Hulu’s Knives Out Replacement Reveals A Huge Missed Opportunity For Benoit Blanc Over The Last 5 Years

The Knives Out films introduced Benoit Blanc as one of the greatest fictional modern detective characters, but a new Hulu mystery series has exposed a missed opportunity for his character that could and should be explored in subsequent additions to the franchise. Rian Johnson’s Benoit Blanc is a major reason the Knives Out films have been so successful, with Daniel Craig’s character being the constant between them. Knives Out 3 has been confirmed, and one new character could bring out what the films have been missing thus far.

There have been several television shows like Knives Out, but Hulu’s latest murder mystery show sets itself apart through a device that Knives Out hasn’t employed yet. Knives Out and its sequel, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, follow a similar formula, where the great detective, Benoit Blanc, is tasked with solving the murder of a wealthy, high-profile figure. Both films are full of plot twists and red herrings that Blanc masterfully explains in the film’s third act when the murderer is finally revealed.

Death & Other Details Reveals That Benoit Blanc Needs His Own Dr. Watson

Hulu’s Death and Other Details stars Mandy Patinkin as Rufus Cotesworth, the world’s so-called greatest detective. With his quirks, Patinkin’s Cotesworth shared some noticeable traits with Craig’s Blanc. However, unlike Blanc, Cotesworth had a detective protégé in Violett Beane’s Imogene. As such, Death and Other Details includes the classic Holmes/Watson detective pairing that Knives Out has been missing.

As Cotesworth’s protégé, part of the fun of Death and Other Details was watching Imogene grow in her detective skills. Rufus and Imogene had a special, unique dynamic due to their history together, which is another part of Blanc that Knives Out hasn’t explored. Up until now, Benoit Blanc has worked alone, but Knives Out 3 could change that.

Related

Death And Other Details Cast & Character Guide – Who Else Stars In Mandy Patinkin’s Murder Mystery

The Mandy Patinkin-led crime show boasts an impressive supporting cast. Here are the other major players, along with their previous projects.

Introducing An Assistant For Benoit Blanc Would Be Perfect For Knives Out 3

Though the Knives Out formula has worked for two films, it could easily get stale if Johnson doesn’t shake things up for Knives Out 3. Giving Blanc an assistant would be the perfect way to add a new element to Knives Out 3 without taking away from its successful format. Given Blanc’s fame and track record, it would make sense for a young detective to want to learn from him in the third film.

Benoit Blanc hasn’t explicitly had an assistant in the Knives Out films, but like Cotesworth in Death and Other Details, he has taken younger characters under his wing. In the first Knives Out film, Blanc formed a friendship with Marta, the initial prime suspect, who ended up helping him solve the crime. Blanc then worked closely with Helen/Andi in Glass Onion, but Knives Out 3 could introduce a more permanent assistant to the Knives Out franchise, even if it means bringing back a past character like Marta.