Who Is Viktor Sams? As the headline on this post reads, it’s the questions on everyone’s lips as we enter the middle half aboard Hulu’s luxury yacht murder mystery—but saying his name is likened to that of Voldemort’s. Anyone who utters “he who shall not be named’s” name finds themselves six feet under… or with their high-tech car malfunctioning and driving off of a cliff.
Viktor Sams, the man said to be behind the murder of Imogene’s (Violett Beane) mother, is said to be everywhere and nowhere all at the same time. He’s also the man said to be responsible for the death of Keith Trubitsky/Danny, and the one who instills all too much fear in Anna Collier’s wife, Leila (she’s the only one who has ever gotten so close to figuring it out, so how she’s still breathing is beyond me), and the one who ruined her informant’s whole life, making him go from a respected federal employee to nothing more than a “sick freak.”
He’s also the man that Rufus Cotsworth (Mandy Patinkin), along with the late Danny, spent 18 long years searching for without the slightest trace. The man, as it stands, is untouchable. And he might not be a man at all.
The latest episode, Death and Other Details Season 1 Episode 5, seems to hint at the possibility that Viktor Sams is an AI, which is very timely but takes the fun out of the whole murder mystery. Is it possible Viktor Sams is the name of the program that’s being run and keeping tabs on everyone?
But even then, someone has to be responsible for the murders, unless the AI works in such a way that it blackmails those around him (dubbed his followers) until they do what he needs them to do. And, in that case, maybe Winnie did really murder Keith as she followed Viktor Sams’s directions to protect her sister’s dominatrix secret. And it’s possible that Llewellyn (Jere Burns) carried out Imogen’s mother’s killing at the request of the AI. But who is behind it?
Of course, when it comes to human suspects, it’s not looking too hot for Sunil (Rahul Kohli) right now as the murderer’s liar (which revealed only a blue light emitting from within—possibly where the Captionem Blue was stored?)—is on his dream ship. Not only that, but he’s the one who knew about the Captionem Blue after going through the Colliers documents and coincidentally knew someone who could help Imogene track down more information about the shipment (and Imogene just handed over the document—her only shred of evidence against her mom’s killer–to this mystery woman). Doesn’t all of that just seem super suspect? Not to mention his ship was charted by the Collier family, so it’s unclear how deep his connection to them really is, but maybe he’s holding this Captionem Blue secret over them and just demanding payment to keep quiet. He’s also pretty skilled with technology, which would be required with all the surveillance necessary.
Maybe he’s not the man he says he is—and he’s simply gained Imogene’s trust so that he isn’t one of her suspects? Working in his favor is the fact that he was being followed along with Imogene, and the man could’ve been one of Viktor Sams’ goons (or he’s someone Sunil hired to keep Imogene’s suspicions off of him), and that he’s quite young for someone who orchestrated a whole hit on Imogene’s mother. The “why,” in general, is just a bit shaky, but extortion and blackmail seem to be a common trend.
Viktor Sams is also someone who’s very well connected, and there’s only one person aboard this ship who matches that description—Father Toby (Danny Johnson)—who has so much pull when it comes to Alexandra’s (Tamberla Perry) donors. However, if Viktor Sams is tech-savvy, it boils down to Toby’s son, That Derek (Sincere Wilbert), who has full access to the ship. He’s also a little young to be the suspect, but you can’t count anyone out. I wouldn’t even be surprised if Celia Chun was responsible considering she’s not above a little blackmail.
There are also characters we’ve yet to meet, including Charlie, the trustee of the Collier Trust. Not to mention Alexandra is being blackmailed with a sex tape, which has prompted her to dig up all the dirt she has on the Colliers, which could be the work of Viktor Sams or someone in cahoots with the Chuns. They now own a majority stake in Collier Mills, and if something wicked comes to light, it would only work to their advantage. Celia is also the person who knows about Toby’s affair with Lawrence’s wife, which could also work to her benefit. If Alexandra survives until the next episode (she’s awfully sick and stumbling, which could point to poisoning), she may be the person who takes down the Colliers, an already crumbling dynasty.
Hilde (Linda Edmond), the Interpol agent, also took a very drastic turn as she loosened up after feeling confident that they found the murderer and accepted Llewellyn’s flirtatious invitation to punish him. Could she be Viktor Sams, who hopped aboard to steer the investigation in her favor? No one ever said Viktor Sams had to be a man, right?
And on that note, if Viktor Sams is a woman and someone who has their control room on the ship year-round, then it’s very much giving Teddy (Angela Zhou) vibes. She’s part of the trusted inner circle now, she has full access to the ship, and she seems to be very good at hiding secrets—plus she harbors a connection to both the Collier and Chun families.
Not much is clear about Viktor Sams at this point as the investigation takes so many turns (likely purposeful in hopes of confusing the audience), but whatever or whoever it is, it or he/she/they are stopping at nothing until they get what they want and shut everyone up who might even reveal a smidge of their identity.