I have found that there is a kind of bittersweet dilemma when picking up a new TV series for the first time, especially when it’s already been canceled. It happened to me with Freaks and Geeks, and Arrested Development, and Wanted, all of which I really didn’t discover until after they’d gotten the axe.
It’s happened again with The Inside. I realize now that I must have only started watching towards the end of its seven-episode allotment, because I’ve just watched the first three and didn’t remember a single thing. Plus I was kind of mesmerized.
What a great show. And of course FOX canceled it. It’s really kind of FOX’s fault it never survived past Episode 7 anyway. I mean, seriously. Who debuts a show in the summer, smack dab in the middle of the summer rerun doldrums? Plus, it’s not like the network invested much effort into promoting the show, and for the most part, the cast is made up of actors who aren’t really well-known beyond those familiar with JJ Abrams/Joss Whedon and their inner circles. (Adam Baldwin was on Angel and Firefly, Rachel Nichols went on to do Alias, Katie Finneran was on Wonderfalls.)
I can’t decide how to describe the show beyond an FBI procedural. It’s kind of like Criminal Minds, in that it focuses on a specialized group within the FBI, the Violent Crimes Unit. But that’s it. Because Criminal Minds sucks. I would say, as far as procedurals go, it’s more Without a Trace and less CSI. I say this because we do get more background on the characters and how their personal experiences and personalities shape how they think and theorize and react to the crimes the unit investigates.
Also like Criminal Minds, they only get the more gruesome cases…usually serial killings, ritual killings, things of that nature. Don’t watch the episodes when you’re alone at night, especially if you’re stupid enough to leave all the lights off. Minear prefers the very dark lighting, like The X-Files did, which only ups the creepiness factor. You’d think I’d learn to turn the lights on. But no. I’m slow.
Rachel Nichols plays Special Agent Rebecca Locke, who, at the age of 10 was abducted from her bed in the middle of the night and held captive for 18 months. (Think Elizabeth Smart.) So of course the damage that was done to her proves valuable — and also costly — to her job as an FBI profiler. There are aspects of The Profiler present as well, but with Tim Minear at the helm, The Inside is a much darker, more hip version of the NBC drama starring Ally Walker. (That, yes, I watched. I think I’ve watched every procedural there is except CSIs Miami and New York.)
The episode I just finished was called “Prefiler.” As in profiler. The Unsub (law-enforcement slang for “unidentified subject of an investigation”) is a serial killer who targets serial offenders — before they offend. And guess who played the Unsub? Michael Emerson (Ben, Lost). Seriously. Do you think Emerson gets tired of being type-cast as the brilliant-yet-creepy guy? That’s three shows I can think of.
Really, really fascinating episode.
Anyway. I’ve got a guy sending me all of the episodes in HD from England, because apparently all 13 aired over there. Who knew. I gave up trying to convert my downloads and burn them onto blank DVDs because not only does it take for-freaking-ever, but the files need to be so large I’d end up having like 13 separate DVDs. No, thanks.
But anyone who downloads should check out The Inside. By, um, searching Google at his or her own peril because downloading is wrong! /hypocrisy.
Now I’m just dreading the 13th episode, because that’ll be it.
Stupid FOX.
