I am developing a theory for solving television crime. Currently I am studying it's application in those one-hour American franchises like NCIS, the Mentalist, Law and Order, etc etc. My proposition is as follows:
The killer will be the 2nd person you meet.
Reason: You need to be introduced to the killer early enough for you to forget them while the detectives pursue red herrings. The 1st person is too obvious, so is often a red herring. The later persons are usually a distraction from the second person, so are also red herrings.
Identifying the 2nd person: As well as being the 2nd person, common traits of the 2nd person are that they lurk in the background behind an obvious suspect, or they seem nice and helpful—to foil the suspicions of investigators. In fact, "2nd person" is a pretty good tag for characters who blend into the background and turn out to be killers... but it is amazing how often it is literally the 2nd person.
Note: This theory only applies to one-hour crime shows which follow a formula and are really more about the personalities of the cops, etc. It probably has little relevance for other shows like Midsommer Murders, which is long and annoyingly random, or Wire in the Blood, which is a psychological chase.
I have been working on this theory for quite a long time, perhaps 6 months. It needs refining because it is not always true, but I am testing it against every crime show I watch.
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Another complementary theory is the 'second person you come back to' theorem. Once they have met and suspected everyone, then they will go back and talk to people a second time. I would hypothesise that the second time you meet someone for the second time - that is the killer.
ReplyDeleteWhether this theory is more accurate remains to be seen. It could be said, however, that it is far less useful. By the time you know who you are coming back to second, the show is almost over and your foreknowledge is redundant.
Heather
PS. Does anyone know the difference between a theory and a theorem? I am using them interchangeable, but suspect this is inaccurate.
Thanks HG, excellent research.
ReplyDeleteIt is a pity this doesn't work in real life, the second background person you meet will be/is a killer and you should run away. Also criminal minds doesn't follow that formula at all I think.
ReplyDeleteJulia