MINDHUNTER: SEASON 2, EPISODE 3 (TV)
Summary
One in this dramatic suspense series, set in the late 1970s and early 1980s and based on the book "Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit" by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker, about the government's quest to understand, profile and capture a newly defined breed of criminals: serial killers. In this episode, the ADT serviceman – a.k.a. the BTK Killer – creates some disturbing sketches at a public library, while elsewhere Tench decides to forgo the trip to Atlanta in order to tend to Nancy, who is still reeling from the news of the dead body inside the rental home, and Brian, who has begun wetting the bed again. Ford travels to Georgia alone and reunites with Jim Barney, telling him that Gregg Smith has proved to be something of a "mixed bag," and Tench visits the crime scene to remove Nancy's name from the rental sign, then learning from Detective Spencer that the victim was Daniel Dickinson, the 22-month-old son of a family friend, and was found tied to a cross-like structure.
At Georgia State Prison, Ford and Barney sit down with malaproping serial killer William "Junior" Pierce, who boasts about his dubious intellect and denies the crimes of which he was convicted, claiming that his "clearvoyance" led him to the crime scenes. Ford quickly grows exasperated, but Barney then wins him over with a string of insightful questions and sweet-tooth snacks. Checking into his hotel, Ford is surprised when attractive receptionist Tanya Clifton invites him out to a local restaurant, but rather than taking him on a date, she introduces him to locals Camille Bell, Willie Mae Mathis and Venus Taylor. Though skeptical of the young FBI agent, they inform him that many young black children, including their own, have been abducted – and in most cases, found murdered – in Atlanta in recent months with no explanation or useful leads. Stunned, Ford agrees that "someone must do something" and promises to pursue the cases, though the women remind him not to make false promises, and Barney, already aware of the murders, is equally unsurprised by the cops' lack of progress.
Barney and Ford next interview William Henry Hance, who describes his unusual and rather unconvincing attempts to mislead the police by pretending that a "white vigilante group" was responsible for the crimes that he himself committed. He admits to murdering both black and white sex workers, noting that he "didn't ever notice" their races. Later, Atlanta cop Garland Periwinkle seems unconvinced by Ford's suggestion that the child abductions are the work of one serial predator, arguing that general poverty and "complicated" racial politics are to blame for various kids' violent deaths. Aware of the mothers' campaign, he admits that they'll have to "wait for more bodies" in order to draw any useful conclusions, frustrating both Ford and Tanya. Back at Quantico, Ford dismisses both Pierce and Hance's "inarticulate" testimonies as vague and unhelpful, though Carr, Tench and Smith argue that there were hidden significances in their seemingly random actions, such as Hance's cross-racial victims. Later, when Spencer updates the frightened neighbors about Daniel's bizarre and still unexplained death, Tench jumps in and assures them all that it was not a "cult sacrifice" and their own children are likely not in danger. At night, Carr returns to the bar and reunites with Kay, making it clear that she's interested in a date.
Details
- NETWORK: Netflix
- DATE:
- RUNNING TIME: 1:00:04
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 138123
- GENRE: Drama, mystery/suspense
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, mystery/suspense; Drama, police/detective; Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Serial murders
- SERIES RUN: Netflix - Internet series, 2017-
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Beth Kono … Executive Producer
- Charlize Theron … Executive Producer
- Ceán Chaffin … Executive Producer
- Jennifer Erwin … Executive Producer
- David Fincher … Executive Producer, Director
- Joshua Donen … Executive Producer, Writer
- Courtenay Miles … Executive Producer, Writer
- Jim Davidson … Producer
- Liz Hannah … Producer
- Kirk Baxter … Co-Producer
- William Doyle … Co-Producer
- Peter Mavromates … Co-Producer
- Andrea McKee … Associate Producer
- Julie M. Anderson … Line Producer
- Joe Penhall … Created by
- Phillip Howze … Writer
- Mark Olshaker … Based upon the book by
- John Douglas … Based upon the book by
- Jason Hill … Music by
- Jonathan Groff … Cast, Special Agent Holden Ford
- Holt McCallany … Cast, Special Agent Bill Tench
- Anna Torv … Cast, Dr. Wendy Carr
- Stacey Roca … Cast, Nancy Tench
- Lauren Glazier … Cast, Kay Manz
- Joe Tuttle … Cast, Gregg Smith
- Albert Jones … Cast, FBI Agent Jim Barney
- Sierra McClain … Cast, Tanya Clifton
- Brent Sexton … Cast, Garland Periwinkle
- June Carryl … Cast, Camille Bell
- Michael Filipowich … Cast, William "Junior" Pierce
- Corey Allen … Cast, William Henry Hance
- Patrick Jordan … Cast, Librarian
- Sonny Valicenti … Cast, ADT Serviceman (Dennis Rader)
- Zachary Scott Ross … Cast, Brian Tench
- David Carranza … Cast, Virginia Sheriff's Deputy
- Nate Corddry … Cast, Detective Art Spencer
- Steven Daniel Brun … Cast, Andre
- Kevin Tre'von Patterson … Cast, Ernest
- Andrene Ward-Hammond … Cast, Venus Taylor
- Crystal Lee Brown … Cast, Willie Mae Mathis
- Don O. Knowlton … Cast, Father Monaghan
- Paul Carafotes … Cast, Rod
- Megan McQuillan … Cast, Harriet
- Drew Seltzer … Cast, Dale Harmon