Criminal Minds remains one of the best crime shows ever made. Centering around the Behavioral Analysis Unit at the FBI through their demanding task of solving serial crimes, the show has featured some of the darkest and most disturbing crimes on-screen. The best part of Criminal Minds is that it never fails to surprise its viewers. Wild plot twists and a brilliant cast are at the heart of the show. Despite only being on the show for two seasons, Mandy Patinkin played a crucial role in cementing the success of Criminal Minds. His character is one of the founding agents of the BAU and continues to affect investigations even after his departure. Sadly, his character didn’t stay on the show long, but a recent short-lived crime show brings Patinkin back to solving crimes, and his character is just as sharp and full of wisdom as his role on Criminal Minds.
The Hulu original Death and Other Details tackles the solving of a serious crime. Patinkin plays a cunning detective, Rufus Cotesworth, who comes into a young girl’s life with the promise to solve her mother’s murder. However, he ends up breaking the promise. Fast-forward to 15 years later: Cotesworth teams up with Violett Beane’s Imogene Scott in an attempt to solve the old and new murders. The dynamic duo has a charming mentor-mentee relationship. They not only have their own secret code but are also full of angst. With an ever-evolving plot and a mystery to solve, the short-lived show is simply perfect for Criminal Minds fans.
Who Did Mandy Patinkin Play in Criminal Minds?
Mandy Patinkin plays Jason Gideon, a founding agent of the Behavioral Analysis Unit at the FBI. Patinkin stars as the troubled yet experienced agent, who has just returned to the BAU after a six-month medical leave. Gideon is a brilliant agent. He’s responsible for connecting most dots that lead to the solving of a crime, but at the same time, carries some heavy baggage that’s eating him from the inside out. Gideon is deeply troubled by the dark and disturbing nature of his work. He also feels personally responsible for everything that goes wrong during a case.
He suffers from PTSD after a bomber he profiled killed six agents under his supervision. When their suspect captures and tortures Dr. Spencer Reid during an investigation, Gideon blames himself for not being able to prevent the crime. The burden is eventually too great for the agent to carry. Instead of continuing to stay with the BAU to put more bad guys behind bars, Gideon decides to leave and search for hope and happy endings.
Patinkin only played the character for two seasons before he called it quits. The role had an effect on the actor himself. The dark and disturbing nature of Criminal Minds got under Patinkin’s skin sometimes. He found himself struggling with the role he was hired to play, and that struggle is reflected in his character. The FBI agent decides to step away from the BAU and leave the job in capable hands. However, his influence stays on. It seems that, despite “creative differences,” Patinkin created arguably the most memorable character on Criminal Minds. Criminal Minds continues to make references to Patinkin’s character throughout future seasons. They never recast the role, and Gideon would only appear by mention, but his spirit guides the team. His unsolved cases and notes also tend to surface even after years of staying on a shelf. Gideon’s personality and vision also stays at the core of the BAU.
Who Is Rufus Cotesworth in Death and Other Details?
Over the years, Mandy Patinkin has created many fascinating characters, but none can match the charismatic, cunning detective, Rufus Cotesworth in Death and Other Details. Patinkin is perfect for the role. In fact, Cotesworth is a combination of everything Patinkin has portrayed so far — experienced world’s best detective meets best-selling author meets world-class con man. Cotesworth is delusionally ambitious yet sympathetic, troubled yet optimistic; he is one of the most complicated characters Patinkin has portrayed so far.
In Death and Other Details, Cotesworth fakes his status as the world’s best detective, even though he doesn’t know anything about crime-solving. He is a genius at selling his story and utilizing publicity to get clients. He takes on the murder case of Imogene’s mother. While Cotesworth is a con man, he notices Imogene’s extraordinary attention to detail and her ability to make connections that most people wouldn’t make. Cotesworth then acts as Imogene’s mentor and guides her in the process of solving her mother’s murder. Even though the world’s greatest detective is forced to abandon the case and leave Imogene, he never gives up on the case.
The character of Rufus Cotesworth is a combination of the various heroic and villainous roles Patinkin has taken on over the years. Cotesworth has an authoritative appearance for a seasoned detective, similar to Jason Gideon in Criminal Minds. The character is constantly in deep thought and droppi
ng lines of wisdom, just like Gideon. However, there’s also a lightheartedness to Cotesworth, given that he’s not who he claims to be. Cotesworth is also as delusionally optimistic as Hal Wackner, the role Patinkin takes in The Good Fight, who opens a court in the back of a copy shop despite having no legal experience. Cotesworth is also in many ways reminiscent of Patinkin’s role as Mathison’s mentor, Saul Berenson, in Homeland. Death & Other Details brings a little bit of everything into the charismatic, convincing, yet hard-to-trust world’s best detective.
What Is Death & Other Details About?
Death and Other Details is about solving crimes. A bunch of rich people go on a cruise vacation, but the death of a guest brings horror to the peaceful trip. With a $3 billion deal on the table between two businesses, anyone could be the murderer. However, one death soon turns serial, and all signs seem to point to the same reality — a serial killer is back, but the truth goes a lot deeper than a classic serial crime.
Imogene Scott is one of the guests on the boat. She happens to be in the same room a few minutes prior to the crime taking place. Cotesworth snatches the security footage from the security room and invites her into the investigation to solve the murder of his own assistant, Danny Turner, who is also known as Keith Trubitsky. The dynamic crime-solving duo then goes on a long journey in search of the killer. They have to confront their past and trauma and reveal their deepest secrets in order to get closer to the truth.
Death and Other Details Tackles Serial Crimes From a Different Angle
Similar to Criminal Minds, Death and Other Details revolves around the solving of a serial crime, but instead of telling it straight from the crime-solvers perspective, the show makes it personal by incorporating Imogene’s perspective as the victim’s daughter, a close family member of the serial killer, and a detective. This brings a fresh angle given that Imogene is all three in one. Solving the crime is personal to her. At that same time, Imogene has a critical link to the serial killer. It gives her an edge and serves as a blind spot for her at the same time. Death and Other Details dives into a hidden part of Imogene’s memory and challenges what viewers think they know at every turn.
Instead of featuring a different crime in each episode, like the original run of Criminal Minds, Death and Other Details takes a similar route as the Criminal Minds reboot seasons and focuses on solving one case per season. The juicy details of relationships, hidden secrets, affairs and dirt come out in this short-lived crime show. Not only does Death and Other Details feature one of Mandy Patinkin’s best roles, but the show also provides a fresh and ambitious take on the crime genre itself.
Sadly, Death and Other Details won’t be returning for a second season. Hulu has officially canceled the show due to its failure to make an impact on its audience. Death & Other Details never made it to Nielson’s Top 10 streaming rankings, nor did it attract much love from critics. With its large cast and ever-evolving plot, the first season only has a 55% approval rate on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite all the other factors, Mandy Patinkin’s role and the show’s fresh take on the crime genre still shine through. On the level of unpredictability, Death and Other Details is just as good as Criminal Minds.