Death and Other Details Season 1 Episode 4 Review: Hidden
After a shaky installment, Death and Other Details Season 1 Episode 4, “Hidden” gets the show back on track for a riveting mystery.
Although the subplot of Jules (not his actual name) smuggling Ukranian refugees on the ship comes completely out of left field, it’s a welcome surprise. It reenergizes the series because it contrasts the one percenter problem of the Collier’s sinking business deal with actual problems.
If you’re looking for upstairs-downstairs drama you can’t get much more downstairs than the ship’s lowest deck. While above board they’re fussing over not being able to go back to their rooms and eating caviar, a family is fighting for its safety below.
It may not be the most deft commentary on the rich but it’s better than nothing, which is what the show previously gave us. It also serves the purpose of confirming one alibi and exposing another.
The interview Imogene and Rufus conduct with the stowaway girl also gives more time to their teacher/protege relationship that the season started with. Having the characters separated for so much of Episode 3 didn’t let that relationship develop.
In the huge ensemble, they need to be the focal point to make it work.
Now we see Imogene taking charge of the investigation while still getting guidance from Rufus. Unlike INTERPOL, they are personally invested in the murder, and it makes the investigation more interesting to watch.
Agent Eriksen is okay for occasional comic relief, but her character feels superfluous with Rufus around.
We learn Teddy was seen entering a room on the same floor as Danny, except it turns out she was actually with Llewelyn as his dominatrix. As The White Lotus always likes to remind us, sex, and money go hand in hand.
This also means she lied about being with her sister all night. They arrest her anyway in a ploy to draw out the real killer.
Winnie’s confession that she killed Keith/Danny to make a statement about the rich getting away with everything may satisfy INTERPOL, but as Rufus agrees in his voiceover, it makes the case feel a little too easy and we’re only halfway through. So when Leila suggests Winnie is a follower of Viktor Sams, you’re more than ready to accept this lead.
The twist at the end of this episode feels much more earned than the Jules subplot, so I can’t ding the show for ending on another cliffhanger. Leila revealing she and Danny talked about Viktor Sams is maybe the best thing it could have done for Leila.
This whole time we’ve been under the assumption that Leila is mentally unstable, but maybe her accident and Viktor Sams are connected, making her character a whole lot more interesting. Of course, it’s also possible Danny did bring up Viktor Sams to her, she killed Danny out of paranoia and is lying about it.
Either way, the revelation puts this mystery back on track to connect everything to the murder of Imogene’s mother. This episode, written by Mike Weiss and directed by Alrick Riley, successfully recaptures viewers’ attention and sets up the rest of the season.
What did you think of this episode of Death and Other Details? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Death and Other Details airs Tuesdays on Hulu.
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Breeze Riley
Breeze Riley is a pop culture enthusiast who decided to turn her love of watching too much TV into a hobby writing about it. Although she's a convention-going sci-fi and fantasy nerd, she's just as likely to be watching an off-beat comedy or period drama. She is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic.