Mystery is one of the genres par excellence. Perhaps it is even the most universal, the easiest to sell. It doesn’t matter how old you are, if you are tired and want something light or you want something deep and complex. A mystery and intrigue thriller is always appealing. Whether you like horror, comedy or drama, the pleasure of solving a crime unites us all a little. Of course this works differently in a movie than in a series. Although in a movie we have the pleasure of seeing that mystery solved before it ends (in the good times, at least), in a series we have another type of reward. Each chapter, whether week by week or in a Netflix-style premiere, brings us closer to the answer that we can discuss or try to guess with each chapter.
The problem with mystery series is that, although they are fun to chew on, they may not even give you the answer at the end of the season, and you may have to wait a year or two for it to continue in the next one. This is something so painful for the audience that, with few exceptions, it has forced the majority of mystery series to be miniseries or anthology series where each season is conclusive. Come on, as happens with ‘Fargo’ or ‘True Detective’, perhaps the two most illustrious examples. Mystery miniseries are the perfect ecosystem for suspense thrillers. They have just enough time to introduce us to their characters, to get us into their world, develop the events, confuse us with some false clue and, finally, give us the answers and the conclusion we are looking for.
But just because a miniseries of mystery and intrigue is always the right answer doesn’t mean that everything is a piece of cake. At the end of the day, the catalog runs out and it’s hard to find a compelling new mystery to delve into. That’s why we wanted to point out ‘The Alienist’, an award-winning 2018 miniseries somewhat forgotten in the depths of the Netflix catalog. In it we find two current actors such as Daniel Brühl (with ‘Becoming Karl Lagerfeld’ now on Disney +) and Dakota Fanning (now in theaters with ‘The Watchers’), as well as another star like Luke Evans. Composed of 10 episodes, this acclaimed miniseries nominated for the Golden Globe, the Emmy and the BAFTA, takes us to 19th century New York to tell us a plot that mixes the psychological thriller with the classic chase of a murderer in a series.
Evans is an expert crime journalist, Brühl is the psychologist who will be a century ahead of the FBI and his ground-breaking theories on the profile of serial killers (which we saw in ‘Mindhunter’). Fanning, for her part, is the brave police secretary who is not content with the position of her assistant and will push the case to pursue a murderer in the midst of hunting for prostitutes.
A well-acted series, with an attractive setting and a powerful leading trio. ‘The Alienist’ is available on Netflix.
Rafael is an expert in movies, series and video games. His thing is classic and auteur cinema, although he doesn’t miss one from Marvel or the hit of the moment on Netflix due to professional deformation. He also has a geeky side to him, as proven by his specialization in anime, k-pop, and everything related to Asian culture.
By generation, sometimes he has to write about current musical hits, from Bizarrap to Blackpink. It even has its erotic side, but limited, unfortunately, to selecting the best of erotic series and movies. But he doesn’t limit himself there, since he also likes to write about gastronomy, travel, humor and memes.
After 5 years writing for Fotogramas and Esquire, the truth is that he has already done a little bit of everything, from interviews with international stars to mobile phone presentations or tastings of oil, insects and, yes, if he’s lucky, wine.
He trained in Audiovisual Communication at the University of Murcia. She later continued at the Carlos III University of Madrid with a Master’s Degree in Research in Media. In addition to beginning a doctorate on sexual representation in arthouse cinema (which she never finished), she also studied a Master’s degree in film criticism, both at ECAM and at the Writers’ School. Before, he cut his teeth writing on the Cinealacarbonara blog, continued in media such as Amanecemetropolis, Culturamas or Magnolia Magazine, and dedicated all his efforts to Mutaciones Magazine since its foundation.
He arrived at Hearst in 2018 and managed to carve out a niche for himself in the editorial offices of Fotogramas and Esquire, with which he continues to write about everything he likes and what they send him (often coincides). His good or bad taste (depending on how you look at it) also led him to get into the world of gastronomy and video games. Come on, he likes to entertain himself.
