Peter Vronsky, in the preface to "Serial Killers: The Method and Madness of Monsters", recalls his two encounters with a serial killer, Recalling his unconsciousness at the time and his fear afterwards, he said:
"I finally found out that I've met not one, but two serial killers in my life, two serial killers no one knows where they continue to kill people, and I don't know anything about it. How many of these people showed up? Where the fuck did they come from?" ("I came to realize in my life I had met not one, but two serial killers---unidentified and out killing---and for the longest time I had not even known it. How many more could there be? And where the hell were they coming from? ")
Why do serial killers continue to commit crimes without being discovered? Warrensky believes that this is likely because these serial killers are too ordinary-looking, too invilability, too easy to see and forget (forgettability). They even have complete families and normal occupations. Such people are all around us, how can we really tell who is a pervert and who is not? So he said at the end of the preface: I hope you will never meet a serial killer by your side (I pray you never will).
So is it possible that one day we will be able to know in advance who a serial killer is, and even prevent serial killers from appearing in the first place?
David Fincher and Netflix's new "Mind Hunter" (Mind Hunter) submitted an answer to such a hypothesis.
Based on the best-selling book of the same name co-authored by former FBI agent John E. Douglas and TV producer Mark Olshaker, Mindhunter features Douglas as the young agent Holden. The young agent has a strong curiosity and thirst for knowledge, even in the choice of courtship. Not content with turning his work into a useless rib, he tried to find a connection point where his research and practice could be combined. It wasn't until he met Bill, another veteran detective, that such a connection point finally appeared. At the same time, Wendy, a Ph.D. who specializes in such research, joined them. At this point, a team that may actually solve the serial killer problem is formed. If all goes well, the team may be able to answer that question perfectly, at least that's where the first seven episodes are headed.
But if that's the case, "Mind Hunter" may not be able to get such huge attention. Don't forget, this is David Fincher's work, even if he only checks at the beginning and end. "Mind Hunter" has returned to the position of reflection from reproduction. Psychological profiling and serial killer crime prevention may not be completely solved by quantitative studies of killers and constant conversational interviews. At the same time, a bigger problem arose: Holden, who had achieved a record, began to change. Not only was he proud of his achievements, but he was unable to objectively examine everything under the magic of psychological profiles, and he could no longer even discuss work with his girlfriend. Calm down as before. He became intolerant of his methods being questioned by others. He believes that as long as the crime can be successfully detected, it does not matter if the means are extreme. Those deep conversations with serial killers are eroding him on some level. This seems to be another "you and the abyss" story, so everyone relishes the handling of Holden's panic-stricken escape from the prisoner's arms at the end.
In fact, it's not just Holden who is having problems with him and the abyss. His partner Bill, Wendy, who joined halfway, and even the newcomer who only joined the team in the last two episodes, may all be suffering from the same troubles. Bill's family, Wendy's partner, and the newcomer's conscience are all tested by the evil of crime as much as Holden's ego. Who can really come out of the mud without being stained? Having seen so many bloody scenes and mutilated corpses, and listening to the murderers talk about their crimes as if they were doing housework, who can truly be at peace? Becoming suspicious of himself while looking at the wickedness of others, and looking suspiciously at everyone else, Holden has cost the ticklish headmaster his job.
Mindhunter makes the existence of Criminal Minds more premise. Because flaws and reflections make a thing or a person's existence more plausible. There will always be more discussion about good than about evil, so we always welcome discussions about evil. We always need to examine our own abyss, especially after seeing so much evil lately, there should be more discussions like this. Just like "Mindhunter", we have to keep asking: what caused these evils? How can we get rid of some of this evil? This will not belong to our individual solution process, but should be a larger-scale and deeper solution process.
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