There are three types of murder mysteries on television, it seems. There are the “cozy mystery” type shows, like Midsomer Murders or Murder, She Wrote. Which are oddly lighthearted, given the alarming number of small-town residents who drop dead every week. There are the shows that focus more on the process of crime investigation, like the CSI and NCIS franchises. And then there are the dark, psychological thrillers that make you want to sleep with the light on and never leave the house again, like Broadchurch. AMC’s Ragdoll definitely belongs in the last category.
Setting The Stage
As one might expect, the first episode of Ragdoll mostly sets the stage for where our characters are at and the threat that they’ve just begun to see looming on the horizon. There’s DS Nathan Rose (Henry Lloyd-Hughes) – the most tortured of the bunch – who suffers from PTSD and was briefly institutionalized thanks to a previous serial killer case. DI Emily Baxter (Thalissa Teixeira), who carries the weight of her own professional successes rather uncomfortably. And rookie DC Lake Edmunds (Lucy Hale), who is more than a little wet behind the ears.
It’s something of a ragtag group – as isn’t exactly uncommon on these kinds of shows. Brought together by the discovery of a dead body. Or should I say bodies? Body parts from six different victims have been put together to form one corpse, posed like a ragdoll. Hence the serial killer’s (and series’) name.
Personal Demons
Of course, there’s more that goes on than meets the eye. As it turns out, the demons from Rose’s past won’t be staying there for very long. Because one of Ragdoll’s victims is a serial killer Rose tried (and failed) to put behind bars. The source of his PTSD. And his inclusion in Ragdoll’s macabre creation – as well as Rose’s own name on the killer’s “kill list” – may not be entirely by accident. And Rose may know a little more than he’s saying at the moment.
But there’s no doubt that he’s not the only one who has a history. DI Baxter may not have had his mental breakdown, but she seems to carry the weight of her own professional successes and failures. And not entirely comfortably, at that. Which will no doubt color her own actions and reactions as the case unfolds.
Right now, there are more questions than answers. (Such as who the rest of the body parts belong to.) But it’s already clear that the killer they’re chasing isn’t going to be easy to catch. Regardless of the fact he’s provided the police with a list of his intended victims’ names. After all, he manages to target one of his victims inside the police station, using a bouquet of flowers and the victim’s own cigarettes.
How many more people on the list will die before the police manage to track him down? We’ll have to wait and see.
Ragdoll airs on AMC on Mondays at 10/9 c.
