Death and Other Details Episodes 1 & 2 Recap & Ending Explained: Who Is Responsible for Keith’s Murder?

Death and Other Details Episode 1 & 2 Recap & Ending Explained: Locked-room mysteries and rich people’s shenanigans have nowadays become the go-to elements of cozy entertainment. The blockbuster success of Rian Johnson’s Knives Out (2019) has triggered a glut of movies and shows where genius detectives are on the prowl to solve cryptic mysteries. Recently, A Murder at the End of the World (2023), created by Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij, offered an intriguing story of love, obsession, justice, and tech-related qualms, featuring a Gen Z sleuth. These investigations into the life of the wealthy elites naturally reflect our distrust of institutions and the system. Hence, we enjoy it when a weird yet intelligent outsider wreaks havoc on the plans of the smug, totally punchable billionaires. 

Heidi Cole McAdams and Mike Weiss’ 10-episode Hulu limited series seems to be another murder mystery that blends the classic locked-room trope with the prevalent themes of class and corrupted wealth. Death and Other Details is set on a luxury cruise ship sailing the tranquil waters of the Mediterranean as an eccentric detective, and his reluctant protege try to solve a murder. Death and Other Details has a promising set-up, although its eagerness to conform to the genre conventions while dispensing some class critique feels a little too derivative. Now, let’s embark on this ‘murder-at-the-sea’ story and see what unfolds in the first two episodes of this Hulu mystery. Spoilers Ahead.

Death and Other Details (2024) Episodes 1 & 2 Recap:

Who Gets Murdered in the Luxury Cruise Ship?

“Rare,” episode one of “Death and Other Details” opens with two murders: one in the past and the other in the present. Our shrewd protagonist, Imogene Scott (Violett Beane), is haunted by the death of her mother, Kira Scott, who died in a car explosion. Imogene was 11 years old (Sophia Reid-Gantzert) at the time of her mother’s death. Her mother’s employers – the super-rich Colliers – brought her up. There’s a question of why someone would kill a secretary with a car bomb. To solve the puzzle, Collier patriarch Lawrence (David Marshall Grant) hires the ‘world’s greatest detective,’ Rufus Coteworth (Mandy Patinkin), a Poirot-like loner and genius sleuth. 

Little Imogene believes in Rufus’ abilities and forges a bond with him. But he unexpectedly leaves mid-way without solving the case. It pushes her to harbor resentment towards the detective. Now, 28-year-old Imogene is aboard the luxury ocean liner, S.S. Varuna, with the Colliers and a bunch of other secretive individuals with ulterior motives. On the ship, she grudgingly reunites with Rufus, whom she considers ‘a hack.’ But before that, Imogene is irked by a guest’s obnoxious behavior towards a waitstaff. He is Keith Trubitsky (Michael Gladis), a business associate of Colliers’ troubled young son, Tripp (Jack Cutmore-Scott). 

Imogene gives Keith a dressing down, and not satisfied with that, she breaks into his room around 2 a.m., smashes his costly watch (the root cause of his rude behavior), and takes some money from his wallet. Of course, the corridor cam has recorded Imogene getting in and out of the room. The following day, the room service staff finds Keith pinned to a wall by a harpoon gun. 

Who Are All the Important Players in this Journey? 

The narrative then rewinds two days back as the Colliers and their guests embark on the cruise ship. The ship’s operations officer, Teddy (Angela Zhou), briefs her staff about the trip and offers much-needed expository details about the pivotal characters (or possible suspects). The Colliers are said to be making this trip to celebrate the patriarch Lawrence’s retirement and the ascension of his heir, the elder daughter, Anna (Lauren Patten). The mother, Katherine (Jayne Atkinson), younger son Tripp, and Anna’s relentlessly suspicious wife, Leila (Pardis Saremi), are the other core members of the Colliers. Imogene is more or less an adopted daughter of the Colliers and is close to Anna. 

The Colliers family lawyer, Llewellyn Mathers (Jere Burns), Governor of Washington, Alexandra (Tamberla Perry), a priest and political king-maker Father Toby (Danny Johnson), and his TikTok-obsessed son ‘That Derek’ (Sincere Wilbert) are the guests of the Colliers. Contrary to the appearances, the trip isn’t solely a friendly gathering. The Colliers are desperately trying to seal a partnership deal with the Chun family. The Chun family matriarch, Celia (Lisa Lu), and her granddaughter, plus the chief representative, Eleanor Chun (Karoline), bring a lot of tension and hidden agendas to the ship. 

Apart from all these diverse individuals, two other persons of interest are Sunil (Rahul Kohli), the enterprising former banker-turned-ship-owner, and security chief, Jules (Hugo Diego Garcia), with whom Imogene exchanges knowing looks that lead to intimate nights. And let’s not forget the detective, Rufus Coteworth. The Chuns have hired him, possibly to dig up some dirt on the Colliers, which might be helpful for the deal.

What Happened to the Security Footage?

On the morning of discovering Keith in his room, Imogene overhears Jules’ conversation with security people. She immediately finds her way into the security room. To her surprise, Imogene notices that a specific timeframe in the cam facing Trubitsky’s suite is erased. Meanwhile, Teddy briefs her staff about the murder. She also informs them that Rufus will conduct his investigation till the Interpol boards their ship at Palermo in twenty-four hours. 

Rufus actually got to the security cam footage before Imogene and erased her entry into Keith’s suite. Later, he confronts Imogene in her room. Though Imogene bears a grudge for Rufus breaking her trust in the past, it seems Rufus truly believes she wouldn’t have killed Keith. She reluctantly joins as his assistant in the quest to find the murderer. The episode intersperses the present with 11-year-old Imogene’s interactions with Rufus. The kid Imogene easily decodes his messages and possesses a knack for solving things. 

How Did the Killer Enter and Exit Keith’s Suite?

Rufus believes they should approach things carefully since everyone on the ship has some secrets, although not every secret is related to Keith’s murder. Their working theory – from Imogene’s partial observations from her few minutes of presence in Keith’s room – is that the killer entered the suite by hiding in the bar cart. After doing the deed, the same individual possibly holed up in the cart until the room service staff took it out the following day. If that’s the case, the killer might have seen Imogene’s presence in the room. 

In the past, Imogene has seen Rufus briefing Lawrence Collier about her mother’s murder. Rufus suspects Viktor Sams, an alias of a person known to the Colliers, behind the car bomb. Lawrence denies any knowledge of the name. In the present, the news of Keith’s murder spreads through the ship’s guests. Rufus decides to conduct an interview with the guests. Only Lawrence has vehemently turned that down due to their past encounters. While accessing her memories from the past, Imogene stumbles upon one significant detail. “Death and Other Details” episode 1 ends with Imogene finding that Keith Trubitsky is Rufus’ long-time assistant. He is on Varuna for a case. As Rufus speaks to the gathered guests about the interviews, Imogene volunteers to go first. 

Who Is Keith Trubitsky?

Sordid, episode 2 of “Death and Other Details,” opens six months before the cruise ship journey. Keith, aka Danny, visits Rufus to convey the information about the Collier Mills opening their books to allow outside inventors. Back after Imogene’s mom’s murder, Rufus was denied access to the Colliers’ books, which might have exposed their connection to Viktor Sams. There could be darker corporate secrets behind Sams’s involvement with the Colliers. Danny thinks that taking up the cruise trip under the pretense of an assignment will lead to his reunion with Imogene and finding justice for her mother’s death. 

When Rufus recalls this conversation with Danny, Imogene understands Keith’s rude exterior is only a cover, and she begins to like the true nature of this deceased individual. The question, naturally, is, did Danny detect any of these secrets before his death? Considering that his journal is missing from the room, it’s a strong possibility. But for now, they decide to narrow down their list of suspects. The lawyer, Llewylln, is the next to be interviewed. He takes refuge under the legalities and refuses to answer Rufus’ questions. 

What Happened to Leila?

Subsequently, Imogene tries to talk and record her conversation with Lawrence. But she couldn’t even get into his suite since Jules personally guards the wealthy patriarch. Rufus provides his theory on how the killer entered and exited the room to all the guests he interviewed. While most have uniformly disliked the obstreperous Keith, Rufus tries to determine if anyone figured out his real identity. Among all the guests, Leila – Anna’s wife – absolutely maintains her silence. 

Leila survived an alleged accident a few months back and sustained a brain injury. Since then, Leila has harbored fears, even going through her suite for any camera or listening devices. From the first day of the trip, Leila has despised Keith’s intrusive presence. She is particularly infuriated when Keith snaps a picture of Colliers, including her, without permission. On the first night of the trip, Leila once again confronted Keith in the corridor, casting doubts about his identity. While Eleanor, from the Chun family, recalls this confrontation, Leila finally speaks and says Eleanor is jealous of her. It turns out Eleanor had a brief fling with Anna at the business school. 

Who Sent the Bar Cart to Keith’s Suite?

During his interview with the Chuns, Rufus informs them that he is quitting the job they have offered. Nevertheless, Eleanor Chun says Rufus must only look into the Colliers since their company is on the verge of bankruptcy. Anna completely denies that and considers their possible deal with the Chuns a strategic partnership. After the interview with Rufus, Imogene tries to cozy up with Anna. According to Rufus, they need a way to get into the Colliers’ books, and Imogene maintaining close proximity with Anna will lead them to solve many mysteries. 

While Father Toby states he never had the chance to speak with Keith, a witness reveals that they both were seen going into the ship’s chapel. The priest also ran into Keith at the pool deck, where Keith had a conversation with Governor Alexandra. He inquires about a major donor in her campaign, which somehow unsettles her. Later, Rufus interviews Tripp, who is said to have anger management issues. On the second day of the trip, Tripp, for some reason, was furious at Keith. Teddy and her sister, Winnie (the waitstaff who bore the brunt of Keith’s rude behavior), testify to Tripp’s seething animosity towards Keith. Interestingly, the call for a bar cart to Keith’s suite was placed from Tripp’s room. But as Winnie says, the caller wasn’t Tripp but a woman with an American accent. 

Death and Other Details Episode 2 Ending Explained:

Who Is Responsible for Keith’s Murder? 

The ship owner, Sunil, is finally interviewed by Rufus. He says Keith tried to get into his office on the first night. The same office where Rufus has conducted his interviews so far. But when he was found out, Keith pretended to be drunk and went away. While everyone more or less has an alibi for the night of Keith’s murder, it is apparent many are holding secrets. Even Sunil is hiding something: a safe in his office situated behind a portrait. Rufus has deducted – thanks to a crucial clue – that Alexandra’s major donor is Tripp, with whom she is carrying out a secret affair. It explains the voice of a woman with an American accent ordering a bar cart for Keith’s suite and also explains Tripp’s anger towards Keith. 

Going through the security footage, Rufus has already learned of a suitcase exchange from lawyer Llewylln to the operations officer or manager, Teddy. Also, there’s the crafty priest, known for connecting influential people and protecting their secrets. Leila is clearly terrified of something, and Anna is desperate to become the head of Collier Mills and sign the partnership deal with the Chuns. Unless or until Rufus and Imogene stumble upon what exactly Keith, aka Danny, has discovered, the list of suspects remains long. All the duo can now do is wait for the culprit to make a mistake. 

At the end of episode two of “Death and Other Details,” Eleanor Chun says their family is reneging from the deal with the Colliers. We also see a few guests who are fearful about their secrets spilling out. And who knows, there could be another murder on the ship. The following day, Interpol Agent Hilde Eriksen (Linda Emond) boards the ship and wonders if Rufus Cotesworth tricked the VIP guests into an interview. It looks like there will be a face-off in the coming episodes between Agent Hilde and Detective Rufus, who might even have a shared past. 

Read More: Everything Coming To Hulu in January 2024

Death and Other Details External Links: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes

Death and Other Details Cast: Violette Beane, Mandy Patinkin, Lauren Patten, Angela Zhou, Pardis Saremi, Karoline, and Rahul Kohli