TV Review: The Alienist Ends A Brutal Mystery With A Human Message
The Alienist ended its first season to prove it is exceptional and clear-cut television. Throughout a season of ominous undertones and cliff-hangers, it ended concisely; with allusions that love, friendship, and intelligence will prevail amongst this motley crew of forensic psychologists.
I’ll admit it; there were moments when I had to pause an episode from sheer tension. Unlike most shows, The Alienist did not mind playing with slowness, silence, and seedy cinematography to make your blood pressure go up. Anxiety seemed to be injected within every episode, but lightened by the fact that there are good, smart people out their eager to use their mind to help endangered hearts. In essence, the show goes back in time to reflect and forward present hopes.
In a time, where truth, intelligence, and basic, human kindness and compassion seem to be dwindling in resources, The Alienist was a surprising promotion of the latter. Throughout the season and, especially in its finale, viewers got to witness that mind does not matter without love. We saw Daniel Bruhl’s Kreizler mourn Q’orianka Kilcher silent but sweet Mary Palmer, we witnessed Luke Evans’ Moore and Dakota Fanning’s Sara Howard coyly fall in love, and even saw Moore’s nobility towards children in need with Jackson Gann’s snarky portrayal of Joseph. Moreover, Sara Howard proved being a strong woman, in any time, was a call for constant persistence. Thus, underneath a show delving into why certain people are so inhumane, was a look into how even the greatest minds must remember and foster their humanity, as well.
While, admittedly, I wished to know what the killer’s motives behind the brutal killing of those trans-girls, I think it was brilliant that The Alienist left us unsatisfied. For all the the alienists heightened their methods to discover the killers’ own ones, in the end, we felt like their was no meaning to these deaths, which there were not. In leaving us without a motivation, The Alienist certified that the reasons for death do not need to spark our needs to live and protect the living. It was a refreshing take that proved the show is one of the best on television, not only because it is smartly written and filmed, but it is wise in messages. For More Information On The Alienist Click Here.
