Comic Book Lessons in Analytics — Misty Knight
Making good decisions with incomplete information
After last week’s discussion of the Netflix Defenders series, I decided that a few of the characters deserved a little more attention. Core team aside, I want to look at someone else who deserves just as much attention.
Last time, we discussed the issues faced by the team due to distrust and lack of communication. They hesitated to share information. As a result, they were frequently argumentative, indecisive, and slow to act.
Misty Knight has no time for that.
In the Netflix series Luke Cage and Defenders, Misty is an NYPD detective who has been in trouble once or twice for acting outside the proverbial lines. But she’s a good cop, and she takes the job seriously. She believes in the justice system despite being aware of (and having witnessed) its flaws.
A few points before we begin:
- If you haven’t watched the series, this will spoil some scenes
- I do not have time to tell the whole story
- Misty’s story is updated from the comics, but the character is perfect
Watch the series anyway. And try to keep up, just like she did…
Meeting the Defenders
We’ll skip Misty’s run in Luke Cage as well as her first appearance in Defenders to get to the point. Right away, Misty is called to a crime scene where explosives have been found by a private investigator- Jessica Jones.
That night, we see Misty arresting then questioning Jessica on the same case.
At least, she tries to question Jessica until the lawyer shows up.
Misty knows that Jessica is innocent in the architect’s death, but she also knows there is a lot more happening than she’s going to hear.
Misty could hold Jessica on minor charges and pressed her, although Matt is a pretty good lawyer and would not make it easy. So, she lets Jessica go but decides to keep an eye on her.
Protecting the Innocent
Within a day or two, Misty finds her precinct filling up with people who are equally tight-lipped (or equally confused). Luke Cage asks her to protect them but will not tell her why these people, in particular, are in danger.
Misty has very little idea what was happening, except that two people she trusts- Luke and Claire- claim that these people are in immediate danger.
Misty is not happy, but she knows that Luke and his allies are going against a very dangerous organization. She also knows that she can neither dissuade them nor get any more information about what is happening.
Misty decides to trust Luke and protect his people. She even gives Colleen her previously-confiscated katana, “just in case”.
Defending the Defenders
Hours later, the NYPD is called to an unused building. They find two people dead and three (Luke, Jessica, and Matt) alive but unconscious.
The living are taken into custody for questioning. She’s frustrated with Jessica, concerned about Luke, and tired of Matt’s evasion, especially when he actually tries to pull the “client/lawyer confidentiality” card.
Misty gets a little more information from them, like the fact that Danny Rand has been kidnapped. She didn’t even know he was involved. And she gets the name of the organization- the Hand- but it means nothing to her.
Misty still decides to trust Luke, although she does not expect her three witnesses to break through a wall and head out. She does figure out where they’re going and makes it to the building just in time to help them.
She arrives just in time to confront Luke, Jessica, Colleen, and Daredevil (she is nice enough not to make the connection out loud), and then Misty delivers her final insight in the form of a question.
You got a minute before the full force of the NYPD is here. So I need you to answer this fast…
How long do you want me to stall them?
The vigilantes have a chance of saving Danny Rand and stopping the Hand. She lets them go. After stalling her captain and the rest of the NYPD, Misty finds a way to follow them inside just in time to save Claire.
Also just in time to lose her right arm. Comic readers knew that was coming.
Misty Knight spent three days making snap judgements based on a limited set of data. She never stopped pushing for more answers, and she revised her decisions as new information became available.
Real-world analytics
When we discuss analytics, we emphasize the importance of devising the right questions, gathering all of the information, and taking the time to verify the analytic process in use in order to produce meaningful insights.
The real world doesn’t always work that way, does it?
Your work as an analyst most likely does not involve dealing with bulletproof ex-cons, inhumanly strong smart-ass detectives, blind ninja lawyers playing innocent, and defenders of mystical cities bearing glowing fists.
Although it would be pretty cool…
Business analytics obviously allows a more relaxed pace than police work (despite what your boss might say), but the goal is the same. And sometimes we have to act on incomplete data simply because something is better than nothing.
Conclusion: deal with it
Working with incomplete data is never ideal. But it is realistic.
More precisely, every data set you see will be incomplete in some area. The storyline of the Defenders does not represent a typical case, but Misty Knight does represent a damned good detective. In other words, she pushes for more information but works with what she has.
So, when necessary, be more like Misty Knight.
Ask the questions. Press for more data.
When you have gaps, document them. Be clear and transparent about data sources and limitations.
Just know that, sometimes, you have to work with what you’re given.
