Death and Other Details: Danny Turner Ending Twist Explained

By Aeron Mer Eclarinal Posted:
Violett Beane as Imogene Scott, Mandy Patinkin as Rufus Cotesworth

Danny Turner's involvement in investigating Kira's death led to his downfall in Death and Other Details twist ending.

Danny Turner, played by Michael Gladis, disguised himself as Keith Trubitsky in the SS Varuna. He was also revealed to be Rufus Cotesworth's assistant, much to the audience's shock.

[ Death and Other Details Hulu Cast, Characters & Actors (Photos) ]

What Really Happened to Danny Turner?

Danny Turner in Death and Other Details, played by Michael Gladis
Hulu

Death and Other Details‘ overarching villain is a guy named Viktor Sams. 

The mysterious identity of the culprit has been at the center of the series, with characters like Imogene (Violett Beane), Rufus (Mandy Patinkin), and Danny Turner trying to find out who he is. 

Danny and Rufus have been investigating Viktor Sams for over a decade. He even used an alias, Keith Trubitsky, to go undercover inside the SS Varuna as he tried to unearth the illegal activities of the Collier family and their potential connection to the suspect. 

The show's first episode revealed that Danny was killed by an unknown murderer, leading to Imogene and Rufus' investigation. It was later unveiled that a crew member named Winnie Goh was the one who killed Danny, but the truth was worse than that. 

Winnie is just a pawn in the grand scheme of things since she is one of Viktor Sam's followers. 

Viktor Sams is far more ruthless since he orchestrated many deaths (not just Danny's) inside the SS Varuna. 

Danny's death happened because he noticed an "unknown crew member" who was not part of the ship's crew and passenger manifesto. The mystery person was later revealed to be Viktor Sams.

All Sams ever wanted was to protect his real identity, so he ordered Winnie to kill Danny. This essentially shows that Danny's death (along with the others) is only a means to an end for his ultimate plan of bringing down corrupt billionaires like Lawrence Collier. 

Who Is Viktor Sams in Death and Other Details?

The ending of Death and Other Details Season 1 finally revealed Viktor Sams's true identity: Hilde Eriksen (Linda Emond). 

The twist didn't stop there since it was also unveiled that Hilde was Kira Scott, Imogene's mom who faked her death to enact a decade-long revenge plot against the Colliers and the billionaires (who she called "wealthy wrongdoers").

Kira told Imogene the truth, which included how she hired associates to blackmail the Colliers and other wealthy families so that they would be held accountable for their illegal dealings. 

Imogene was not a fan of how revenge transformed her mother into a deranged killing machine. While some would agree that what Kira is doing is helping many (including Imogene and her friends) see it as a twisted form of justice that needs to be stopped. 

Although Imogene spent time with Kira for at least six months (based on the time jump), it was the perfect gap to execute her plan to end her mother's operations. 

With the help of Rufus, Teddy, Leila, and the FBI, an entrapment operation ensued which was orchestrated by Imogene, leading to Kira's arrest. 

Kira's arrest by the FBI was a band-aid solution as her loyal ally, Andreas, is still out there, and he seemed to be manipulating Anna (Lauren Patten) to become the next Viktor Sams. 


All episodes of Death and Other Details are streaming on Hulu

Read more about Death and other Details:

Who Is Angela Zhou? 5 Things to Know About Death and Other Details Actress

Who Is Pardis Saremi? 4 Things to Know About Death and Other Details Actress

Death and Other Details Season 2 Gets Hopeful Update from Showrunner

- In This Article: Death and Other Details
Release Date
January 16, 2024
Platform
Actors
Lauren Patten
Linda Emond
Violett Beane
Genres
- About The Author: Aeron Mer Eclarinal
Aeron is a news/features writer and Content Lead for The Direct who has been working for the site since March 2020. From writing about the inter-connectivity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to having an extended knowledge about DC TV's Arrowverse, Aeron's expertise has since expanded into the realm of reality TV, K-drama, animated, and live-action shows from Netflix,  Disney+, Prime Video, MGM+, Peacock, Paramount+, and Max. When he isn't writing and watching all things MCU, Aeron is heavily invested with the NBA (go Celtics!) and occasionally watches thrilling matches in the WWE.