If You Like ‘Glass Onion,’ Watch This Stylish Hulu Murder Mystery

Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Death and Other Details

As the perfect tribute to Christie Agatha‘s whodunnits, Knives Out gives us a gripping murder mystery that keeps us guessing at each resounding beat of the film. Its sequel, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, ups the ante with more outrageous characters and extravagant sets, indulging in full-blown theatres. From its kaleidoscopic vibrancy to a loathsome array of filthy rich characters, the flashiness of its “eat the rich” themes is inescapable as we are pulled right into the world. Unlike its predecessor, Glass Onion‘s grand revelation is not the murderer’s, but rather, the victim’s identity. It skillfully distracts us with a traditional whodunnit plot then reveals that the plot itself was a red herring.

If Glass Onion‘s deft subversion of the typical murder mystery model is not mind-bending enough for you, Hulu’s Death and Other Details mimics the same pretentious and stylistic exterior that hides a rapid fire succession of increasingly mind-boggling reveals. Featuring characters that are archetypal yet dynamic, a detective with a dark secret and stylistic cinematography, the show hits all the same spots as Glass Onion, just for longer. However, what sets the show apart is its exploration of the point where the “eat the rich” idea and the human condition meet.

What Is Hulu’s ‘Death and Other Details’ About?

Set on a luxurious Mediterranean cruise, Death and Other Details features two powerful families closing a business deal with rampant murder on deck. Amateur sleuth Imogene (Violet Beane) teams up with the world’s greatest detective, Cotesworth (Mandy Patinkin), to discover the identity of the killer. However, Imogene’s haunting past of her mother’s unresolved death becomes entangled into the mystery as they begin to theorize that the elusive Victor Sams is behind the deaths. Building an influential criminal empire that targets the wealthy, Victor Sams is also suspected of killing Imogene’s mother as a way to threaten the dirty Collier family. But, we soon learn that not all is as it seems.

Despite being narrated by Cotesworth’s matter-of-fact voice imploring us to pay attention to the details, we still never question the traditional mold of the whodunnit plot the show initially lays out. There’s the first mysterious death, a world-weary detective, a protagonist with a dark past and a trail of nifty clues to pick up along the way. While we are distracted by the detestable and likable characters, the obvious red herrings we’re proud to point out and the runaround theories at play, Death and Other Details smugly sets up a grand reveal that no one even thought to look for.

‘Death and Other Details’ Adopts the Same Style as ‘Glass Onion’

With a similar narrative and filming style, both Glass Onion and Death and Other Details have the ability to transport us to another world. We are swept away by the establishing shots of the cruise decks and the richness of the color in each scene. It is almost cartoonish in its aesthetic, as if the place isn’t real. The set builds a wealthy fantasy world that is reminiscent of that in Glass Onion, which is far more fancy than its first installment. Making the first gothic estate seem demure, Glass Onion takes place on a futuristic private island that boasts outlandish art pieces and calls for equally ridiculous plot flourishes. With a ludicrous amount of wealth becoming the backdrop for a murder mystery, it is able to create a striking viewing experience to distract us while it subverts our expectations.

This idea is also distinctly present in the costumes of Glass Onion as renowned detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) strolls languidly onto set donned in garish colors and flamboyant shirts. Death and Other Details echoes this through the flashy colors incorporated into business casual outfits. Even Imogene’s staple black and white checkered top mimics an optical illusion; the longer you stare at the details, the blinder you become. From the stunning cinematography to the foreign feeling of the technicolor world, Death and Other Details blinds us from the truth just as wealth does to the characters. The characters are also stylistically constructed as they are practically caricatures of wealthy stereotypes yet also display nuance and complexity as time goes on.

‘Death and Other Details’ Characters Are All Guilty

Like Glass Onioneach character in the show embodies an archetype, like the capitalist tyrant Lawrence Collier (David Marshall Grant), the overwhelmed and underappreciated daughter Anne (Lauren Patten), the drug-addled party boy Tripp (Jack Cutmore-Scott) or the high maintenance Leila (Pardis Saremi) who turns out to be right all along. Yet they each have some sort of complexity to their characters that keeps them from becoming one-dimensional. Anne, in particular, starts off as a grounded and calculating businesswoman, but is flung deeper into emotional turmoil until she defiantly shirks off all responsibilities and mimics her brother’s behavior instead of her. Tripp steps gracefully into this role reversal and ends up reforming his attitude to keep his remaining family intact.

Death and Other Details follows the traditional route of passing suspicion on each of the characters, exposing their secrets and making everyone guilty of something. While many of the characters’ issues tend to be dismissed as “rich people problems,” like Anne’s promotion to CEO of the family company being delayed or Tripp’s inability to receive his father’s funding, they are subtly mixed in with relatable human flaws. But this is prevalent in one character especially, as his death is the only one we really mourn. Over the years, the Collier family’s lawyer, Llewelyn (Jere Burns), struggles with his ambition, conflicting with his more emotional side, leading to a guilt-ridden existence. His provoking suicide reflects a universal experience of fighting for control over one’s life, as he decides to end his only his after being poisoned. Despite the sense of impossibility in the flashiness of the characters, grounded moments like these create a dynamic viewing experience.

Who Is the World’s Greatest Detective?

Like Benoit Blanc is the world’s greatest detective in his cinematic universe, Cotesworth fulfills this role in a slightly more unorthodox way. After failing to uncover the identity of Victor Sams, Imogene’s mother’s murderer, Cotesworth dives into a pitiful spiral that corrodes his reputation. He goes beyond the typical world-weary detective and instead adopts a drunken, careless and apathetic attitude that is tempered only by his now-deceased assistant, Keith (Michael Gladis). However, alongside Imogene, we soon discover that Cotesworth had never truly given up on hunting down Victor Sams and his quest had led him to the cruise. But Death and Other Detailshides another jarring yet hilarious detail in their detective’s characterization: he’s a con artist.

His claim to fame as the world’s greatest detective (not self-proclaimed) was a carefully manufactured lie that originated in a pub while he was gambling. This subversion of the untouchable detective trope is not something anyone would have predicted, especially considering that he is quite attentive to his work. We assumed his newfound reputation as a “hack” stemmed from his inactivity and self-pity and that he would go through a traditional character arc. But adding this comedic detail also definitely sets up Imogene’s future as a detective in a hinted Season 2while foreshadowing the style of the finale reveals.

‘Death and Other Details’ Subverts the “Eat the Rich” Idea

Death and Other Details overtly tackles with “eat the rich” themes like in Glass Onion, specifically diving into the impact of extreme wealth on different social classes. From the abundance of illicit affairs to the twisted “who has more money” survival game in the finale, the show does not shy away from blunt criticisms and moral judgments. Even Imogene, who is initially depicted to be pithy and aghast at enormous wealth, is not exempt from the trappings of that luxury. She is painted as hypocritical through her frequent embezzlement of the Colliers’ money (which is not used in a Robin Hood way) and indulgence of the lifestyle.

However, her relationship with Victor Sams also undermines the blatant “eat the rich” ideas in the show. Victor Sams is glamorized for their motivations to target corrupt members of the elite, yet they are ultimately vilified for their murderous tendencies and indifferent attitude towards collateral damage. Imogene’s final plan to turn in the killer may indicate a moralistic takeaway message, but it also further complicates the presented ideology. Her increasingly neutral position as a detective allows her to navigate both the horrors conducted by the elite but also by the vigilantes. This is especially doubled down by Celia (Lisa Lu), who uses her wealth to avenge her husband but also financially destroy the Colliers rather than resorting to murder. If you loved the subversive take on the traditional murder mystery model and capitalist themes in Glass Onion, Death and Other Details sails you across a similar stylistic journey that ends on a note as flashy as the rest of the show.

Death and Other Details is available to watch now on Hulu in the US

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