The Alienist – Die Einkreisung

A quality series. I like period detective/crime series and the atmosphere of nineteenth-century New York was great. I reveled in the total desolation of the slums. I was pleased with the excellent acting performances of the central three protagonists, and I was surprised that Luke Evans somewhat overshadowed Daniel Brühl (in my view). Perhaps it was because the character of John Moore had more layers and seemed more intriguing. It’s a shame that the creators didn’t manage to avoid some current trends. I don’t think I would come across certain issues in 1896 New York, or even in 1956 New York, or even later than that. Too bad, it made me give a lower rating. (05.10.2018)

Like with any TV series, I once again saw the pilot episode as something that should introduce me to the plot and the individual characters, and that did happen. Out of the actors, Luke Evans (John Moore) impressed me the most, although Dakota Fanning delivered a quality performance, Sarah Howard's character too obviously fulfills certain quotas - strong, independent, and of course the first woman in the police force. The story itself didn't start badly, but it didn't bring anything extra either, for me to consider a better rating. (04.10.2018)

What I can praise calmly after two episodes are excellent performances by the actors. However, I am not that enthusiastic about the story itself. I have a persistent feeling that it lacks a certain spark, so I am watching it completely uninvolved. It would need an impulse that would draw me into the plot. (04.10.2018)

I was most satisfied with the third episode so far. Moore's "walk of shame" in the beginning really entertained me, similarly to the grandmother as a matchmaker, and Sara's school reunion was not bad either. The discovery of the second victim and the events at the crime scene seemed much more interesting to me than in the first case, so I was quite satisfied, and I add one more piece. (04.10.2018)

It seems that the series has taken the right direction and pace after the initial two hesitant episodes. I finally started to like the overall atmosphere, and besides the case itself, I also enjoy the relationships between the different characters. I hope it will continue like this (or even better) in the future. (04.10.2018)

The fifth episode received four stars (4+). I only gave it a three because the creators angered me with an incredibly cliché scene of knocking on the door. This is already such a worn-out issue that it should be officially banned. What was the point of it? Was it supposed to create some tension? It really annoyed me. (04.10.2018)

A pretty successful episode, the atmosphere was not lacking in the story, it had a decent pace, and amidst the hectic search for the killer, the development of individual characters and the relationships between them was not forgotten. Sara will have her hands full to prevent Stevie from becoming the biggest troublemaker of the entire series :-) (05.10.2018)

For the second time, it happened to me that I wanted to rate better, but I had to reduce the star because of the stupidity of the creators. It is the year 1896 and a studied African American woman becomes an editor of the Philadelphia Tribune? Certainly, so I am clear, young prostitutes in New York are being murdered by Barbucha. With such nonsense, no one should come to light, especially not Americans. This matter completely overshadowed the impression of the entire episode for me. (05.10.2018)

Interesting episode in which the investigation has made significant progress and Laszlo Kreizler finally showed his human side (although, considering the situation, it probably won't last long). As I expected, the story's plot is gaining momentum, and it feels like the conclusion is approaching. (05.10.2018)

I liked the ninth episode the most so far, even though the main character of the whole series was missing. Surprisingly, I didn't miss Laszlo Kreizler at all because he was perfectly replaced by John Moore and Sara Howard. Additionally, there was intensive and systematic investigation throughout the whole episode, and the ending didn't disappoint me at all, so full steam ahead. (05.10.2018)

The final episode may not have reached the quality of the penultimate part, but I definitely wasn't dissatisfied. Another visit to the Opera scared me a bit, but fortunately, everything went quickly and smoothly this time. The pace of the story was excellent, there was no lack of tension and action. On the other hand, I didn't like that the conclusion of the manhunt was quite predictable. Anyway, I wasn't disappointed and I enjoyed myself. (05.10.2018)