I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a dozen times: I love a good murder mystery series. This is precisely why I fell in love with Only Murders in the Building and why I took the risk with The Afterparty. I always like the idea of one, big, intricate story with the writers dropping little breadcrumbs all the way to the conclusion so that astute viewers can actually try to solve the whodunnit. On a side note, this is also why I heavily dislike the Hallmark Mystery Movies as they consistently drop red herring after red herring without actually giving us any clues to follow.

Well, I truly hoped that Death and Other Details, a murder mystery from Hulu and which popped up in Disney+ in the Philippines, was going to give me my murder mystery fix. Did it, though? Well, read on to find out!

By the way, while the final episode for Death and Other Details has been out for quite some time so the question of whodunnit is already out there, I’m still making this a SPOILER FREE review. I haven’t really heard much buzz about the series so I’m not sure if people really watched this or not. So, I won’t be revealing that or other specific details for this SPOILER FREE review here.

Anyway, Death and Other Details focuses on Imogene Scott, an orphan who was taken in by the uber-wealthy Collier family after her mother perished in a car bomb. Some time has passed and Imogene now works as the assistant of Anna Collier, the soon-to-be head of the Collier estate. The entire family has invited the Chun clan onto an exclusive boating tour in order to ink a lucrative financial deal between the two. However, a murder takes place on the boat and Imogene is a prime suspect and she now has to team up with Rufus Cotesworth, a disgraced detective, to find the real culprit and uncover a conspiracy which may be connected to her mother’s murder.

Ah, that was a mouthful and that’s not the half of it! There’s a lot more happening here as well, such as affairs galore and a love triangle or two. I appreciate the show trying to give viewers more to chew on for the show’s ten episode season rather than just a mystery. These side plots are there to give some character development and motivations, which is good in the broad sense. However, I’m still here for the mystery and I can’t help but get somewhat annoyed when that gets pushed into the background. Thankfully, these side plots are somewhat interesting and some of them even loop back to the central mystery. That’s the only reason why I gave them a pass.

Although it exudes the look of classic murder tales like from Agatha Christie and the like, with its ornate sets and brightly colored outfits, Death and Other Degrees actually takes place during modern times. I personally love it because, like I said, I love a good mystery and making it look like a classic mystery does earn it points in my book. It’s not going to be for everyone, though, as it is somewhat jarring at the start.

The acting here does come off as a little much but, looking back, it does seem like this was the style the series was going for from the start. Violett Beane is perfectly fine as Imogene Scott but I do wish they gave her a more defining character as she never really clicked for me. I do like the fact she gets to play around with other characters by figuratively putter herself in their shoes as these scenes do look very interesting. I just wish there was more to the character.

I do like the air Mandy Patinkin gives off as Rufus Cotesworth. There’s a level of pompousness in his tone and having Mandy Patinkin use this faux British accent is just perfect as it makes him sound like he was once the world’s greatest detective before. The rest of the cast is generally fine as they are able to give life to the rather colorful cast of characters who inhabit the ship. Even though their tales may not link to any of the mysteries, the murder and the conspiracy, in the long run, their personalities do make the watchable.

I do, however, have a huge problem with Death and Other Details. And that problem would be the actual mysteries as they are unsolvable to the viewer. Don’t get me wrong, you can probably figure out the conspiracy just through the simple process of elimination. But the murder? Nope! The reveal of who did the killing comes out of nowhere as it gets swallowed up by the conspiracy storyline!

The issue is they don’t really give any solid clues to the viewer to solve it! This might not bother more casual viewers who are in it for the story and the intrigue. But if you’re like me who wants to actually figure it out via the little nuggets of information dropped throughout the ten episodes, you’re out of luck! It’s rather upsetting because, with a title like Death and Other Details, you would think there would be, you know, actual details regarding the mysteries instead of just multiple red herrings.

With all of that being said, I will say Death and Other Details is still a good watch. While it does fall into the trappings of a Hallmark Mystery movie as it never gives a chance for the viewer to solve it using their observational skills, the fun characters did make it at least interesting to watch. I did want to find out what happened to some of the characters and how things will pan out at the end. If you come into the show thinking there’s a mystery to be solved, you’re going to wind up disappointed. If you just want to watch a show with a lot of intrigue and quirky characters, then I say give Death and Other Details a shot.

Have you seen Death and Other Details? What did you think of it? Let me know in the comments section below!