Ridley & Tony Scott
NUMB3RS

This TV series comes from America, and naturally, we're told it has received accolades, awards, ovations, public success. I'm talking about "Numb3rs," a series produced by the Scott brothers (Ridley and Tony) and aired by Rai.

Opening: « Every day we all use math: to predict the weather, to tell time, to count money. We also use math to analyze crimes, understand patterns, predict behaviors. By using numbers, we can uncover the biggest mysteries of life. »

Well, I tell myself, it seems interesting; the idea doesn't seem recycled. I watch a couple of episodes, thanks to the apathy that grips me in the devilishly hot afternoons of this endless August.

The episodes focus on the life of Don Eppes (FBI agent) and his brother Charlie (a mathematician), the former with a more practical approach, the latter with an arithmetic and intellectual vision of the various cases they handle; yes, it might work, but... already within the first 5 minutes, you understand there is a but. And this "BUT" grows, and it foreshadows the failure I am actually already witnessing, which is... that this show just doesn't hold up.

You can see how mathematics appears awkwardly crammed into various scenes, how in many cases it acts more as a drag on the pace than the innovative boost the authors intend it to be, and it is very apparent how unlikely it is to translate criminal movements, city coordinates, and even dreams into formulas to reach something concrete every time.

So, it continues with forced situations, with the pale young mathematician always in front of the massive chalkboard both at work and at home, and with all the stereotypes of the case: the father playing chess like a champion, the protagonist’s girlfriend (or supposed one) who is a mathematics student, the district’s "cops" who immediately grasp any flowchart or incomprehensible integral calculus to the majority of humanity. And this is another weak point: explanations of Charlie's logical-arithmetic insights are necessary (at least for 99% of the audience), but in the long run, they tire and hinder the episode's progression.

Add to this that the team whose exploits are narrated consists of robust agents with wrestler physiques, super-cool women always "dolled up," or attractive middle-aged ladies, as we are used to in "C.S.I." (New York, Miami, Trebaseleghe, it's the same: the team is always made up of splendid, brilliant, and fashionable law enforcers); and even though it's not at the level of science fiction like in "E.R.," strokes of genius to solve dilemmas always stem from insignificant details, which, when developed with a simple partial differential equation applied to cryptology, magically provide the case solution.

More than being annoying, it’s almost pitiable to see how there are even 2-3 decent actors; visually and scenically, it isn't bad, the cases to solve are particular, yet these ingredients aren't enough to captivate; and in the end... well, the murderer is caught, but if back in the days of "Chips" or "Starsky & Hutch" the question was whether the police would catch the bandit, nowadays (after thousands of detective stories), the question is HOW.

And here, unfortunately, the "how" is full of holes.