“To understand the ‘artist,’ you must study his ‘art.’ The crime must be evaluated in its totality. There is no substitute for experience, and if you want to understand the criminal mind, you must go directly to the source and learn to decipher what he tells you. And, above all: Why + How = Who,” – John Douglas  (Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit).

Netflix has done it again! The unsettling yet captivating second season of Mindhunter arrived this summer. It’s been nearly two years since the first season, but this season was definitely worth the wait. If you want to binge-watch a crime show this weekend, at least watch a classy one. This series is everything a true crime fan could ask for from a television show. 

The series is based on a nonfiction book written by the actual “mindhunter” himself, former FBI Agent John E. Douglas. As agents Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany) continue to grow the FBI’s behavioral science unit, they take on some significant interviews. This season fans get to dive into the minds of well-known criminals from Charles Manson to Son of Sam. Their interview techniques and reverse psychology is so compelling to watch. If you don’t know the story behind Son of Sam, David Berkowitz claimed a demon was talking to him through his neighbor’s dog, and Berkowitz believed he needed to kill so the dog would stop barking. Meanwhile, Agent Ford gets him to confess in the interview that the story was entirely made up and just something for the press, and that he killed  on his own, including how he and other killers go back to the scene of the crime and relive it for a moment, and how amazing they feel. Ed Kemper also agreed and that by returning to his murder sites, he could “relive the experience, feel the same elation, the incredible release.” 

The new season also sheds light on the hunt for a suspect in the Atlanta child murders as well, which ended in the arrest of Wayne Williams. However, as in the real-life case, it didn’t feel like justice was served. The case reopened this past March. On top of all the crimes popping up, both agents and their partner psychologist Dr. Wendy Carr are going through their issues on the side. From Holden having panic attacks left and right, Bill trying to keep his family together, and Wendy’s failing relationship, the season doesn’t get boring.

One thing that sets Mindhunter apart from other crime shows is director David Fincher doesn’t show the audience the actual killing; it’s the aftermath, the scar that murder leaves behind. That’s the scary part. Not every crime show allows the viewer to watch what occurred during these real interviews. What real agents once sat across from. The show is chilling and brilliant at the same time. If you’re a crime junkie like myself, this show is for you.