A lot of the procedural aesthetic comes with Kansasâ famous BTK killer; the case of Billâs son, Brian, also being part of a child murder; not to mention the focal point being the Atlanta killings in 1978 this season. But while itâs intriguing watching the team deal with sadistic individuals and then mine knowledge to put into practice in the field, ultimately Mindhunter doesnât come close to the standard set by HBOâs True Detective.

True Detectiveâs second season fell off a bit but Season 1 with Matthew McConaugheyâs Rust Cohle and Woody Harrelsonâs Marty Hart, not to mention the third seasonâs foray into the time-jumps involving Mahershala Aliâs Wayne Hays, all gave us detectives who really drew us in. They were interesting characters wrapped up in thoroughly engrossing cases involving cults, child murders and towns involved in cover-ups and conspiracies.
There were also powerful villains such as the Yellow King and then Hoyt Foods respectively, which gave the show a blend of supernatural and corporate power when it came to the perps being hunted. In other words, a world was built with heroes, flawed but likeable, and villains that felt uncatchable.
Mindhunter, driven by the creative mind of David Fincher, does have this foundation but it doesnât utilize its cast well as it toes this line of reality. We donât get as much insight into the people we need to be invested in, such as Wendyâs background (apart from a bad breakup) and what led to her struggle with her sexuality.
Itâs touched upon, with a few #MeToo moments from superiors as well as hints dropped that sheâs faced misogyny her whole life. Yet weâre left filling in the background, painting our own pictures when this is such good content to explore. Emotive beats like this help us to connect more, and admittedly the show does a better job of this with the Tench family this season after last season left them feeling undercooked.
Itâs sad because we know the show can detail and explore a character pretty well, again as seen with Bill as a dad concerned more with his work than his disturbed son. Itâs why when Billâs wife leaves him in the finale, you feel the pain and empathize with both sides. We admit more about Brianâs descent into madness could have been dissected, but it seems thatâs a mystery for next season to unravel.

That said, with Wendy and Ford, itâs hard for us to establish connections as theyâre one-dimensional and donât feel like the leads we should be rooting for or against. They just exist in this world, which isnât a good look because True Detective did illustrate how to succeed when building plot around amazing characters. Mindhunter, on the other hand, has a great plot naturally built in but struggles to pad it with interesting enough characters.
Now, this isnât to knock the show as itâs pretty decent but there are sacrifices made to make its documentary style feel cinematic, and in so doing, a lot of mystique of the the characters get lost in the shuffle. Remember, we know these stories already, we can read about them online, so the fiction and recreation that matches and fits is what will create the magic and appeal of this series.