It has been roughly two years since Joe Penhall and David Fincher dropped their atmospheric and sharply written murder mystery series on Netflix “Mindhunter.” As per usual with Fincher, it was met with critical acclaim and fit neatly next to “Se7en” (1995), “Zodiac” (2007), and “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (2011), in his catalog of methodical, dark and twisted portrayals of serial killers and the people pursuing them. “Mindhunter” follows two FBI agents named Holden Ford and Bill Tench, played brilliantly by Jonathan Groff (“Frozen”) and Holt McCallany (“Justice League”) who interview imprisoned serial killers and use this knowledge to profile and catch other serial killers with psychologist Wendy Carr, played by an extremely magnetic Anna Torv (“Secret City”). They are based on the real life personas of John E. Douglas, Robert Ressler and Ann Burgess. 

Season two picks up as soon as season one left off. Ford is diagnosed with panic disorder after his panic attack that happened during his meeting with Ed Kemper, and Tench is still dealing with the burden of raising a son who does not talk to him. In addition to this, the three series mains are given a new boss, Ted Gunn, who gives them far more freedom and resources than ever before. 

First and foremost, “Mindhunter,” visually, is better than ever and is arguably the most cinematic show on television. It maintains Fincher’s smooth and extremely crisp digital aesthetic and does so with absolute nuance, even when Fincher is not there to direct himself. 

The writing is also arguably more compelling than last season, as the show decides to focus less on Ford’s home life, which does so by omitting the character of Debbie, which seemed like a disappointing omission at first but less so once you realize it does so in order to focus more on the home lives of Carr and Tench; Tench particularly having one of the more gripping storylines in the whole season due to a horrific situation involving his son. In addition to this, the show revolves around the dark but ultimately thrilling Atlanta child murders. Although Ford leads the chase to find this Atlanta murderer, Tench is the real star here who we see go back and forth between this investigation and his difficult home life. McCallany continues to be hard as nails, but completely likeable in the role, which makes it even more heartbreaking whenever we see him begin to crack under the pressure of the events surrounding him. We also dive deeper into Carr as she struggles to feel relevant, despite how Gunn makes her feel, as well as find a new romantic partner whilst continuing the interviews practically on her own. It is separated from the rest of the show and so, because of this, it feels as if the show halts a bit whenever we reach these scenes. However, even so, it is very telling that the least interesting storyline in the season is still far more interesting than many other entire shows. 

Easily the most riveting part of the season is the scenes involving the desperate attempt at finding the Atlanta murderer, while trying to maintain a city growing more and more uneasy as more and more young black childen are found across town. This sparks a fascinating question of the skin color of the murderer and as to whether or not this was racially motivated. 

The directors do a fantastic job at making it feel urgent and like the characters are continuously fighting a losing battle. Because of this, the show flies by and leaves you wanting so much more by the time it’s finished. Causing you to keep it alive by doing your own research into the real life cases, as well as trying to analyze your friends and their motives because you totally know how to do that now. Let’s hope Fincher’s request for five seasons comes true because I could watch Holden Ford give uneasy glances at strangers all day.