"Mindhunter" Finally Acknowledged the Absurdity of Calling Its Main Character "Holden Ford"

The resolution we were all waiting for.

The second season of Mindhunter finally dropped on Netflix this past Friday, two years after its first season premiered.

Fans had been waiting desperately to find out what would become of its serial killer-interviewing FBI unit, and if the disturbed "ADT Serviceman" seen only in brief cold opens would progress to murder.

But there was one mystery that needed answering most: Uhh, why did they name the main character 'Holden Ford'?

Though the show is based on a real police unit and features actors playing actual criminals, the character of Holden Ford is an invention, based very loosely on FBI agent John E. Douglas.

Ford, played by Jonathan Groff, had seemingly been christened by the show’s creators as if they were forced to improvise on the spot in an office building overlooking a strip of car yards. And it created an easy joke template for those on social media:

why is his name holden ford... it’s like naming your kid microsoft apple
— cate💐 (@thevalkyriors) August 16, 2019

The thing is, no one on the show seemed to flinch whenever Holden Ford introduced himself. This is despite the fact that the Ford Motor Company was founded in 1903, while the Australian brand Holden moved into car manufacturing in 1908, becoming a subsidiary of the American-based General Motors in 1931. The show’s second season takes place in approximately 1979 (because we hear Anna Torv’s character, Dr. Wendy Carr—yes, like car—listen to the 1979 tune "Brass in Pocket"). And this season, Ford says he is not yet 30 years of age, suggesting he was born around 1950. All of this is to say: Holden Ford’s parents knew exactly what they were doing when they named their child (potentially hinting at the cruel family history that damaged Holden and sent him on this dark journey into the hearts and minds of America’s most depraved murderers).

We wondered, before the second season debuted: Would executive producer David Fincher and his cohorts finally comment on Holden Ford’s name? Would any of the Aussie cast and crew (including Torv, Damon Herriman and director Andrew Dominik) point out the absurdity of it all? Would any other character at least furrow an eyebrow?

Well, three episodes into S2, someone finally does.

It occurs when Ford visits Atlanta to interview a pair of killers. He checks into a hotel where the attendant, Tanya (Sierra Aylina McClain), trips over his name. It causes Holden to respond accordingly: