Netflix’s Mindhunter season 2, episode 7 recap
By Wade Wainio
In episode 207 of Netflix series Mindhunter, Ford and Tench struggle to advance in the Atlanta child murder investigations and the city is upset.
Previously on Mindhunter, Agent Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) got back to investigating murders in Atlanta. Also, Agent Bill Tench (Holt McCallany) grappled with the behavior of his son, Bryan (Zachary Scott Ross). Additionally, Psychologist Wendy Carr (Anna Torv) and Agent Gregg Smith (Joe Tuttle) interviewed a sadomasochist and murderer, Paul Bateson (Morgan Kelly).
Episode 2.7 begins with Tench and Ford interviewing a plumber named Yarborough (Wes Robertson) regarding his adult magazines found near a serial killer’s body dumpsite in Atlanta.
No white supremacist literature is found linked to the plumber, though he has a lot of tape in the back of his truck. Tench and Ford ask him about his profession, which regularly has him in people’s homes. He denies any wrongdoing and also says he’s not racist (the murdered boys are black). He says he bought the magazines because his wife was pregnant and not “in the mood.” When a new body is found where they looked before, Yarborough is eliminated as a suspect. It’s obviously an attempt to mock the police. Tench and Ford decide that, to better control things, a public vigil can track possible suspects who show up.
The vigil and the explosion
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As they set up a vigil, Atlanta FBI’s Jim Barney (Albert Jones) brings up a file on a sex offender. However, Holden thinks he isn’t the murderer, as he isn’t preying on their “victim pool.” Barney meets Mrs. Rogers (Deja Dee), Patrick “Patman’s” mom. She indicates that Patrick knew Lubie Geter, Earl Terrell, and many other victims.
Then Mindhunter delivers the unexpected: A boiler explodes in an Atlanta daycare center. In the aftermath, Mayor Jackson (Regi Davis) gives a speech urging calm. However, numerous people in the crowd believe the explosion was a bomb by the Ku Klux Klan, who they suspect is also behind the murders. In fact, the Mayor and city officials are accused of being “Klan lackeys.”
Although Holden doesn’t believe the KKK is behind the murders, they still must explore the possibility. Some of this episode focuses on Ford’s surprising difficulty in getting symbolic crosses for the vigil. In fact, they arrive barely in time, and there are some darkly humorous moments of Ford trying to beat the mourning marchers to locations to plant crosses. Meanwhile, Lubie’s body is found, prompting Ford to advocate more of a blueprint for their work.
Fredericksburg, VA
Mindhunter explores the aftermath of the Bateson interview, too. Carr finds it disappointing and wants a more prominent role with the Behavioral Sciences Unit, including doing more interviews. However, Assistant Director Gunn (Michael Cerveris) wants her to stay back and do an important analysis of cases. Outside of work, Wendy Carr asks Kay (Lauren Glazier) to move in.
Also in this episode, Bill Tench talks to Wendy about Brian’s regression, wondering if he messed Brian up. Why did Brian and other boys kill a child? The CPS investigator, Mavis Leland (Emily Bergl) visits to build her profile on the case. Bill says he doesn’t bring his FBI work home. Later, the mother (Samantha Steinmetz) of the killed child visits Nancy Tench (Stacey Roca) to forgive Brian. However, Nancy declines to let her meet Brian
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