Criminal profiling introduced new monsters into the cultural lexicon in the 1970s when the “serial killer” concept entered the conversation. Television has long been fascinated by these types of criminals, from the long-running “Criminal Minds” to David Fincher’s brilliant “Mindhunter.” Now, Apple TV+’s latest limited series, “The Crowded Room” is taking a stab (excuse the pun) at psychological thriller territory. Not that you should expect another “Mindhunter,” even if one of the cops mentions the serial killer phenomenon. Instead, Oscar-winning screenwriter Akiva Goldsman (“A Beautiful Mind,” “Star Trek: Picard”) takes a purposefully fragmented approach to the mystery at the center of this story. It doesn’t always land, but the central performances from Tom Holland and Amanda Seyfried are compelling throughout, and the intense subject matter handled with sensitivity.
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There are a lot of key plot details about “The Crowded Room” that critics have been asked to refrain from mentioning in advanced reviews, so this might take on a similarly fragmented approach. Let’s start with what may be discussed, including the incident that kicks off the 10-episode mini-series. Danny Sullivan (Holland) gets arrested following his involvement in a shooting at a historic Midtown New York City location in 1979. And from the jump, it’s clear that this limited series boasts a level of period-specific detail of the highest standard, from the marquee at Radio City Music Hall advertising a forthcoming Muddy Waters concert to the crowd of background actors decked out in this period’s finest. But the impressive set and costume design doesn’t overwhelm the obvious: Danny doesn’t look like your “typical” criminal, why he’s being treated as one will become the show’s central mystery.
Enter Seyfried as interrogator Rya Goodwin, tasked with pulling loose the threads of Danny’s life to explain what happened at Rockefeller Center. This isn’t the only potential crime scene, and the story is purposefully vague in the early episodes. Danny claims there are “blank spots” in his memories, immediately making him an unreliable narrator as he recounts his life story. And that’s what most of the episodes of this series covers, spending swaths of time exploring Danny’s unhappy home life, school life, etc. “The Crowded Room” occasionally glances at other themes, like a flawed judicial system and how it treats different suspects based on race, gender, and class, but most of that remains surface level. This series is all about Danny, for better or worse.
It’s an intriguing set-up, but the show doesn’t give its dueling timelines equal weight, and viewers often linger far too long in the past during the opening episodes. The dynamic being established across the table in the present between Danny and Rya gets constantly interrupted by flashbacks to Danny’s attempts to assimilate, even if he’s been considered a “freak” by popular kids. It makes for uneven, plodding paces, even when important supporting characters get fleshed out. It also doesn’t help that many of the school scenes in flashbacks retread classic bullying tropes, but Danny’s outcast status beats some clichés thanks to the presence of his two best friends, Mike (Sam Vartholomeous) and Jonny (Levon Hawke)—one a jock, the other a stoner.
Rya’s questions help provide a road map to how Danny ended up in the position he’s in by the summer of ‘79, and the push-pull between Seyfried and Holland doesn’t truly get going until several episodes in. Holland’s stature and unkempt ‘70s hairstyle give him a harmless aesthetic, but there’s an obvious disconnect between his current incarcerated position and the information he doles out. Of course, with appearances being deceptive, it’s impossible to watch “The Crowded Room” without trying to read between the lines. Apple wanting to preserve the experience for viewers makes sense, but considering how fundamental some of these significant issues are to the story, it throws up challenges in discussing Danny’s character—or any character.
In the present-day timeline, details about Rya’s personal life add texture, and a flirtation with Detective Matty Dunne (Thomas Sadoski, Seyfried’s real-life husband) gives much-needed levity to the darker subject matter explored throughout. Juggling an ambitious career with motherhood is no easy task, and there are several parallels drawn between hers and Danny’s situation. Emmy Rossum plays Danny’s mom Candy, which may initially raise eyebrows, considering the age gap between the actors is only a decade, but it’s less egregious as Zachary Golinger a younger Danny (and Holland plays a teenager at certain points in the story). Rossum’s performance, especially her haunted stare is impactful and speaks to the underlying issues in the Sullivan home.
As the fragmented pieces of Danny’s story fall into place, the show’s structure offers Holland and Seyfried additional freedom to explore complex circumstances. Questions centering on mental health and incarceration get broached, and the introduction of public defender Stan (Christopher Abbott) provides a much-needed jolt of electricity. Abbott’s a pill-popping cynic, but he’s also not entirely dismissive of the unusual parameters at play, and brings an interesting dynamic to the Danny-Rya relationship. Pop culture plays a significant part in the series, too, with references to a specific TV shows and movies. And with pretty much every Apple TV+ show, “The Crowded Room” displays its budget via some undoubtedly pricey song choices. But Goldsman’s handle on the material and how these themes have previously been covered lacks nuance. There’s not any amount of period pop songs that may cover that up.
It should be noted that Goldsman is one of many people who tried to bring this project to life, and Holland takes a role that was once pegged for Leonardo DiCaprio in the late ‘90s and long before movie stars crossed back into TV. Directors like James Cameron, Joel Schumacher, and Fincher have all been linked to an adaptation of this story loosely based on the 1981 non-fiction novel “The Minds of Billy Milligan.” It probably makes a better television show as it allows for a deeper exploration of the subject matter, but maybe this series could easily be two parts shorter. Despite its lack of subtlety, “The Crowded Room” still treats its dark themes with care, and a title card offers additional material guidance at the end of each episode.
“The Crowded Room” is a slippery show because it doesn’t fit squarely in its psychological thriller box. It is a high school stoner comedy before it takes on the air of a crime drama followed by a heist of sorts and then even a romance. One storytelling device it consistently nails is ending the episode on a cliffhanger or revelation that leaves audiences wanting more. And despite the misgivings about pace and structure, Holland and Seyfried’s performances are riveting when given time to percolate: Seyfried continues to prove her range, and Holland digs deep into his character’s troubled past. It’s too bad almost everything fails to land, but in its two-hander scenes, “The Crowded Room” finds small amounts of space to excel. [C+]
