Mindhunter is a Netflix Original series based off of the best selling 1995 crime thriller entitled Mindhunter: Inside The FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit. The novel was written by both John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker. The project became a reality after actress Charlize Theron gave director David Fincher a copy of John’s novel. After years of deliberation with other agencies Mindhunter finally found its writer, Joe Penhall. With Theron and Fincher signed on as Executive Producers, the series would be picked up by Netflix in 2015, and air on October 13, 2017.
The television series explores the first hand accounts of retired Special Agent and Unit Chief John E. Douglas. Douglas’s career started in the late 1970’s, and he has spent a total of 25 years with the United States Federal Bureau Of Investigation. He has sat down with some of America’s most terrifying and sadistic serial killers. Some of the men he’s dealt with are high profile killers such as Ted Bundy, Charles Manson, and Ed Gein.
John learned how these men think, speak, and even act. He used this crucial information to build informative profiles of these criminals. As if his resume isn’t impressive enough, the character Jack Crawford from the 1991 film Silence Of The Lambs was based on John E. Douglas.
Season One of Mindhunter focuses on FBI agents Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Tench (Holt McCallany). With Ford being a rookie and Tench being a hard headed know it all, the first few episodes are quite interesting to say the least. Once the boys are given the task of running the Behavioral Science Unit the “fun” begins. Ford and Tench make their way to the prison in order to interview their subjects. These criminals are instructed to participate in a formal questionnaire. It’s during this process that the information is handed over to their research partner, Professor Carr (Anna Torv).
The real life serial killers portrayed in Season One Of Mindhunter are Ed Kemper (Cameron Britton), Montie Rissell (Same Strike), Jerry Brudos (Happy Anderson), Richard Speck (Jack Erdie), and Dennis Rader aka the BTK Killer (Sonny Valicenti).
Season Two premiered on August 16, 2019 and brings us back to the Psychological Unit. This time Tench and Professor Carr are instructed to keep an eye on Ford by newcomer Assistant Director Gunn (Michael Cerveris), as his practices are unconventional and not within the bureau’s protocol. Assistant Director Gunn is the replacement for Unit Chief Shepard who blames Ford for his forced retirement.
Season Two focuses on a number of high profile serial killers. The current case Ford and Tench are working on are the latest murders committed by the American serial killer Dennis Rader also known as the BTK killer. BTK stands for “Bind, Torture, Kill”. Dennis Rader was active from 1974 to 1991 and was responsible for the deaths of 10 people in the Wichita Kansas area. After a long hiatus he returned in 2004 when he wrote a letter that resulted in his capture in 2005. Rader is currently serving 10 consecutive life sentences at the El Dorado Correctional Facility.
Dennis Rader aka The BTK Killer (left), Sonny Valicenti as Dennis Rader (right)
David Berkowitz started his killing spree during the summer of 1976. His trail of terror ended after his sixth victim. In 1984 Berkowitz pleaded guilty and was sentenced 25 to life for each one of his victims. David’s weapon of choice was a .44 caliber bulldog revolver. This led the media to nickname him the .44 Caliber Killer, a name which David detested. At the time he felt the name Son Of Sam suited him perfectly. He later retracted this statement in 2017 expressing that he hates the name and used it out of anger. Berkowitz is now a born again Christian who goes by the name Son Of Hope. Oliver Cooper’s brilliant portrayal of David Berkowitz is awe inspiring. It’s honestly one of the most bone chilling and convincing portrayals of a serial killer I have ever seen.
David Berkowitz (left), Oliver Cooper as Berkowitz (right)
As much as I love Season One, Season Two just blew me away. I can’t express how much I genuinely love this series. Mindhunter isn’t your typical television program. All of the actors did such a phenomenal job of bringing these characters to life. Although writer Joe Penhall had his work cut out for him with the series, I felt as though he told John’s story beautifully. A lot of the content to seeing it in the television series is taken directly from John’s novel.
The details about the FBI agents, the department, and the serial killers themselves were written exceptionally well. Some of the other infamous men included in Season Two are Charles Manson, William Henry Hance, Elmer Wayne Henley Jr., and William Pierce.
If you’re a fan of crime thrillers, serial killers, and TV shows based on actual events, I highly suggest you watch Mindhunter. If you’ve never seen the series, Season One is brilliant, and Season Two was so good I couldn’t stop watching it. Both seasons of Mindhunter are now available on Netflix.
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