by Mike Hilty, Contributing Writer
Crime shows are still all the rage. Every streamer is trying to create something that will attract the fanbase’s attention. With so many different shows, it can sometimes be hard to stand out. Whether a mystery needs forensic evidence to solve crimes or a profile of an unsub, there are many aspects that a crime show can focus on. Since streaming has come into the mix, the race for more crime shows has only continued to accelerate. Each service has at least one crime show to cite as a reason why someone should subscribe.
To some people, Apple TV+’s Criminal Record could be that show+.
Criminal Record revolves around the murder of a young woman named Adelaide Burrowes (Ema Cavolli). Two detectives, DCI Daniel Hegarty (Peter Capaldi), who helped solve the case, and DS June Lenker (Cush Jumbo), who has doubts about whether or not the right man is behind bars, find themselves at a crossroads as the case comes back into the spotlight after another grizzly death involving domestic abuse. As the mystery continues to unravel, both detectives struggle with the repercussions of what they’re about to discover.
I’ve always enjoyed a season-long mystery over a different mystery in each episode. Criminal Record’s mystery is fantastic. Although it’s a little slow at the beginning, the discovery of information, and how the detectives use that information, feels organic. The main suspect in Adelaide’s death, her partner, Errol (Tom Moutchi), is currently in jail, but DS Lenker uncovers something from a new case that connects to the murder. After Episode Three, each episode features a discovery that helps push the story forward.
Jumbo and Capaldi are both outstanding as the leads with vastly different views on their job and the role of the police. DS Lenker is underestimated as a cop, and has encountered horrendous men who treat women like second-class citizens. Serving as the moral compass of the series, but also showing how hard it is to be virtuous all the time, Jumbo is fantastic and keeps amazing pace with Capaldi. DSI Hegarty is a grizzled veteran of the police force, who’s brilliant but tortured. His family life is in shambles, but he also abuses his power by crafting a team that can take care of anything. At times, Capaldi is terrifying in this role, but at others, you can’t help but feel sorry for him.
There are several themes and messages in Criminal Minds that I enjoyed exploring. The first involves the wrongfully accused and how memories in the face of trauma can betray you. Errol doesn’t believe that he’s innocent. Armed with shaky memories and flimsy testimony, Errol has no ill will towards his situation; rather, it feels like he’s biding his time. His parents’ goal is to get him out of jail, and as that mystery consumes them, Errol wants to punish himself for letting Adelaide, and by extension her son, Patrick (Rasaq Kukoyi), suffer from his actions. There’s a small part of Errol that feels vindicated to be off the streets, and his dad supports this a little.
In addition to the perpetrator and victim, the show also explores how hard it is to be a cop these days. Between social media and the age of 24-hour access to the news, police officers are under a lot of pressure to maintain order and solve crime with little evidence or help. Many cops who work with Hegarty talk about the toll their job has taken on them, which I haven’t seen as a primary plot point in a show for a long time. The end also explores how social media affects the police, and how nothing remains hidden for long.
Perhaps the biggest theme in Criminal Record, though, is about prejudices. Jumbo, who is a Black woman, faces a steep hill in the investigation, because she is boxed in by a group of white men. Criminal Record has no problems exploring how bias and prejudices come up, both consciously and unintentionally. It adds additional layers to the difficulties cops have in conducting investigations, and how their judgment can sometimes be clouded by prejudices, which could be about race, living conditions, or other various lifestyle choices. This challenges the perception that the police know what they’re doing all the time, but it also humanizes them a little bit.
Criminal Record offers a different perspective on the crime thriller that I wasn’t expecting. I enjoyed the themes just as much as I enjoyed the mystery. The performances are great — they’re a cherry on top of an already outstanding show. If there is to be a Season Two, I hope that the series will continue to be a mystery that keeps you on the edge of your seat, with compelling themes that challenge what a typical crime thriller is capable of.
Rating: Liked It
Criminal Record is currently streaming on Apple TV+
You can read more from Mike Hilty, and follow him on Instagram, Letterboxd, and Serializd