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POPCORNX REVIEWS & REACTIONS: Netflix's #MINDHUNTER Season Two (Eps 1-9) #SPOILERS


WHAT IS MINDHUNTER: "Catching a criminal often requires the authorities to get inside the villain's mind to figure out how he thinks. That's the job of FBI agents Holden Ford and Bill Tench. They attempt to understand and catch serial killers by studying their damaged psyches. Along the way, the agents pioneer the development of modern serial-killer profiling. The crime drama has a strong pedigree behind the camera, with Oscar-nominated director David Fincher and Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron among the show's executive producers."

Beyond the above official synopsis, and trailer repost (below), EVERYTHING ONWARDS will be wholly SPOILERS for Season Two of Mindhunter via my ramblings and attempt at breaking down what I watched, currently launched (since August 15th) and viewable on Netflix. Note that the series is rated "R-21" (in Singapore), and not suitable for kids/children.

There are 9 x 1 hour episodes in Season Two, directed by David Fincher (Eps 1,2,3), Andrew Dominik (Eps 4, 5) and Carl Franklin (Ep6, 7, 8, 9). I managed to devour the season in two days over the weekend.


As the opening titles rolled on the final 9th episode of MINDHUNTER Season 2 on Netflix, I had exclaimed in my IG-post that I "would be particularly vexed if there was no resolution", and by the end credits of said finale, the "resolution" was to have been a what-I-had-felt-was an representation of the theme for the entire season, and I remained "vexed".

As much as advancement of discovery been the main driver in Season 1 ("S1"), Season Two ("S2") essentially portrays the theories and work put into practical use on the field (by Holden and Bill), while the rest of the team (Wendy and Gregg) taking on interviewing prisoners, with mixed results.

EPISODE ONE:

As mentioned in my previous post, the cliffhanger in S1 of the team's investigation by OPR on doctored submissions, had be Ep1 in S2 been seemingly resolved and investigation completed leading to their ex-Boss "Robert Shepard" taking a "early retirement", while newbie "Gregg Smith" had been outed as the perpetrator of submitted the evidence anonymously, via straight-talking and self-investigation by the team - primarily Holden - in a single seating in a single meeting, all sorted and forgiven in Episode One, how convenient.

ITS ABOUT THE PEOPLE:

The rest of the 8 episodes subsequently focused on Bill's family life in jeopardy, Wendy both gaining and loosing the possibility to not be alone, and Holden maintaining a status quo in life, or at the very least have begun to realise it's not all its cracked up to be.

PRIMARY PLAYERS (Text via Wikipedia):

Jonathan Groff is "Holden Ford" (a special agent in the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit.)

Holt McCallany is "Bill Tench" (a special agent in the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit.)

Anna Torv is "Wendy Carr", a closeted psychology professor working towards tenure at Boston University who joins the BSU.

SECONDARY PLAYERS (Text via Wikipedia):

Michael Cerveris is "Ted Gunn" - assistant director "Robert Shepard"’s successor as overseer of the BSU in Season 2.

Stacey Roca is "Nancy Tench", Bill's wife (recurring season 1; season 2).

Joe Tuttle is "Gregg Smith", a special agent newly assigned to the Behavioral Science Unit (recurring season 1; season 2).

Albert Jones as "Jim Barney", an Atlanta FBI agent (Season 2),


ABOUT GREGG & JIM:

Gregg continues to be in the primary team of 4, trying to push forth pull his weight, and at the same time showing a not-so-obvious sliver of ideas (which obviously contributes to the team's studies), while a 5th person - FBI agent "Jim Barney" - joins Holden and Bill in Atlanta, in their investigation into the Atlanta murders, for which this entire season is predicated on.


The side-story was that Jim had previously applied for the position in the "Behavioral Science Unit", a position that which had since gone to Gregg. Both Holden and Bill acknowledges this as they go into the Atlanta investigations. Jim too pulls his weight in the proceedings.

PRACTISE YOUR THEORIES:

In S2, the team put to practise what they had "learnt" in S1, and throughout the series, showed their effectiveness at formulating a profile, through a long and hard journey in itself - against all naysayers from within and outside of their fellow enforcement departments - but ultimately ineffective to push though with convictions, but for political maneuvering on the part of others, something "modern" procedural shows are pretty familiar with presenting on screens.

THE FUTURE OF PROFILING:

At the core of both Holden and Bill, they are detectives first, while at the same time deducing and formulating the behavioural patterns we - now in 2019 - have gleaned to be a procedural profiling norm in the myriad of media enforcement shows we consume on television and feature films - both Hollywood and Asian cinema.

As Shepard’s successor as overseer of the Behavioral Science Unit (in S2) "Ted Gunn" had said - as he hopped unto the private chartered plane, that "Atlanta changed everything" - which more than likely was what it all meant. moving forward for both the series and "law enforcement profiling" as it was.

The fact that the Atlanta murders - til this day - had not been resolved nor anyone prosecuted, left me vexed.


ABOUT BILL:

Bill's story remains unresolved, but to the point of silent abandonment by his wife, was played out pretty straight-forwardly (I felt), with all signs (seen by myself) rolling towards the obvious, while Bill remained oblivious (or did he actually?), but for his steadfast in physically attending to his role and expectations.

Even his conversation with his son, at the ice cream parlour, showed his obvious inability to push forth and grasp at the situation, a stark contrast to his ability to excel at work with, and with the bosses' expectations at work-parties.


Something very frustrating, but ironically I myself can personally relate to, having in the past been a workhorse and excelling at my chosen job, with constantly needing to solve problems and relate/delegate to others around me ... but on the home-front, unable to communicate effectively with family (not that we quarrelled, I just did not have time to), and on the romantic front, am left with a string of failed relationships, because I was unable to relate beyond my own self-centeredness and in-effectiveness to relate. Dammit, I WAS BILL.

My turning point was the Stroke I fell to and survived from, in 2010 , with my life significantly changed (I'd like to think), and circumstances altered. I'd dread to think Bill needed such a moment to wake him and push him forth toward another path down his life, or perhaps his wife leaving him might be the catalyst, at least for "Season 3"?


FAMILY TENCH:

One of the key story elements of this S2 was essentially the discovery of Bill's son involved in a neighbourhood murder, whereby a group of kids let a infant die (while "playing"), and Bill's son suggesting the other kids tie the dead infant up, in a literal cross. If that is not a f88ked-up introduction to what would be a possible outlier for profiling serial murders, was the unanswered question put forth in S2.

Remembering what was "asked" in S1: "Are criminals born or are they formed?""


Bill ends up shuttling to and fro his work and home, attending counselling sessions (as decreed for his son's action, in exchange got not incarcerating the boy) - events whom he reveals to Wendy, but not to Holden, only until the very late episodes. A whole lot of stifled drama is brought to a simmering boil throughout the episodes between Bill and his wife "Nancy", which ultimately leads to her leaving, as Bill returns one day to find out an empty home, but for the sofa Nancy had mentioned about in an earlier episode. Throughout the series, there had been multiple "hints" to where this was all going - that we as the viewer might have picked up on - but for Bill, either he did not, or chose not to have.


ABOUT WENDY:

Wendy remains single by shutting out her gay partner "Kay Mason" (played by Lauren Glazier) - a divorced mother with a son in a previously heterosexual marriage before, now working as a bartender where Wendy attempted to pick her up at - based on over-hearing her talking to her ex-husband and son, and chose to stand in judgement, instead of further communicating directly face-to-face with Kay - which ironically is a juxtaposition to what she does in her work, interviewing prosecuted serial killers after they have been caught, judged and imprisoned.

She essentially mirrored her work, with overhearing conversations taken on as "truth" like her interviews. As "humans", I'd like to think we give ourselves the opportunity to be able to have a "choice", given we have gleaned enough information prior, and even if we decide to lie to ourselves and embrace "lies", we give ourselves a chance too.

Although understandably too, Wendy had provided titbits about her "previous (sexual) life", that might have impacted her and given her the assured experience to judge for herself what she needs and wants, without needing to worry about the other party's "feelings", by cutting off on her end and moving on. She plays the cliched role of "the guy", but without lingering issues from the woman after the breakup. On one hand I felt this was patronising "wish-fulfilment", but on the other, I can relate to an unfortunate degree.

SEXYBACK:

Also, but not of a particular note, but perhaps one of the "sells" of the R21-rating for MINDHUNTER S2 - was Wendy's sexual activity with Kay in S2, is essentially the parallel of Holden's relationship(s) and sexual activity in S1. No overt nudity offered here, but for obvious sexual situations and (unseen) actions.

I don't know this was poignant enough to question the work and life the team puts thru, or just a story gimmick written to bump up the character. At the same time there had been a obvious sprinkling of her fictional-past and sexual activity to perhaps intrigue viewers beyond her presentation in S1 and S2, which certainly gives me a pause to question her judgement in everything else besides her own life, even though she has spouted the virtues of "compartmentalising" both work and life.

WORK AND LIFE / BACK TO BILL:

One can argue the required separation of "WORK" and "LIFE" - which in the case of Bill's family life, physically being in the same space is not enough to justify "quality" of life shared, enough to not talk straight with his wife, nor his wife had chosen not to tell him about the visit from the victim's mother - one of the tipping points of her decision to move out of the house.


Not the matter of a "estranged husband", versus her own train of thoughts, or mode of self-preservation, and her notion of providing for her son, which ultimately did not lie in tandem with Bill's, while Bill expects her to go with what he has said instead, something he gives more leeway with Holden, actually. Because he respects Holden enough but not his wife? Or what Holden is and what he is doing, is something Bill has had the unfortunate privilege to work with in past experiences, as much as he is quick to grasp what is expected of him by his boss, and suitably puts on a show with the higher-ups because he knows how and what to do, despite despising it, as he had twice told Wendy?

In neglecting his wife - but not necessarily wholly responsible for, as she had also chosen not to communicate, or to be absolutely fair, she tried to constantly initiate, but Bill courteously shuts it all down, til the point she had given up trying.

In compartmentalising work and life, both Wendy and Bill had seemingly chosen "work", as Wendy had chosen comfort with being by herself, while Bill does not seem nor show to know otherwise.


ABOUT HOLDEN:

Holden is on a holding pattern for me (absolutely no pun intended), for the entirety of S2. Sure, there are glimpses of his self-assuredness and sometimes perceived cocky-attitude - triumphant in S1 - but essentially gets subtly thrown back into his face, and works out to nothing but a self-guilt of ineffectiveness at his job in S2.

The "panic attack" I mentioned in the first episode - where his reaction to "Ed Kamper" hugging him and him seen freaking out in the finale of S1, since diagnosed by a doctor in Epsiode One, with Bill next to him - does not pan out subsequently, in fact, it is never mentioned again, except for when Bills chides him for looking desperate and "needing a vallium" in a later episode.

There is zero mention of his past relationship, although there were an (uncomfortable) horn-dog moment when he went out with a total receptionist "Tanya Clifton" (played by Sierra McClain) thinking he'd gotten "lucky", not knowing he'd be brought in to face his next case - would have been a "funny" scenario but for his earnestness in the case.

The "Golden Boy" Holden from S1, is lauded and coddled somewhat by his new boss "Ted Gunn", but is baby-sitted by both Bill and Wendy - both of whom had been asked specifically to watch out for him. Funnily and quite devastatingly ironic was that both Bill and Wendy had subsequently confided in each other of their shared tasks, with Holden being totally left out of this scenario for the better part of S2. The under-estimating and over-expectations of Holden is one of the underlying themes of S2.

Or simply, they did not want to "burden" Holden psyche, likewise when Bill had initially chosen not to share with Holden his issues at home? Neither were explored, beyond my own personal ramblings :p


With that his presumptions had led to a (possibly) accurate profiling of the Altanta-murder perpetrator, is an exhaustive journey the filmmakers and script-writers bring you through. Even if Holden's profiling was recognised at the end of S2, whatever happened justified not his work and job, but for political-convenience of others. If this entire Season was a commentary of modern law enforcement, I would not hesitate to roger this loud and clear.


ABOUT ED:

"Ed Kamper" - played by the breakout star of S1, Cameron Britton - appears for a very brief moment in a single episode, whom Holden and Bill meet in prison, before they leave to interview "Charles Manson". Talk about a "fan-service cameo", for pete's sake ~ LOL


The entire Charles Manson episode, with his cult, and the mention of the late Sharon Tate (whose history is documented in Americana media lore), gets a airing and focus, but was what felt like a dog-n-pony chronicling of what the team faced, in the historical context, the basics of which I personally have gleaned from media presentations in the past, but now given this new "information" which I am unsure of meant to be "fact" or supposition, I have no knowledge of and neither do I need to partake of its authenticity.

ONE thing I appreciate about MINDHUNTER in both seasons, is the lack of "flashbacks" or usage of filmed recreations of the gruesome scenes/actions, but for photographs of the devastation from the crime scenes.

What KINDHUNTERS had primarily been about, is "conversation(s)" = a wordplay fiesta that'll challenge filmmakers and script-writers, and of course actors.


BTK (BIND, TORTURE, KILL):

Throughout the entire series in S2, where snippets/vignettes pertaining to the life of what is known to have been the "BTK Murderer" - whom I have since read about on Wikipedia post-watch, but remained oblivious to the actual historical context, but for the name mentioned by the team in FBI's "Behavioral Science Unit". Even at the very end scene of the final epsiode 9, dedicated to BTK, possibly a lead-in to "Season Three"?


COMPARISONS:

Watching S1, I had felt it stood alone amidst a sea of period procedurals - a Fincher continuation of his "Zodiac"-film spirit - but perhaps for this current season, and it;s subject matter depicted, the closest comparison immediately came to mind, was "True Detective" on HBO - specifically Season 3, which admittedly I have yet to complete watching said season, nor do I intend to in the future. The dread felt throughout is similarity depressing, as was/is the subject matter, I cannot deny.

UNDERLYING:

A distinct tone underlining most of S2, was the topic of "race relations", coming to a fore in Atlanta, predominantly the feelings of the African-American communities, and a wrinkle of what is known to be the Klan and members of the K.K.K. This divide is written in with multiple boils, but ultimately temptered by a factual presentation of historical happenings.

Or I am simply over-reacting to a unfortunate topical conversation(s), other than a "written script", and will not pretend to understand otherwise.

VISUALLY SPLENDID:

I would be lying if I said I paid "close attention" to the visuals of S2, having been enthralled by the story and writing instead ... but from whatever I remembered, the subtle palette was exceedingly effective in being able to support the mood and notion of the late-70s (S2 covers the Atlanta murders of 1979–81). Everything from color-choices in clothes and environment, from utilitarian offices to suburban homes and places of business were kept to a nuanced vibrancy, and receded in to the background, as the story and people took the forefront of attention. The exception was Wendy's home, with a stylised representation of the disco 70s heading into the kitschy-esque 80s, showcasing the development path of Wendy's psyche perhaps?


What I adored about this season (and the previous), was the use of "environment", to illuminate select scenes and people. An afternoon get-together in the office is lighted up by the closed curtains - leaving everyone in silhouettes - instead of "switching on" the room lights, is one indication of the style prevalent mostly throughout the series, or at the very least in Fincher's directed episodes (1-3).


Juxtapositioned against the underlit makeshift office space in Atlanta, were the brightly lit prison spaces where the team interviewed incarcerated serial killers. In the scene particularly with "Tex Watson" (a member of Charles Manson's alleged cult), the scene was positively radiating from sunshine and positive lightness! I am fairly certain these were deliberate in an effort to describe the proceedings, but it would be distasteful of me to speculate at this time :p


WATCH OR NOT?:

Someone asked me on IG, if "the 2nd season as good as the first?", to which my answer was and would be "Season One". I personally felt in S1, I'd gotten on when everything presented on screen felt "fresh" and interestingly macabre - in direct correlation to the insanity we have come to be desensitise with these modern days - and had a opportunity to peek into something I've only read about and watched on fictional media presentations throughout my adult-life, but as "reality" sinks/sunk in, especially in S2, it has gotten a tad "uncomfortable" for my disposition, if not for an exceptional representation of script and visuals on screen. I would recommend this Season to anyone who had enjoyed S1, at the very least to move forward with the characters.

For folks who have yet to watch either S1 or S2, I would recommend you enjoy yourselves with S1 first, otherwise you might not be able to savour S2, as it felt as other productions had been seen before.

Cheers and thank you for reading.
Andy TOYSREVIL
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