Any cat fan can’t get over the fact that this unnamed cat did not eat the food that Wendy kept for her in ‘Mindhunter’ Season 1. What happened to the cat? Let’s find out.
The biggest mystery from season 1 of ‘Mindhunter’ still persists for the fans of the Netflix show. The mystery on ‘Mindhunter’ isn’t related to the true definition of a serial killer or the explanation behind those weird opening scenes in Kansas. But, it is instead about those brief moments that Wendy Carr (Anna Torv) spends with a cat. Especially because the cat didn’t eat the food when it was last offered on ‘Mindhunter’ Season 1.
What does the cat’s disappearance mean for the plot of Mindhunter?
Highlights —
- Wendy Carr’s only humanising act
- Why was there a cat sequence on ‘Mindhunter’
- What happened to the cat?
Wendy Carr’s only humanising act
Most of the times a cat symbolically refers to a culprit or a crime. The idea of a cat usually means that something is fishy. But, here on ‘Mindhunter’, we never actually see a culprit in the cat that comes from the window in Anna’s apartment building’s laundry room. When we heard the meow for the first time in season 1, we saw Wendy leaving a can of tuna for the cat.
The scene was adorable and a rare humanizing moment for the normally stoic character. Anna Torv, who plays Wendy Carr on the show, also feels that the cat sequence is a very important element to know about her character.
Why was there a cat sequence on ‘Mindhunter’?
Anna told TV Line,
“I always take things a little too introspectively, so when I first read it in the script I was like, ‘Oh my God, wow, this is actually interesting’”.
She went on to say that she thought this little kitten represents all faceless victims. We only notice those dead people whose families are asking about them. Because they have families that are looking for them. What about the faceless people? Adding further, she said that this little abandoned cat is representative of a person that no one is going to care about.
Not just Anna, there are numerous fans writing numerous theories over Reddit that demands attention and introspection.
One of the users gave a symbolic interpretation of the cat sequence. He wrote that the cat was a metaphor for Dr Wendy Carr’s compassion or empathy.
He added that she is pretty rigid at the workplace, and not very open. Somehow, she’s pretty much a one-dimensional character.
“The scenes where she is at home and sets aside the tuna for the cat is meant to add depth to her character.”
However, David Fincher, the executive producer of the Netflix series has a different answer to the presence of cat on ‘Mindhunter’. It defines the final scene involving the animal. In the final episode of season 1, Wendy finds out that the last can of food that she left for the unnamed cat went uneaten. What happened to the cat?
What happened to the cat?
Fincher told Torv when she was preparing for the series that rather than the cat having a metaphorical meaning, it was actually much more straightforward. The writers have included a cat to make the audience think. The cat’s sudden disappearance could mean “there was a kid in the building who’s going around killing cats”.
According to Fincher,
“It’s a birth of a new sociopath that we don’t quite know about. Because that’s how it starts — with [inflicting harm on] animals”.
‘Mindhunter’ has given two successful seasons. We are still waiting for the third instalment after season 2 ended on a thrilling note. But due to other commitments from the end of Fincher, season 3 is not in the offing.
Let us know your thoughts on the cat sequence on ‘Mindhunter’ Season 1. Does it add depth of character to Wendy Carr? Drop your views in the comments box below.
