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Mindhunter: Season II Review --- The evil that lurks in the heart of man

528339.jpgThe second season of television series' such as Netflix’s Mindhunter, which appear without much fanfare but develop into solid and/or exceptional programs, always seem to have problems repeating the “magic” of their inaugural efforts. A lot of this seems to be due to the fact that, unlike the first season, where fans have few to no expectations, by the time the second season airs, fans have invested a substantial amount of time and thought into the show, and want a return on that investment.

The second season of Mindhunter was no different. While the show was eventually able to capture much of the secret sauce of the first season, it was not a smooth route to that success, and it most likely led to the loss of some of its former fans. However, it has, albeit unevenly, set itself up for a promising third season.

(Some spoilers ahead)

The first episode picks up almost immediately after last season’s finale in which FBI agent, Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff), suffers a panic attack after visiting serial killer, Edmund Kemper (Cameron Britton). In the new season, we find that Ford has been remanded to a hospital for his own good and is only released after his partner, Bill Tench (Holt McCallany), comes to get him. This is somewhat of a key development because Ford had up until that point been someone supremely confident of his abilities and intellect. While he respects Tench, he does not appreciate what it means now that Tench has discovered he has a vulnerability. This point is also important, in terms of the story, because it introduces one of primary elements of the second season, namely to tension between Ford and Tench as to the means, methods, and practices of the Behavioral Science Unit, as they literally build the unit, along with Anna Torv’s Dr. Wendy Carr, from the ground up.

It also marks an inward turn for the show in the second season to focus more on the development of the main characters and their complex relationships with others. For instance, this second series spends a considerable amount of time on Tench and Carr outside of their work. We find that Tench’s relationship with his wife, Nancy (Stacey Roca), is slowly dissolving due to his work schedule and the differences in what to do about the fact that their child helped facilitate the murder, by other boys, of a neighborhood toddler. For Dr. Carr, we find she often imputes the stresses of her work into her relationship with her partner, Kay Manz (Lauren Glazier). All of this takes place in the background of the team's work in trying to find the BTK Killer and resolve the Atlanta Child Murder spree that occurred between 1979 and 1981.

While, from a story perspective, the second season’s approach is not bad, it is a major change from the first season’s extreme focus on crime-fighting aspect of the team. That is, as a fan it took me a while to transition from being interested in how the team confronted criminals to how the team deals personally with the effects of studying, interviewing, and trying to understand the minds of some of the most deranged criminals in U.S. history. This is not to say the show is bereft of villainous villains. Ford, Tench, and Carr interview David Berkowitz, of “Son of Sam” fame, and Wayne Williams, the man prosecuted for several of the murders in Atlanta.

It was a transition that was necessary as the show matures, but it could have been done, in my opinion, with a little more deftness and skill.

What do you think?

Written by lao.san on Sep 15, 2019

Comments

lao.san posted 4 years ago

Yes. That was a great scene and from a story perspective added doubt into the mind of agent Tench, the "rock" of team, as to whether the approach they've been developing all this time is actually good or effective.

TimDavidCasey posted 4 years ago

I enjoyed it and Damon Herriman as Charles Manson was a sight to behold. I’m looking forward to what serial killers will be interviewed in the third season.

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