Dark City – The Cleaner season 1

Dark City – The Cleaner is a series from New Zeeland about a serial killer who works as a cleaner by day, and serial killer by night. What’s not to like really? This is kind of a special series too. it’s not just the run-of-the-mill serial killer. We get to follow his thoughts via an inner monologue. A little but like he’s talking directly to us. Describing what he feels and how he thinks. It creates sort of a comedic effect as he seems to have a slow mind during the daytime at least. It’s obvious that he suffers from some sort of psychopathic disorder even though I’m not qualified to make that diagnosis. It’s not that he’s a sociopath though. He doesn’t have a wat with people really, he rather tends to himself and only takes comfort in his pet fish.

Of course, the police are hunting him, trying to figure out the identity of the Christchurch Carver. It’s something special with serial killers who have earned their own nicknames, isn’t it? He even has a calling card. He leaves a half-eaten apple in the victims’ throats. Apparently, there are some acids in apples that destroy some of the evidence. I’m not sure I paid enough attention to understand it fully though. But I have no reason to doubt it.

Cleaner by Day

As I said, he’s a cleaner by day. And there might not be a better place to clean the offices than at the police station?! It’s not particularly realistic as he can wander around unhindered and listen in on an ongoing investigation without anyone questioning his presence. Of course, I wouldn’t know how that would be carried out in reality but I doubt that the cleaner comes into a room and emptying trash bins during a meeting when the police discuss other leads. But I guess it works in this series cinematic universe. It also helps that he has assumed a kind of Clark Kent identity when at work and is really a wuss.

We don’t really get to witness his violent crimes up close in Dark City – The Cleaner. But we can imagine that he’s really powerful when it comes to killing his victims, who are all women. They should be easier to overpower for a man anyway. Especially since he studies his victims for a long time before he strikes. I guess, if you were that kind of killer you’d choose victims you think you’d easily overpower.

The First Twist

But then comes the twist. Maybe the first in a series of twists if I’m honest. There is a copycat killing. Of course, he knows that he’s not guilty of that murder and is a little annoyed by being framed for something he didn’t do. That goes very well with his character. He starts to take an interest in the case for himself. Steals evidence and examines it for himself and so on. This isn’t very realistic either. The police never miss the things he steals. Either the police are very sloppy, totally corrupt, or just plain incompetent. But that impression doesn’t really come across. I think it’s because we see everything from his perspective. not literally of course. It’s not a series filmed with first-person camera work.

Then the other twist comes. Someone knows exactly who he is and starts blackmailing him. Not for money, no, he’s going to find out who the copycat killer really is. This becomes a kind of cat and mouse game within the cat and mouse game. It’s really entertaining watching who’s going fool who in the end. No one trusts anyone and in the end, there’s a real mess of the events leading to the end.

As of now, there’s only one season of Dark City – The Cleaner. There might be more in the future but it’s not necessary. The ending of the first season is satisfactory but also leaves an opening for more. I would welcome a second season though as I found it very entertaining. It’s a highly recommended series if you like to come under the skin and inside the head of a disturbed serial killer and figure out why he became what he became and how he works. I think it’s a portrait of something really dark but it’s disgusted as comedy at times as he’s being so awkward and with zilch competence in the social networking game.