Perry Mason, a name that is unfamiliar to people living in the Internet age. But if you put the time back half a century ago, he is a well-deserved popular idol. A middle-aged lawyer who appears on baby boomer TV screens, wandering between the crime scene and the courtroom, becomes a hero who punishes evil and promotes good. This is the initial impression Perry Mason left to the audience, a modest gentleman's elegant and decent, and in the following years, it has become a cultural symbol from the common memory of the public. Now he has gradually withdrawn from the public view, giving way to a new era darling. Until this year, HBO brought him back with a new version of "Perry Mason", and at the same time wanted to change people's stereotypes.
It's certainly a risky choice, not only because the stereotype is so ingrained, but also because the old version of "Mason Detective" occupies a special place in the history of TV series. The older version of "Detective Mason" ran on CBS for nine years from 1957 to 1966, laying the groundwork for detective dramas during the prehistoric era of television. This influence continues to this day, and its model has also been inherited and used by unit detective dramas such as "Law & Order".
But classic also means old and old-fashioned, and the same repetitive pattern is difficult to adapt to the audience's increasingly cunning appetite. Modern detective shows like TrueDetective and The Killing have long since abandoned the rhythm of unit dramas, and have instead stretched individual cases to full seasons or even multiple seasons in order to Use more space to show complex plots and character changes. Solving the mystery and finding the murderer is no longer the key, and the change of characters in the detection has become the core.
The new version of "Mason Detective Collection" obviously follows this idea, so a new Perry Mason appears different from the memory. This is not a remake, but a reboot. The new version of the story begins in Los Angeles in 1932, in the context of the Great Depression, Mason has not yet become a lawyer, but a down-and-out private investigator. He is at the lowest point in his life, not only experiencing a failed marriage, but also suffering from the trauma of the war after participating in World War I. With a shabby trench coat, a mustard-covered tie, and a sparse but never-shaved beard, the new Mason is more like a detective from a film noir, struggling with his own past to fail.
HBO originally chose Robert Downey Jr. to play the role of the new Mason, but it ended up being Matthew Rhys, less cynical and more gloomy. Matthew Rhys continued his restrained performance style in "American Spy", silent and irritable, insisting on his beliefs, and at the same time being beaten all over by the waves of the times.
As with all detective stories, there is always a mysterious case that changes everyone's life. This time, Perry Mason is hired to investigate a baby kidnapping homicide. The newborn baby of an ordinary couple was kidnapped and killed, and the baby's eyes were sewn together with needles and threads. The emergence of the crime quickly attracted the attention of many parties. From the police station to the evangelical church, all forces were involved, all hoping to achieve their goals through the case. This is no longer a simple murder, but more of a conspiracy looming over the city.
So audiences follow Mason's perspective on a tour of the fallen City of Angels, which the Great Depression turned into a breeding ground for sin and corruption. Prosecutors have hastily identified the baby's mother as a murder suspect in pursuit of their careers, there are murders within the police department that the police are directly involved in, and even evangelicals are increasing their influence by spreading false beliefs. In stark contrast here are the broken streets of Los Angeles and the homeless population of ordinary people. In the long shot at the beginning of the second episode, Mason is caught up in memories of World War I, blending in with the dilapidated streets. From beginning to end, he was clearly aware that this city was full of lies, and he was terminally ill. Money and desire are just a fig leaf, not an antidote, and they won't change anything. Just as in a later story, the evangelical church healed a sick man's disabled legs with fanatical slogans, but only for a few hours.
The new edition of "Mason Detectives" looks at crime from a new perspective, that is, the emergence of any criminal behavior is not the cause of the individual, but the result of the slow fermentation of the whole systemic problem. No one is innocent, and the solution isn't just to bring the killer to justice. This is of course a modern point of view, completely absent from the older editions. Older versions of the story followed the simple binary values of Hollywood's Golden Age, where good and bad were treated as opposites. Every time the righteous Mason solves the mystery, catches the real culprit, and everything is fine. So Mason's past is a blank slate, and the audience doesn't need to know about his family or other things going on in society. It didn't matter in the age of simplicity, but the age of simplicity is over.
In addition, the new version of the story also adds other modern elements to make the series more in line with today's aesthetic needs or current values. For example, it is implied that Mason's female assistant is a secret homosexual and plays a crucial role in the detection process of the case. Even sitting in the dock, the baby's mother did not show a pitiful gesture of waiting for rescue. Obviously the women in the story have gotten rid of the traditional vase image and have a strong enough sense of self. On the other hand, the show sets the only positive police image as black, and gives enough scenes. This black policeman needs to fight not only racism, but also stick to the bottom line of conscience under the temptation of interests.
After the death of his mentor and employer EB Jonathan, Mason ushered in the biggest turning point in his life, from detective to lawyer, and then the story returned to the familiar rhythm of the audience. Unraveling the mystery, finding the truth, and avenging others, Mason completed his growth and transformation, and became the Mason in the public memory under the gaze of everyone.
Is this the reboot we need, re-shooting the story of Hollywood's golden age with new condiments, and re-interpreting those familiar characters and stories in today's context. If that's the case, the new Mason Detective does the job well. It really mirrors today's era in the way that old wines are put into new bottles. The depression of the streets during the Great Depression echoed the wave of unemployment under the epidemic, but the way that the helpless people on the street passed their time changed from smoking and chatting to playing with mobile phones. The ignorant fanaticism of religious groups also resembles the outraged masses following the rise of populism. It's just that in real life we don't have Mason Perry, or we don't deserve it.
Hollywood loves remakes and reboots because old classics are like an endless treasure trove waiting to be mined over and over again, always finding elements worthy of being restructured. The best example of this comes from Christopher Nolan's reboot of the Batman franchise. In 2008's The Darkkight, where the Joker was deconstructed into a terrorist incarnation, an out-and-out anarchist terrorizing the city, seven years after 9/11, the American public The huge psychological shadow caused by that attack has not yet emerged. Then if that is the story happening in the United States today, who will the enemy we face, an incompetent and chaotic central government, or an increasingly divided social class.
At the end of the new Mason Detective, the audience is greeted by a vague ending. Mason Perry scored a small victory without bringing the culprit to justice. Although the baby's mother was cleared of suspicion, she joined the evangelical sect and continued to preach fervently. For viewers familiar with the series, it's not round, but it's more real. Reality is like the real world that everyone lives in, and nothing can be achieved overnight.
This is the new version of "Mason Detective", a story that happened in the past but reflects the present, a story that we can find the shadow of our own life. The new Mason Perry is just beginning his story, and while he's been around for a long time, there's always something new to tell.
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