I must admit that I checked out an episode of Criminal United Kingdom because I was a big fan of Kit Harrington as Jon Snow in Game of Thrones. And because Criminal is an anthology series, I had no problems skipping straight to his episode to sample the show. I must say its quite impressive.

Synopsis: Criminal is a Netflix original series that centers on the interrogation of different suspects for unrelated cases. Each episode revolves around the methodical questioning of the suspect until the truth is revealed.

The episode I watched was entitled Alex. Kit Harrington played the titular role and portrayed the character of an arrogant businessman accused of rape by one of the new sales agents in his firm.

Criminal employs a quiet approach to building the suspense. It allows viewers to gauge the characters with narrations of their side of the story and the subsequent attacks on these stories by a team of London investigators.

For Alex, the second episode of the second season, I liked the pacing and the methodical way the truth unfolded. I’m actually happy that the twist in the end was far from what was being set up in the beginning. I liked the fact that the interrogators used a combination of psychology, investigative work, and impartiality in dealing with their suspect. The truth was not revealed in a flashy way but the simple message was that even though its not the most expected turnout, it should still be respected.

The episode made me realize a lot of things, especially for criminal investigations. It made me realize the value of getting all the facts before making judgement, as many people now tend to forget because of trial by media (or social media). Seeing the perspective of the accused makes viewers realize that they too deserve the benefit of the doubt and they too deserve to be treated as innocent until proven guilty. Unfortunately, mud sticks and reputations are easily tarnished by the slightest questions.

All in all, I was blown away by the sophisticated interrogation facilities in the UK and wished that the facilities in my home country was just as advanced. Its a show that intrigues the brain and its perfect for fans of a good whudunit show.