NUMB3RS

Its my time to be a critic now. I always wanted to do it. I am not much of a movie watcher but I watch a lot of English dram and sitcoms. So let me transform my wasteful habit into something productive.

Numbers, directed by Tony and Ridley Scott, tries to tell us about a new concept in crime solving. Here the FBI solves crimes with the help of Maths. The series revolves around an FBI agent Don Eppes who along with his team solves various crimes with the help of his brother Charley Eppes who happens to be a genius in Maths. It tries to introduce a new concept in crime solving to its viewers but i find it being done in a lackluster way. I do agree that mathematics can be used to solve crime to a certain extend but the way in which its depicted makes us believe that a mathematicians job is very simple. When ever a crime pops up, Charley has a magic algorithm put in place or or just gets an algorithm out of thin air within hours. The sheer magnitude of various mathematical problems are hidden from the viewer. The set of various databases they have is kind of absurd. It gives us the impression that crime solving is very easy. I guess most such TV shows are like that.

Along with the crime solving emphasis is given on the various interpersonal relationships. Its not an "in your face " kind of drama, but an effort is made to mix drama with crime solving. In certain episodes FBI agent Colby gets emotional with what happened to him in Afghanistan, which i think is quite needless. There are many needless ethical issues raised in various episodes.

With all its drawbacks Numb3rs is not by any stretch of the imagination a bad series. It is an entertainer. I would say a time pass. Even though its quite hard to find out the direct link between advanced maths and crime solving one can view it as any other crime series. Its sure worth a watch. Its neither critically acclaimed nor does it have a huge fan base. I would rate it as an average series which is quite watchable.