'The Fall' looks at the complexity of man

“Abandon the urge to simplify everything, to look for formulas and easy answers, and to begin to think multidimensionally, to glory in the mystery and paradoxes of life, not to be dismayed by the multitude of causes and consequences that are inherent in each experience -- to appreciate the fact that life is complex.” — M. Scott Peck

"The Fall" is a British crime drama that has gone through a slow burn over two seasons and 11 episodes. (All episodes are currently streaming on Netflix). It's ostensibly about a detective, Stella Gibson (Gillian Anderson), and a serial killer, Paul Spector (Jamie Dornan). The two play a game of cat-and-mouse, and you wonder often how it's going to end.

But what makes the series great isn't just the performances or the slow burn pace — which are both excellent — it's the fascinating contradictions in the character of the leads.

Stella is a cop. She's the hero. She's there to stop the crimes. But she's far from heroic in all aspects of her life. In fact, she's somewhat destructive in her personal life, even blurring those lines in her work place. She also plays fast and loose with a witness, at one point, putting them in harm's way.

Paul is a serial killer. He's cold, violent, and evil. He's the villain. But he's also a loving father. One scene, in particular, struck me when watching the season two finale. It was a tender moment between Paul and his daughter. He cares for her, and all children, really.

What struck me about "The Fall" was that it didn't make the story black and white. The characters had nuance, and the story did, too. All too often we have heroes and villains, and nothing in between. What was fascinating about "The Fall" was the two central characters — though given defined roles — operated in the shades of grey.

The show was an exploration of a series of crimes and the investigation to solve them, but more than that it was about these characters, their world, and all their flaws. It was a show about complexity, and in that it told a familiar story in an interesting way.