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After an almost two-year hiatus, the David Fincher directed series Mindhunter made its triumphant return to Netflix. It resumes its deep dive into the murderer psyche through the investigations of the budding Behavioural Science Unit of the FBI in the 1980’s.
Picking back up right where it left off, we find Agent Holden Ford (Johnathan Groff) grappling with the immediate aftermath of his close encounter with Ed Kemper, known as the “Co-ed Killer”. Despite the severity of Holden’s ordeal, (save for some scattered scenes of pill popping), he seems relatively unscathed and his recovery is unrealistically quick. When the scene-stealing Cameron Britton returns as Kemper, albeit all too briefly, to reunite with the agents, there was an opportunity to delve into the lasting effects of PTSD and trauma and how it can seep into a person’s everyday life. This would have made for some interesting character development for the steadfast Holden.
Instead, Holden’s superiority is allowed to truly spiral, as he gains a sense of arrogance about his suspect profiling abilities. Groff’s musical theatre talents shine best when Holden frequently launches into lofty, eloquent monologues about the importance of the unit’s work, to an inappropriate audience of straight-talking federal agents. This highlights the contrast of egoism, setting Holden apart as he romanticises the unit’s plight to detect and stop deviance in its early stages. These speeches add to the uncomfortable nature of watching the show, as I often found myself cringing at his misplaced cockiness. Holden’s sense of self-importance truly comes into its own when the unit get involved in the complex case of the Atlanta child murders, which serves as the main focus of the season.
In a detour from the unit’s usual interview work, Holden and Bill join the hunt for the killer(s) in an active situation. Holden lets his theories run away with him, often putting the investigation in jeopardy. In reality, life is sometimes complicated and messy, often going againstt Holden’s predicted patterns and perceived archetypes. The unit’s work gets a field test away from their confined, theoretical world encased in prison bars and is drastically shifted to the real world. This gives the show the opportunity to explore new ground, including touching on racial and political issues involving different community dynamics. This much-needed diversity added to the series’ previously overly-white narrative, and was refreshing.
With much of the attention on Holden and Bill’s work in Atlanta during the latter half of the season, Dr. Wendy Carr (Anna Torv) is side-lined after a brief subplot following her relationship with spirited bartender, Kay (Lauren Glazier). At the start of the season, there is a chance for Wendy’s progression as a character, as she starts to get involved in conducting interviews with the frequently hostile and misogynistic incarcerated murderers. In a gross irony of the sexist environment at the time, what could have been an interesting dynamic to see play out, is halted in favour of a romantic subplot typically assigned to female characters. Nevertheless, Torv’s portrayal of the sophisticated and intelligent psychology professor demands your attention in every scene she’s in as she tries to defy the typical roles and ideals of a woman at the time.
Despite the importance of the Atlanta case, Agent Bill Tench (Holt McCallany) finds his attention split due to some serious family issues. After a local tragedy occurs, his young, adopted son Brian is revealed to have stood by while some local boys murdered a toddler, before suggesting they put him on a cross in order to be resurrected. This sends his homelife into a tailspin, as he grapples with the ideas of culpability, and whether nature or nurture is the cause of his son’s behaviour. The show often reinforces the idea that your childhood experiences influence your actions as an adult, which begs questions for Bill, just how deviant could young Brian become without intervention? Could Bill find himself having to interview his own son one day?
Throughout the personal drama of our central characters and the ongoing investigations, the star centrepieces of the show remain to be the high-profile serial killer interviews. This season, we are treated to stellar guest performances of famed cult leader Charles Manson, and ‘Son of Sam’ killer David Berkowitz, among many others. The show’s ability to link these interviews to the main storylines, providing insight for the main characters on their own issues, as well as the impeccable casting choices, makes these scenes a true highlight of the series.
This season, many more threads are woven into the story, expanding from the original work of the unit. While this may be accurate to the reality of police work, caused by an abundance of ground to cover and limited resources in specialised fields, it causes a lack of focus at times. It often feels like the show took too much on at once to give each aspect the focus it deserves, particularly with the Atlanta case overtaking the story towards the end of the season. On the other hand, this means the show is especially detail-heavy and dynamic, making a rewatch very worthwhile.
Our generation are painfully aware of our own mortality; having a macabre interest in the unique ways to demise, which may be why serial killers have encapsulated modern media. However, Mindhunter takes a different approach to the usual formula of, ‘murder, investigation, solved,’ employed for these types of shows. Despite its lack of violence, Mindhunter is truly the most terrifying show I’ve ever seen – as unfortunately, it’s all too real. One can’t help but have a visceral reaction when crimes are laid out in front of you in real time, often by the killers themselves. Realising the amount of potential malevolence in the world, from all ages and backgrounds, is a sobering thought, which sent shivers down my spine long after I’d finished watching. The show makes it clear that we still have a long way to go in understanding and preventing psychopathic behaviour, if it is possible at all. With deviance seemingly lurking in the shadows of every walk of life, Mindhunter has endless possibilities for seasons to come.
