'Death and Other Details' Is a Mysterious Mess You Can’t Stop Watching

By Sara Clements | TV | January 22, 2024 |

By Sara Clements | TV | January 22, 2024 |

“Details matter,” according to the world’s greatest detective. In Death and Other Details, that’s Rufus Cotesworth (Mandy Patinkin). However, when we meet him, that’s a meaningless descriptor. He’s washed up and considered a hack, unlike Hercule Poirot or Benoit Blanc. But just like the other more famous detectives in media, he believes that illusions are everywhere and it’s his job, and also us as viewers, to see through them. Death and Other Details puts that to the test because, as Cotesworth lays everything out like a “Murder Mystery for Dummies” book, he also proves to be an unreliable narrator. His words are as muddled as the truths we are supposed to be seeking out. This makes his phrase, “What is real is precious and rare,” the real slogan of this Hulu series, which may frustrate many or keep you wanting more.

After watching eight episodes, the latter is, surprisingly, true. Set on a cruise ship, Death and Other Details follows a band of wealthy characters on what is supposed to be a vacation mixed with business dealings. But this is a floating petri dish of secrets, lies, and corruption. With undertones both humorous and dark, this isn’t just your average murder mystery. There’s twist after twist, each revelation bigger than the next. On this ship of drink, dalliances, and death, the mystery never wavers, but it’s cluttered — a detriment that may not hook every viewer, simply leaving the series as a sinking ship.

Thankfully, encased on this vessel with the air of 1920s high society is a cast of delectably messy characters, each hiding behind a mask. Getting the gist of who each character is is written as a big exposition dump in which the ship’s crew manager, Teddy (Angela Zhou), explains to her staff that these passengers are important above all else. Exposition dumps are helpful as a critic but can be exhausting as a viewer, and often indicative of poor writing. A hump that the series often struggles to overcome.

Let’s begin. First, there’s the Collier family who have organized this trip. There’s Lawrence (David Marshall Grant), CEO of the billion-dollar company Collier Mills, and his wife Katherine (Jayne Atkinson). Their daughter, Anna (Lauren Patten), a shark with business deals on the tongue as well as champagne, is expected to take over the family business. Unlike her brother, Tripp (Jack Cutmore-Scott), who’s a gambler and addict with a soft spot for cocaine. In their company is Anna’s wife, Leila (Pardis Saremi), a former journalist who’s suffering from paranoia. Then there’s Tripp’s friend Keith (Michael Gladis), who seems like nothing more than an arrogant rich asshole. Other parties in their detail are Llewellyn (Jere Burns), the Collier’s lawyer; a priest, Father Toby (Danny Johnson), and his son Derek (Sincere Wilbert), a TikTok star. Guests on the ship include Alexandra (Tamberla Perry), the Governor of Washington with hands deep in Collier pockets; Sunil (Rahul Kohli), who’s the owner of the cruise ship; and the Chun family, notably Eleanor (Karoline) and her grandmother Celia (Lisa Lu), who runs a fast fashion brand and are onboard to make a big investment deal with Collier Mills.

There are also the show’s two leads who are its emotional anchor. Cotesworth, now on the Chun’s security detail, is reunited with someone he hasn’t seen in 18 years: Imogene (Violett Beane). The story of Cotesworth and Imogene begins when she was 11 and when he was investigating the murder of her mother. As Anna’s best friend, Imogene was taken in to live with the Collier family. Now in the present, the reemergence of the so-called detective triggers not only the trauma of her past but deep-seated anger towards a man she feels abandoned her. But when Imogene finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time and a guest on the ship is murdered, the man she hates the most is the only one that will be able to help prove her innocence. It becomes a race to find whodunnit and the truth is woven in an intricate web that leads to bigger questions about the murder of Imogene’s mother. A classic locked room murder turns into a grand conspiracy - and the pair have to tread carefully.

Despite having ten writers credited, including the show’s creators Heidi Cole McAdams and Mike Weiss, it often feels as though they couldn’t figure out how to handle all of these characters. All the exposition can often feel like a slog, while many side characters don’t seem to have much of a purpose outside of being pawns or to force some romance. There are also a lot of side plots going on whose purpose is often questionable in the grand scheme of things. However, the script keeps the characters interesting, especially in that they’re all hiding something, and the waiting game to uncover all their secrets often takes unexpected turns.

In all the business and political drama, it’s the relationship between Cotesworth and Imogene that remains the most intriguing. Digging up their past together turns this search for a killer into a search for reconciliation. An old dog with the same old tricks and his clever assistant must together learn to live with the past and come to terms with it. Tying together the past and present builds even greater intrigue and forms a dynamic that keeps us watching.

However, while flashbacks work to bring up old details and to enlighten new ones, the constant back and forth of events throughout makes the timeline confusing. But they do integrate Cotesworth and Imogene into the flashbacks in imaginative ways, putting them in other characters’ shoes as they walk through the investigation. Everything is laid out but to the detriment of the script. Cotesworth says it’s more fun for us as viewers to figure everything out for ourselves, but we are never given the chance. So far, there have been no revelations of surprising hidden details right in front of us, like what we see in Rian Johnson’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, for example. Details really do matter, as the detective himself explains, but it seems that Death and Other Details doesn’t know how to handle those other details. It’s overcome with so many to make use of a ten-episode season that maybe should have been more compact.

Despite its flaws, you can’t stop watching. It’s always a guessing game, with each character a piece on a board quickly running out of moves. And even after watching eight episodes, it seems the game has only begun.