Review of Monster

Does this show deserve all the praise it gets? Definitely. Is it perfect? No, but what show is? A psychological thriller about a former doctor pursuing a serial killer. A successful neurosurgeon must choose between operating on a young boy whom he does not know, or the mayor, who financially supports the hospital. Either he operates on the little boy who arrived at the hospital first and risk allowing the mayor to die, jeopardizing his career or he can choose to save the mayor and therefore continue to live comfortably. The doctor risks his career to help the boy in the belief that all lives areequal. He finds out later that the boy he saved was a murderer, and learning that he has become a dangerous serial killer, he sets out to end the young man's violent killing once and for all, determined to even go against his own principles about the value of human life. Is killing him the right thing to do given his conviction that all lives are precious?

It is a very philosophically driven story. It asks lots of interesting questions while also delving into deep moral dilemmas. It is the journey of a man who is the embodiment of goodness pursuing the embodiment of evil. On his journey, the doctor discovers the best and the worst in humanity. It shows the value of human life, but also the darker sides of those same human beings, asking questions about the meaning of life, human connection, love, compassion, kindness, cruelty, identity, morality, the nature of justice, consequences for actions, crime in society, wealth and poverty, corruption, human nature, what it means to be human, and whether or not psychology (or any science) can explain good and evil. At the core of the show’s themes is the question of good and evil: what is goodness and what is evil and why are they both within all human beings? Is there such a thing as a “good” person or a “bad” person? Is evil the result of nature or nurture? Is evil imprinted upon a person from external sources, or was it always there deep within the human heart—a part of their nature? What is a true monster?

This show's biggest weakness is also its biggest strength. It is very slow. However, it is during slow moments that the show shines. If you are looking for answers to most of the questions asked throughout the story, it is during the slow parts where you get them.