The Mindhunter Storyline That Still Bothers Fans

With networks, cable outlets, and streamers continuing to crank out wildly ambitious series from every genre, viewers have literally never had as many viewing options in the television landscape. But even as those outlets continue releasing prestige content with staggering regularity, some viewers continue to pine away for certain programs that, for one reason or another, left the airwaves too soon.

Much to the chagrin of Netflix users the world over, the David Fincher-backed procedural "Mindhunter" has become the veritable poster-child for such works. Set in the late 1970s, "Mindhunter" explored in enthralling detail the early days of the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit, with agents Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany) teaming with the brilliant Dr. Wendy Carr (Anna Torv) to essentially lay the foundation for criminal profiling via in-depth interviews with some of the worst offenders in U.S. history.   

Sadly, after airing two seasons of breathless, critically-lauded (per Rotten Tomatoes) drama between 2017 and 2019, Fincher himself put "Mindhunter" on ice instead of returning for the series' expected third season. In doing so, he left narrative threads too numerous to count blowing in the proverbial breeze. And one of those unfinished storylines continues to dog diehard fans of the series.  

That frustrating dangling narrative thread involved Brian Tench (Zachary Scott Ross), the adopted son of central player Bill Tench. In the second season of "Mindhunter," Brian shockingly played a role in the murder of a neighborhood toddler. By season's end, Bill's family had fallen apart, and Brian's future seemed bleaker than ever. Yes, it was one of the grimmer storylines of the show's almost obsessively dark second season. And as noted in a recent Reddit thread, "Mindhunter" fans continue to be bothered by not knowing what became of Brian. 

Said Reddit discussion was opened by u/Aurorita1029, whose post questioned Brian's fate by asking, "Brian Tench – how does everyone think the Brian story would've played out? Future serial killer?" Redditor u/onewiththefloor was the first to offer their frustration in not knowing, writing, "I'm literally so f***ing upset that I'll never know for sure." Chiming in with their own disappointment in the uncertainty surrounding Brian, u/Skyfryer said, "This was the biggest annoyance for me with this show. In my mind, this was the endgame of the series. Tench's son becoming the thing they all spent their time trying understand and prevent."

As for u/Skyfryer's assertion that Brian was truly on the path to becoming a killer, the discourse was very much divided on that front, with u/TheOctoberOwl proving one of many to offer a less devastating view of Brian's future in a post stating, "I think it was more about watching Bill be AFRAID of his kid becoming a serial killer than Brian actually doing anything bad." Unfortunately, with a third season of "Mindhunter" looking less and less likely, it seems we may never find out.