Monster: The Ed Gein Story Honors a Beloved Canceled Netflix Series — and Fans Are Split

Monster: The Ed Gein Story saves its boldest swing for last: a finale that basically morphs into a Mindhunter tribute while pretending Ed Gein helped the FBI nab Ted Bundy. It is clever TV and also... wildly dubious.

Heads up: spoilers for the season 3 finale below.

Wait, did this episode just turn into Mindhunter?

The finale zeroes in on Gein's so-called legacy and how his crimes echoed through later serial killers. It opens in the 1970s with Bundy still unidentified, the FBI grasping for answers. From there, the show drops a full-on Mindhunter-style detour: the Behavioral Science Unit shows up, interviews a notorious inmate, and uses profiling to chase a faceless killer.

Specifically, the episode sends FBI agents to Oregon to sit down with Jerry Brudos in prison. Brudos says Gein influenced him, which inspires the team to go straight to the source and interview Gein himself. Gein shares details about saws and other tools, and somehow that intel becomes the breadcrumb trail that leads to catching Ted Bundy.

The inside-baseball part

If you loved Mindhunter, the faces here will feel familiar, but the names are different on purpose. Monster uses the real people who inspired Mindhunter instead of the dramatized versions. It also nods to the roster of killers Mindhunter explored — Ed Kemper, Jerry Brudos, Richard Speck, Charles Manson — names that pop up here too.

• Real BSU figures in Monster: John Douglas (played by Sean Carrigan), Robert Ressler (Caleb Ruminer), and Ann Burgess (Megan Ketch)
• Mindhunter counterparts: Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff), Bill Tench (Holt McCallany), and Wendy Carr (Anna Torv)
• Overlap on the criminal side: Ed Kemper, Jerry Brudos, Richard Speck, Charles Manson

So... did any of this happen?

Short answer: not really. There is no record of Ed Gein helping the FBI with the Bundy investigation. The Behavioral Science Unit came together in the 1970s; Gein was arrested in 1957. The show blurs timelines and invents connective tissue to sell the 'legacy' angle. It is a stylish homage to Mindhunter, but it is also the kind of sensationalized reimagining that Monster gets dinged for.

Fans are split on the tribute

Some viewers ate it up: "The Mindhunter tribute in the finale of The Ed Gein Story hit me right in the heart. God, I miss that show, the atmosphere, the tension, the brilliance. I'll never forgive Netflix for cancelling something that perfect."

Others were not charmed: "The Mindhunter key jangling at the end of the Ed Gein Monster story is not only annoying, it's insulting to the creators of Mindhunter and the actors who starred in that show."

And then there is the obvious point: "whispers: instead of doing Mindhunter cosplay in this season of Monster, Netflix should just bring back Mindhunter". Hard to argue.

Where Mindhunter actually stands

Mindhunter ran for two seasons starting in 2017. In 2020, season 3 was put on indefinite hold while David Fincher moved on to other projects. In 2023, he sounded like the door was shut for good, citing the numbers versus the cost.

"Very proud of the first two seasons" but viewership was not high enough to "justify such an investment."

More recently, Holt McCallany floated a different format, saying the series could return as three two-hour movies. He added that writers are at work, but it all hinges on Fincher signing off on the scripts.

The bottom line

The finale is a slick, intentional wink at a show Netflix let go — and that irony is not lost on anyone. As TV, it is a fun crossover fantasy. As history, it is a stretch.

Monster: The Ed Gein Story is streaming now on Netflix.