The Method, is a Russian television series originally released on 18 October 2015 on Channel One. The producing company for the show is Sreda, currently one of the most successful companies producing Russian-language television. Season 1 was directed by Yuri Bykov and is currently available on Netflix with English subtitles. Season 2 has not yet released on Netflix, is available on Channel One’s website, directed by Alexander Voitinsky.
The suspenseful thriller has been compared to Dexter. In this series, Major Meglin, played by Konstantin Khabensky, is a mentally ill homicide detective in Moscow with leading clearance rates but unknown methods. He takes young college graduate Esenia, played by Paulina Andreeva, as a trainee. Esenia has watched multiple loved ones fall victim to murder, and cannot decide whether she seeks revenge or justice. Throughout the series, Meglin helps her make her decision after examining the faults of the justice system.
Below, you can see a trailer-like summary for the series produced by Channel One, a first episode synopsis, as well as an analysis of the meaning behind the show, and its success.
Synopsis of The Method
The series begins with a flashback scene of Esenia’s murdered mother’s funeral when Esenia was just a child. The perpetrator never found. In the present, Esenia is now graduating college, on the pathway to be a prosecutor in St. Petersburg. Her father, Andrei Sergeyevich Steklov, Ministry of Justice Senior Counselor has helped to assure she had the contacts and tools to do so. However, after her graduation ceremony where her father fell center of attention, she assures him that she does not want to go to St. Petersburg, or even be a prosecutor at all. Rather, Esenia wants to find her mother’s killer. Her father urges her not to, and throughout the series it is unknown as to whether he actually knows who the killer was.
The next scene is in a nightclub where the graduates are celebrating with drinks. Esenia is contemplating her next moves. Her best friend, Ania, converses with Esenia about how she wishes she was as beautiful as Esenia so she could find love. Esenia assures her that men don’t bring love, but only reel in catches, usually with riches, to fulfil their own satisfaction. Unfortunately, Ania does not quite understand this message.
As Ania exits the nightclub alone, she encounters a man grieving that his wife is leaving him. He tells her that he bought a crystal necklace for his wife, and now doesn’t know what to do with it. He offers the necklace to her, and she takes it. While Ania is admiring the beauty of the necklace in the nightclub bathroom, the necklace around Ania’s neck tightens until the crystals impale her neck. As she is running through the nightclub gasping for air, a bomb in the necklace detonates and kills her.
Everyone in the crowd screams in horror, except one. The man who gave her the necklace, known as “The Festive Killer” glares in admiration for what he has done. Major Meglin then makes his first appearance, arresting the man for the murder, but talking although he is sympathetic to him.
Esenia and her colleagues are now all focused on finding who else was behind Ania’s murder, helping the Festive Killer. Esenia seeks to do so through Meglin as he solves nearly any case he receives. Whilst in her fathers office, Meglin walks in and she asks if she can be his trainee. To her fathers surprise, he says yes. However, her father is completely against her working anywhere near Meglin.
Series Analysis
The unique thriller series is one of a kind. The show attempts to intertwine two types of homicidal mania: one urged by pleasure, and the other by justice. Many have compared it to America’s modern television show Dexter, which is also available on Netflix. However, it can be argued that The Method brings much more to the table, with its focus on the line between revenge and justice and particularly in its focus on showing that many are capable of mania given the right circumstances.
Konstantin Khabensky states in an interview with the Russian newspaper Комсомольская Правда, “This is a film about the self-written creation and birth of the so-called evil, or, more precisely, about the creation of people who have crossed a certain line of human society.” In this, the show analyzes many different individuals, with many different motivations behind their homicidal actions. With the script being based on true events, the insanity displayed can really intrigue a viewer to think about society and human psychology.
According to IMDb, the series has a whopping 7.4 out of 10 rating. Its awards range from APKiT Best Sound and Best Actor in a TV Movie/Series, and Best Film Editing. The series was even nominated for Best Television Series at the prestigious Golden Eagle Awards in Russia. The Method is an original Russian series that is well worth watching.
Season 1 is currently available on Netflix with English subtitles. Season 2 is available on Channel One’s website, without subtitles.
Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmXD03QWm_4
