Kaka

The school scene was perhaps a bit pointless, but probably crucial for the development of the young detective – it depends on what direction it eventually moves in. In any case, the personal levels of the protagonists can be portrayed and elaborated with more ease and more involvement of the viewer than those of the "anti-heroes", at least for now, and if we ignore some neat moments during the interrogations.

The seventh episode focuses well on the background of the protagonists and their personal problems and vices. The creators give the viewer a glimpse into the lives of the "good guys" and somewhat balances the otherwise one-sided view of those behind bars, thus centralizing the overall focus on the issue.

A verbose, wannabe sophisticated episode. Everyone speaks in a sort of super-smart and distant way, but there's no fluidity, chemistry, or any kind of exciting improvisation in the main characters' interactions. Everything is just a surgically precise script and dialogue, but pretty cold and detached

A solid rural detective story. Good interrogations, suspense, atmosphere, and the slight odd spark between the FBI agent and the doctor. A piece of no significance to the whole, but as one jigsaw to the overall puzzle it makes sense.

Kapadia is perhaps a little more audience-friendly and less dark in his directorial approach. At the same time, however, the fourth episode feels a bit monotonous and repetitive, with similar dialogues, moments and situations throghout. The atmosphere is great, but it does need a bit of build-up.

Probably a dream come true for all die-hard fans of David Fincher. OK for the rest of us so far, but after the second episode I would expect the pacing and atmosphere to be put in second gear. In the third episode, however, we slow down a bit again and the protagonists kind of stagger in place, just like the viewer who is expecting a second Se7en, but Mindhunter probably has a slightly different target audience and ambition – it feels much more documentary-like than cinematic. At least for now, it’s a bit early for a more comprehensive assessment. Most interesting so far is the deepening of a strange buddy relationship between the two FBI agents.

After a lukewarm and cursory introduction, this is where things get lively, or Fincher excelling at what he really knows: an ultra-realistic depiction of psychos. The interrogation scenes are great – the casting, the dialogues, the timing. A notch better than the previous episode.

Smart, cool, economical, surgically fine-tuned and at the moment absolutely devoid of any heart or pulse. But that is very likely to be a problem only for the first episode.

Squid Game may not look like it, but its means of expression say a lot in a small space. Primarily sociological, it examines characters with various bad backstories in an extreme setting, but does it with refinement and unpredictability. At times brutal splatter carnage, at times a slow burn of great emotion. A wonderful gamut of different fates, motivations and development of many characters, where no normal person seems to find their own, but in many situations it is hard not to sympathize with and root for many of them. A brilliant complex drama with at times quirky humour, poignant moments and unadulterated brutality, in a typically Eastern sprawling style. Must see.

Surprisingly, the last episode doesn't close the proverbial scissors, nor does it really say much. Unfortunately, it's more of a showcase for the main character's odd behaviour, and at the very end they can't avoid leaving an open door for a sequel. The ending doesn't take away from the overall complexity and many positions that Squid Game contains, it's just its unfinished final thread and that's a bit of a shame.