Mindhunter gets better as it goes along; looking forward to Season 2

The Netflix series Mindhunter is a classic example of a series that grows on you or perhaps just gets better as it moves along and the team finds its footing. What seemed like a slow and awkward start as the young FBI agent Holden begins - inspired by his new girlfriend - to get interested in the psychological makeup and social background of the most heinous criminals. In the first episodes, as he tussles w/ various conservative elements in the FBI bureaucracy trying to get the OK to move ahead w/ his research, the series seemed a little unfocused (so many different antagonists) and low-key (did we really care so much about his research?). But as the plot settles in the the small team of agents and outside experts begin interviewing some of the most notorious killers in custody - are they all based on real people? at least one - Richard Speck - obviously is - the series picks up in intensity and the stakes are raised. The interviews - in which Holden really pushes the subjects to the breaking point - are incredibly intense and highly consequential, as the team is gradually learning more about how to use the info they're gathering in order to solve on-going cases - not all of which turn out perfectly, to the great credit of the series (we're so used to seeing everything solved and tied up neatly in 60 minutes). There is some back story on each of the characters (troubled marriages, "secret" life as a lesbian, paranoia and anxiety attacks) - just the right amount, I think, to keep us engaged w/ them and to build tensions w/in the team, without overwhelming the plot and submerging into personal psychodramas. Looking forward to Season 2.