MindHunter Season 1 Overview: How Do We Get Ahead Of Crazy If We Don't Know How Crazy Thinks?

NetFlix's original series "Mindhunter" is based on a book by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker called "Mind Hunter: Inside The FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit". The show is produced by David Finch and Charlize Theron so there's plenty of star power to go around.

In 1977 Holden Ford and Bill Tench work for the FBI Behavioral Science Unit. Ford was originally in hostage negotiation. Tench in homicide. The men become traveling FBI instructors in what is dubbed "road school". They lecture local police departments on FBI techniques. Holden's girlfriend Debbie Milford is a post grad in sociology. She provides insights and a sounding board for him. Holden comes up with an idea. Why dont they interview killers as a source of information? This would help law enforcement both catch them and hopefully prevent their actions in the future. He first interviews Edmund Kemper (the Co-Ed Killer) on the down low. Kemper is chillingly portrayed by Cameron Britton. The scenes were so good, I watched them twice. For information on the real Kemper check here. Totally frightening stuff.

Bill eventually gets on board. They present their idea to Unit Chief Sheperd. He is less than enthused. He thinks the FBI's job is to catch criminals-- not to be a shoulder for them to cry on.

The agents eventually hook up with Dr Wendy Carr. She studies psychopaths by in the corporate environment. She provides the methodology and statistical analysis they need to standardize their study. Anna Torv is always fab in everything she does.

Besides Kemper, various other serial killers are portrayed. They include:

Monte Ralph Rissell
Jerry Brudos
Richard Speck
Darrell Gene Devier
Brief BTK (Dennis Rader) scenes are sprinkled through the series. We see him working for ADT and casing potential victims along the way.

I wont't give away the ending but suffice to say it's a cliffhanger. And the truly scariest part of this show is that these killers are impossible to detect if you meet them in public. Most are able to maintain a sense of normalcy until they get ya where they want ya. Thanks "Mindhunter". I'm now afraid to leave the house.

Grade: 4 1/2 (out of 5 Monsters). "Mindhunter" is an excellent depiction of the early days of the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit. The team's work leads to a whole new way of viewing and researching criminals. The term "serial killer" is also coined by the group. And in case ya didnt realize it, John Douglas (portrayed here as Holden Ford) was the inspiration for Jack Crawford in one of my favorite books/movies "Silence Of The Lambs".

The actors are great. The interviewees are truly frightening (especially Ed Kemper). My only criticisms are: 1. At times the show is a bit slow; and 2. I could have done without the giant location signs. Is it really that important that we know we're in Altoona? All in all, it is a still great show though. Can't wait for season 2.