On to the Small Screen...

Last week I spoke about movies, so this week I thought I’d bring my blog to the small screen, and discuss my favourite crime thrillers with you. Now, they are not all murder mysteries, but characters do die, and there is always a struggle between the good and the bad. The funny thing is, sometimes a character comes by that you don’t always hate because he/she is one of the bad ones. In fact, you almost feel sorry for them because you know they are in over their heads, and shouldn’t be. For me, this was Jesse Pinkman, in the Breaking Bad Series (and to a certain extent, Walter White as well). I just finished watching the last season a few weeks ago (you can get all of them through the library), and I have to admit that I was hooked from the first few episodes. Again, I was a little late to jump on this bandwagon, but the upside was I got to watch it from beginning to end, all in one shot. I was pleasantly shocked at the character development in this show, especially when it came to the main lead, Walter White. It was amusing and sad to see the rise and fall of the straight laced, high school chemistry teacher, who, initially, just wanted to be able to take of his family financially. At the end, it wasn’t even about the money anymore, but instead, he wanted the notoriety of having the best product on the market.

I’m always amazed when the creative forces behind these shows can create characters with so much depth, and make them so real. For all I know, there may be a ‘Walter White’ type of character around me and I would be none the wiser. I think these are the shows that really catch my interest because you sympathize with characters, root for them, love them, and hate them, all at the same time.

Another show that I think is fantastic is Criminal Minds. To be in a line of work, where you have to put yourself in the shoes of the criminal, and think like him/her, so that you can protect others, is (for me) both scary and exhilarating. I couldn’t imagine doing it, and salute all those brave men and women that work to make the world a safer place for us all.

The last show I want to mention is Motive, which is based in Vancouver (Yay Canada!). Now this show is very different from the rest, as it tells the viewer who the killer is (as well as the victim) right at the beginning. Now, you may be wondering how is this a thriller, when you know who’s the culprit? Well, this is exactly why I like the show. It’s not about finding the criminal, but rather finding out why he/she committed the crime. As the title states, it’s all about the motive, which I find just as thrilling. After all, the why’s of a case are just as important as the who’s.

Which shows have you watched, either recently or in the past, that have made you really appreciate the storyline and character development? It doesn’t have to be a murder based show, or even a crime thriller. I would be very interested to see what you guys are watching and enjoying, so that I can get ideas on what to watch next