Movie experience : Perception

12 months ago

Hi, my dear movie and series lovers!

If my two previous posts about cinema were devoted to detective series with comedy elements, today I will be completely serious. I want to share with you my impressions of the series, which I discovered quite by accident. If you like The Mentalist and Elementary, then you will definitely like it too. Here you will find everything the same: a criminal mystery, a flight of thought, and an eccentric talented protagonist.

As usual, below you will find a short quote from Wikipedia, which will help you get a general idea of the plot, and then I will share my impressions.

Perception is an American crime drama television series created by Kenneth Biller and Mike Sussman. The series stars Eric McCormack as Dr. Daniel Pierce, a neuropsychiatrist with schizophrenia who assists the FBI on some of its most complex cases.

The series aired in the United States on the cable channel TNT from July 9, 2012 to March 17, 2015 and was produced by ABC Studios. On November 13, 2014, TNT canceled the series of Perception after three seasons. The remaining episodes of season 3 began airing February 17, 2015.

Dr. Daniel Pierce, a talented but eccentric neuropsychiatrist, is enlisted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to assist in solving some of its most complex cases in Chicago. Dr. Pierce works closely with Special Agent Kate Moretti, a former student who recruited him to work with the FBI. Also on the team are Max Lewicki, Dr. Pierce's teaching assistant, and Natalie Vincent, a hallucination manifested as a result of his schizophrenia who also serves as his best friend.

Episodes typically begin with a scene of Pierce giving a lecture to his students about an aspect of the human brain that becomes significant within the plot of the episode. The episodes also typically end with observations said to students about the paradoxes of human perception.

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So, as I said above, all three series have a pronounced similarity. In all three cases, we have as the main character an unconditionally talented and extraordinary person, but this is where the similarity ends. The Perception hero is devoid of that endless selfishness and self-centeredness that characterizes the heroes of the other two series.

And this makes him a personality that causes not only interest but also sympathy. You may not agree with my assessment, but in that case, just re-watch the first two series from this point of view to see that all the protagonist's problems are initially based on their own actions. At the same time, if you erase the romantic veil from them, it becomes clearly visible that they do not care at all about the consequences of their actions, not only for themselves but also for the people who trust them.

Another interesting technique is the inclusion in the narrative of the main character's visions caused by his illness, and how this helps him in solving criminal mysteries. This is certainly interesting from the point of view of directing, although not so interesting from the point of view of life, because, and this is very sad, schizophrenia is one of those diseases that ultimately lead to the disintegration of the personality, which makes one think about sad prospects for Dr. Daniel Pierce.

In any case, I recommend this series to those who love detective stories based more on the work of thought, building logical chains than on drive, gunfights and chases.