Mindhunter Season 2

TV Show Name: Mindhunter - Season 2
Year of Release: 2019

Directors: David Fincher, Andrew Dominik, Carl Franklin

Stars: Jonathan Groff, Holt McCallany, Hannah Gross, Anna Torv, Cotter Smith, Joe Tuttle, Cameron Britton, Joseph Cross, Stacey Roca, Alex Morf, Happy Anderson, Michael Park, Marianne Bayard, Sonny Valicenti, Michael Cerveris, Albert Jones, Zachary Scott Ross, Lauren Glazier, Dohn Norwood, Gareth Williams

Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 8
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Synopsis and Review:

Following an acclaimed first season, "Mindhunter" is back, following a two year hiatus. Again under the tutelage and creative leadership of David Fincher and show creator, Joe Penhall, the second season picks right after the events of the first one. Holden Ford is reeling from his interaction with Ed Kemper, while Bill Tench's family starts cracking. All the while Wendy Carr's attempts at credible investigation processes continue, while her personal life also has some shuffles, as she meets someone. The team is also placed under new direction, with someone who wants to make their stance, perspective and methodology a staple and impactful for the credibility of the bureau. As the team continues to perform their interviews, and building their profiling templates, using arrested serial killers, including Charles Manson, this time around, they get the opportunity to be brought in, and assist with a gruesome ongoing investigation. Holden and Bill are tasked with assisting the local police with the Atlanta Murders of 1979-1981. This shocking case, which resulted in the death of 28 persons, including children, requires them to utilize all their emerging profiling skills, with Bill in particular going through a challenging situation, due to his son being involved in a gruesome death and the aftermath of that event in his family life and where his family lives.
If the first season of "Mindhunter" invited its viewers to understand how profiling actually started, and the lives of the main proponents of this activity, the second season, further expands upon it, providing a deeper look at their impact on actual cases that were taking place as their department gained more widespread acknowledgment and recognition. The show also dives deeper into the lives of the three main characters, showcasing the humanity lying behind their tireless professional endeavors. If the first show focused on Holden's path, the second season, allows Bill and his family to occupy more screen time, particularly as their reality starts unraveling due to a gruesome accident. The marriage of the scenarios underlying the three lead characters, with the continuous profiling and the recreation of the Atlanta Murders, is particularly effective, since it generates an overall tone of unease, angst wherever the characters go and whomever they interact with. David Fincher, Andrew Dominik and Carl Franklin who directed the whole season, manage to create a stylistic, consistently detailed tone to the show, that makes it all the more memorable. The performances from the entire cast continue to be solid, with Holt McCallany in particular having the opportunity to make Bill a nuanced character, one trying to remain afloat in the midst of very troubled times. The cinematography from Erik Messerschmidt is impeccable as is the score from Jason Hill. A very good show, worth watching.