Good point as he was active in that time frame...delving into a male homosexual murderer would make some viewers squirm which I think Fincher would enjoy.
Maybe it’s the haircut, but he truly seems like a person transported from the 70s. An excellent performance, but then again, some of the finest acting by all concerned.
Bundy could work as an interview subject. Again, many of these individuals were interviewed by Douglas and/or Ressler. It’s a fictional series so you can do what you want, but squashing in every famous serial killer would be a stretch. Wouldn’t Ramirez work for the time line of this story? I need to look. Edit: Ramirez would be pushing it as an interview subject, but as a consultation it could work. Fact is, the 70’s and 80’s were the prime time for serial killers. The ability to do it now with cameras, DNA, surveillance, and police networking, make it damn near impossible. That’s certainly not a bad thing but someone like Dennis Rader was something of an end to an era.
I didn't know any of those details or of the murders themselves, so I was evaluating the series purely as a drama. I suspect that had I had the level of background as you detail, then I might have given it a somewhat higher rating, though I still stand by my critique, purely from a storytelling/entertainment perspective.
At upper-end Hyatts and Hilton going back to the late '70s, door looks were opened with the punch hole key cards. They looked like this:
Great point here -- that's what amazed me the most: The actors chosen for Berkowitz and Manson really delivered. That was scary in itself!
Finished it last night. Holt McCallany is the big news here, and while the subplot with Tench's son was distracting, the upside is that it gave McCallany a lot of material to work with, and he used it to embody a really fascinating character. A real development from Season 1. He needs more interesting roles to play, and after this he's likely to get them. I suspect he'll show up in a Terence Malick film next. The other performances are good too, but the writing this time was not as strong, and those subplots -- Carr's girlfriend, Tench's son -- really drag. Ford's was most interesting as it dealt directly with the investigation, but even with that I thought they could have given him more to do. He spends a lot of time staring blankly -- I get that that's his character -- but a few more scenes of him alone working through the consequences of what he was doing would have helped a lot. He's pretty two-dimensional here. There was a lot of potential with Carr , which they set up in the first few episodes, but then failed to follow through on in a satisfying way. This show is a lot better when it's about the investigations and forming a methodology. Outside of that, the writing needs some work.
ahh i've got just the final episode to watch before i can come in and catch up on everything ya'll are saying! so far: great acting, great direction, bad b-plots, messy main plot. bummed that they made ford take the backseat for most of the season, but i get it.
Folks -- the wife and I just finished season 2. All I can say is that we were completely blown away -- we thought the acting, the pacing, and the whole storyline was downright fantastic and engrossing. I loved the final episode of this season! I guess because it struck me as so "real" -- so much TV relies on an ending with a "loud bang" as that it understandable because it is just entertainment, but so much of life's events don't work that way... Holt McCallany should get an Emmy... He was "inside" that character. I know the Dr. Carr subplot was diliked by a lot of folks, but what it revealed was thought-provoking -- Dr. Carr is the smartest person in the room and she is quite confident in her skills, her research, and her conclusions. It was interesting to see how her homosexuality was the aspect that secretly caused all the fear, doubt, and questioning in her life. She comes across sometimes giving the viewer the idea that she might even believe that her sexuality is a "disorder" -- she derives an amount of strength from her relationship from Kay, but she beats herself up for "compartmentalizing" after she views Kay as liberated... Her realization that her "compartmentalizing" wasn't something she should be lambasted for and that Kay is rather hypocritical was powerful (IMHO, of course).
If you’re interested in learning more about Atlanta child murders investigation and Wayne Williams, you should check out the podcast series called “Atlanta Monster.” I’m only a few episodes in but I can say it is well worth the time.
We have started season 1 on Netflix. I like the characters, the style but six episodes in and boy, does it drag. Does this get more exciting as it goes along? If not, I'm out.
I'm not looking for action, just tension, suspense and fear. If it doesn't deliver in that way, I'm off.
I agree about Trench's son, no spoiler but I think the inference we're supposed to believe is ludicrous. Holden's relationship with Debbie was interesting in that it touched upon sexual fantasy, which begs the question what is deviant, this is a interesting question in regard to seeing the Serial killers 'deviance' being central to their driven urge to kill.
I disagree as the ending is quite dramatic, but sometimes stuff just doesn’t ring a bell for some people.
Great second season. I just finished it last night. Thought the ending was spot on considering the politics of the time in Atlanta and the fact that some of these murders still, to this day, haven't been solved...
Yeah I get it's not for everyone, but to me, the interviews and dialogue with the killers in prison is extremely dramatic.Stunning scripts. I find it amazing how aside from Fincger's directing, several of the other directors are coming from documentary film making, and each scene they've shot creates amazing tension.
To a degree. That was interesting in the first two or three episodes but the series seems to be stagnating a little. We'll stay with it till the end of series 1.
Well, yeah, it’s going to create some personal drama and pathos with the main characters. If it did not the series might as well be a documentary. Be patient and take it in. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
for me this show is ALL about outstanding acting and character interaction. the interviews are a clear highlight, but the interaction between the two leads is stellar. i don't know if i can choose a better word than that. there's just *so much* amazing nuance to these performances. it's not very often i 100% believe the actors are the characters. these guys are that good. but, like i said, season 2's overall story and b-plots were lacking. thank god these guys were still on their acting A-game.
