Netflix’s Mindhunter season 2, episode 6 recap: The investigation in Atlanta

In episode 6 of Netflix’s Mindhunter, Ford gets back to investigating murders in Atlanta, Tench grapples with his son’s behavior and Carr and Smith interview a sadomasochist.

Previously on Mindhunter, agents Bill Tench (Holt McCallany) and Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) looked at Charles Manson (Damon Herriman) and Tex Watson (Christopher Backus). They assessed how much power did Manson had over his so-called “family” and noticed that Manson had an impressive ability to control the narrative in conversation, even with those he disagreed with.

Episode 6 first takes a brief glimpse into the BTK killer (Sonny Valicenti) dealing with a pesky paper jam in a library. Though we don’t know exactly what his printout says, it’s implied that it could be something incriminating because of how steadfastly he refuses a library aide’s nosy help. After that, “Mindhunter” shifts back to the situation in Atlanta where children are being murdered, and every last detail is disturbing.

Back on track

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In addition to Lee Brown (Dohn Norwood), the Atlanta Police Commissioner, we’re reacquainted with Jim Barney (Albert Jones), who acts as Holden’s “wingman” in Atlanta. Also, this episode briefly reintroduces Tanya Clifton (Sierra McClain) who tells Ford that she thinks the killer is mostly targeting boys in parking lots, and particularly child prostitutes. To up the stakes, someone’s called in a threat about more bodies!

When Tench shows up, they agree to focus on where the killer is likely to return. Mindhunter previously established that serial killers return to “dumpsites.” Tench and Barney also go around interviewing people who weren’t spoken to before and it pays off fairly quickly. They learn that two of the victims, Lubie and Earl, knew each other, along with another, older kid called “Pat-man.” They also find a skeleton or two by returning to a murder site. There’s another possible big break, too: Fingerprints on a porn magazine lead them to a white guy named Pickett Yarborough, although Ford doesn’t believe he’s the killer (because, supposedly, a white guy would stick out like a sore thumb).

District Attorney Slaton (Beau Baxter) grants them warrants for the arrest, on condition that it receives no press. It’s also apparent that Agent Ford is on bad terms with Chief Redding (Gareth Williams) when they look for bodies in Rockdale, Georgia, which further demonstrates that Ford lacks Tench’s gruff-but-lovable charm.

Brian’s regression

Agent Tench can’t catch a break regarding his adopted son, Brian (Zachary Scott Ross), who is being scrutinized for his involvement in a strange child death. Bill and Nancy Tench (Stacey Roca) discuss Brian’s regressive behavior which includes bed wetting, thumb sucking and playing with baby toys. The CPS investigation is also clashing with Bill’s work life. As Dr. Moritz (Erik Jensen) interview Brian, the kid remains silent, aside from gently kicking the bottom of the table. Moritz wants Brian to take a pill to avoid certain emotional states. However, Nancy thinks the stress is coming from them. There may be cause for alarm in any case. In a later scene, Brian goes missing, only to be found staring emptily (and creepily) at a girl on a swingset.

Rikers Island

Mindhunter also has Agent Gregg Smith (Joe Tuttle) and Professor Wendy Carr (Anna Torv) interview convicted killer Paul Bateson (Morgan Kelly). Bateson murdered reporter Addison Verrill and is sometimes suspected as a serial killer. During this scene, Bateson comes off as cocky and confident, asking Gregg if he watches porn. He also says every human interaction is “violence” to different degrees, casually describing how he hit Verrill with a skillet and stabbed him. Carr mentions the so-called “bag murders,” but gets nothing concrete. However, it’s agreed that Bateson took advantage of sex fetishists want to “almost die,” perhaps pushing the boundaries just a little further.

Tench on bureau retreat

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Bill Tench once again represents the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit, this time during a retreat. To make an impression, he talks about his experience with serial killer Ed Kemper (Cameron Britton) and discusses their revelations about a killer’s personal signature. Aside from these moments, Bill is obviously under stress and wondering if Brian was born “bad from the start” (in the words of another retreat member). When Bill returns to Nancy, there is a tension between them which he seems too exhausted to address.

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