Wire in the Blood: Bad Seed

Another of the BBC crime drama's that I enjoy from time to time. This story focuses on the ideas of admiration, envy, and inherited behavior.

The thought of inherited behavior is a question that can haunt a person. And it's an argument that gains more ground as DNA testing and analysis continues to push forward. I have heard from the time I was a young boy that my family has predispositions to heart disease. I have a natural addictive personality inherited down the family tree. All of these things I have no control over, but was born with these traits.

The idea that so much of a person is predetermined and incontrollable is a revelation by itself. Of course people will argue that this is "God's" will and that everything has a purpose in life. My guess is that scientists will also argue that it is predetermined due to DNA and genetics. Of course being predisposed to a condition or behavior does not automatically mean that it is a done deal.

That is the idea at the core of this story. A boy adopted as a youth struggles to find out who his real father is. He comes to accept that his real father is a serial killer from 30 years ago, and it is now his life's mission to carry on the "work" that his father carries started. Of course it ends up that he is not the killer's son, and that his "genetic predisposition" towards killing is a lie.

One of the reasons that I think the BBC puts forth much more gripping crime stories than over here in the states is that they allow the viewers mind to control how much of the gore and evil they want to accept. Using broad strokes and dialog allows the viewer to determine their level of involvment in the story. If it doesn't intrigue you the mystery is wrapped up and solved in an hour and a half. But if you get caught up in the story you can find parallels into your own life.

Of course this gives hope to me, a person who has the genetic misfortune to carry on terrible genes. I can fight the past and overcome the odds. I can strike out against the evil DNA and make a new path for myself. It is a subject that echoes throughout me on a daily basis. After many years I feel I have a firm grasp on who I am and what I want to be. I recognized my faults and my past missteps. I move forward into the future knowing that I am grounded. But thankfully I am only predisposed to be a gambler, fat, and an alcoholic. But not a killer. Score one for the Smith genes.