Roush Review: Muddled Mysteries in ‘Alienist’ and ‘Mosaic’

Matt Roush
8 Comments
Daniel Brühl running in The Alienist
TNT
The Alienist

If looks alone could kill, The Alienist would be more entertaining than alienating.

Spectacular production design transforms Budapest into a version of 1896 New York City more reminiscent of Dickensian London, befitting the grim and gruesome doings from Caleb Carr’s bestselling historical whodunit. Unfortunately, what was fascinating on the page falls flat on screen, at least in the first two episodes, with nostril-flaring acting more suitable to the silent movies of a century ago.

Daniel Brühl is a sullen cipher as ahead-of-his-time criminal psychologist (known then as an “alienist”) Laszlo Kreizler, who enlists a high-society illustrator (bland Luke Evans) and an ambitious female police secretary (snappish Dakota Fanning) to track whoever’s out there killing boy prostitutes. It’s all quite sordid and gratuitously grisly, but only Douglas Smith and Matthew Shear as Jewish twin-brother detectives and cutting-edge forensic nerds seem to be enjoying the hunt.

The Alienist, Series Premiere, Monday, Jan. 22, 9/8c, TNT

Mosaic - Sharon Stone, Paul Reubens

Mosaic – Sharon Stone, Paul Reubens

Another mystery that sounds better in theory than practice, Steven Soderbergh’s six-part Mosaic (airing nightly through Friday) started life as an innovative experiment in interactive storytelling on a fancy new mobile app, where you get to choose the point of view to follow. I didn’t play that game, and given what a dull dead end the linear HBO version turned out to be, I’m not likely to.

As a prickly children’s-book author with horrible taste in men (though Paul Reubens is fun as her dishy confidant), the glamorous Sharon Stone supplies what little verve exists in an otherwise studiously naturalistic tale of corruption in the Utah mountains. And she’s gone after the second episode.

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Her disappearance and presumed murder casts suspicion on the con man who seduced her (Frederick Weller, channeling Christian Slater) and the hired hand she tried to seduce (stoic Garrett Hedlund). It’s pretty obvious early on who’s behind this and why, and a time jump further reduces urgency, when the con’s sister (a frosty Jennifer Ferrin) works to clear his name. Suffering from Netflix-style bloat, Mosaic is less binge than indulgent slog.

Mosaic, Monday–Friday, Jan. 22–26, 8/7c, HBO

MosaicThe AlienistDakota FanningDaniel BrühlFrederick WellerGarrett HedlundLuke EvansPaul ReubensSharon Stone



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  1. C

    CyanBucket

    I already watched \"The Alienist\" so I can say that I am 180 degrees opposite Matt\'s review. Other than agreeing with him on the spectacular set design which places you in turn of the century NYC where Teddy Roosevelt is the Police Commissioner - I disagree with every other criticism he makes here. I found the opening episode absolutely riveting from the very opening of a policeman\'s crunching footfalls on a snowy street and his face being speckled with blood falling from above. Bruhl, Evans and Fanning are all solid - even better than that. As for it being \"muddled\" - the gory mystery killings are established in the first ten minutes - so I\'m not sure if Mr. Roush expects a quick payoff in an 8 part series. I wasn\'t. I\'m hooked. And I\'m in for the ride.

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  2. G

    GoldHammer

    I canceled my season pass after watching the first episode of the Alienist. My daughter and I both found it to be grim, boring and without any interesting or likable characters.

  3. R

    RedBee

    What is Netflix bloat? Genuinely curious as I haven’t come across a Netflix show I haven’t liked other than Sense 8 which definitely felt bloated and boring. But I felt that was a Wachowski fault and not a fault of Netflix.

  4. O

    OrangeBike

    Sorry, have to agree with Matt on this one. The Alienist literally put me to sleep! The production was gorgeous but it was sooooooo boring!

  5. C

    CyanFish

    I\'m looking forward to watching \"The Alienist.\"

  6. R

    RedCupcake

    Wow, the claws come out in this review of The Alienist. I\'ll watch and decide for myself, thankyouverymuch.

    1. C

      CyanCandy

      LOL, maybe Matt is in a bad mood today? I\'m watching \"The Alienist\" anyway.

    2. C

      CyanBucket

      You should. I thought it was excellent.