where controversy arises is in how to go about getting rid of it. Obviously our society has come incredibly far over the past hundred years, but there is still more work to be done of course. At the end of the day I personally believe coming together and emphasizing the fact that we are all just people and not putting so much stress on race is the best way to go about it. This show is a great idea in theory and inherently a step in the right direction, but I will admit I didn’t love the principles in it and think they could go about it in much better ways.

Atypical

Atypical is a Netflix original based on a family of four, whose son is on the autistic spectrum. I had heard a lot of buzz about the show, but overall it left me underwhelmed. Most of the scenes felt very scripted, forced, and predictable.  The part that I believe was done the best was the portrayal of the relationship between the father, Doug, and the son, Sam. During a dinner date scene where the parents, Doug and Elsa, are talking and communicating effectively, Doug heatedly recounts Sam’s ninth birthday party.  He built an igloo in the backyard in an attempt to connect with his son. Ultimately, Sam refused to go into it due to improper alignment of the bricks. This feels typical to struggles everyone has faced trying to make a connection with someone, regardless of any different abilities that they may have. Most frequently this is applicable to people who have strained relationships that try and do things for one another and don’t get the recognition that they feel they deserve. They aren’t fulfilled by the attempt of the act itself, but rather are looking for the acceptance and admiration from their target person. The scene at the end between Doug and Sam is my favorite part of the episode, and maybe a part where we see the attempts come into play. You can tell that Doug is trying exceptionally hard with Sam and takes him somewhere that he knows he will like, an aquarium with penguins. This is also something that everyone who is trying to connect with someone tries to do, take an interest in what they are passionate about. The lighting in the aquarium plays around with the tones of the dialogue a bit. When the camera focuses on just Doug and Sam it almost feels like there is a filter on them, like things are slightly yellow tinged and hazy. However, when the focus shifts to the animals, they are crystal clear. The sharpness and attention to detail on them is pristine, as if we are viewing them through Sam’s eyes. The changes in lighting may allude to the fact that things between Doug and Sam are fuzzy, but moments are crystal clear between them.

The haziness of the lighting shows up in another place during the episode, this time without connotation to Sam. The lighting in Elsa’s dance class is strong, providing backlight behind them. The light surrounding the dancers through the window makes it seem hazy at different points. This may correspond to the statement she later makes about escaping her life through this dance class. It gives an ambiance of a dream like state. I was surprised that she accepted the invitation to go to the bar for drinks after the class. However when she got there, I almost accurately predicted what would happen between her and the bartender. The lighting in there was almost opposite of the dance studio. It was exceptionally dark, while still backlit and hazy. Overall I liked the show, and can see some good elements that hopefully they develop throughout this first season.