Netflix has become a haven for shows about small towns rocked by crime. Last week, we premiered Untamed, where the residents of a town in Yosemite National Park became embroiled in a murder mystery after a girl fell from El Capitan. The show dealt heavily with grief, suicidal tendencies, abusive men, and the colonialists' negative feelings toward the Indigenous community. The Glass Dome told the story of a criminal psychologist who returned to her hometown to attend her stepmother's funeral and found herself involved in investigating a series of murders seemingly connected to her past.
Hound's Hill centered on a Polish author who returned to his hometown to come to terms with a crime he may have committed, only to discover that a serial killer is on the loose, killing the perpetrators—and his name could be next on the list. So, yes, when I watched The Hunting Wives, I completely understood why Netflix bought the rights to this show. What confuses me is, who is this series for, especially in the current political climate?
Stars: Malin Akerman, Brittany Snow, Dermot Mulroney
Adapted from May Cobb's novel of the same name by Rebecca Perry Cutter, The Hunting Wives follows Sophie, who moves from Boston to Maple Brook with her husband, Graham, and son, Jack, to start over. Graham has landed the contract to build Texas gubernatorial candidate Jed's new headquarters and has invited them to his campaign fundraising event. While Graham ignores Maple Brook's customs and traditions, Sophie is understandably affected by the local gun culture and racist sentiments.
Jed's wife, Margo, manages to calm her down and even invites Sophie into her circle of friends. Assuming this relationship will benefit her professionally, Graham encourages Sophie to socialize with Margo and her colleagues. Sophie obeys Graham and transforms into an unrecognizable individual who carries a gun in her purse, gets drunk at Margo's lake house, and has sex with a teenage boy. When she regains consciousness, her gun is missing, and she's accused of killing someone. The crux of the story lies in whether or not she can prove her innocence.
The Hunting Wives is so confusing in so many ways that I don't even know where to begin. To start, let's establish a starting point: this series premieres at a time when conservatism and right-wing ideologies are on the rise in the United States. So, you know what you're getting into when the show is set in Texas: there are an overwhelming number of white people brandishing guns and spewing venom at "those Mexicans," there's talk of banning abortion, and a lot of Bible-telling. But then the cracks start to appear. For example, there are people of color at Jed's fundraiser and in Margo's circle of friends.
Am I supposed to think, then, that the racists in this show only discriminate against Mexicans but have no problem with African Americans? Or is the African American community racist toward Mexicans just to rub shoulders with white people? I don't know, and the fact that this is never addressed is what makes it even more baffling. Then there's the LGBTQ issue. As far as I know, the right wing I watch on television, and those who govern the United States, are quite intolerant of the queer community. Yet those featured in this series engage in queer sexual escapades on a daily basis. So is this a veiled dig at conservatives who hide their queer identity and amplify discriminatory values to deceive voters? Perhaps, but it's something that isn't explicitly discussed. Why? Because the writers are too preoccupied with the murder plot, which is riddled with plot holes.
This might be a bit of a spoiler, but the central mystery of The Hunting Wives is related to abortion, which makes sense because it's one of the topics the showrunners use to criticize (I'm being generous with the use of "criticism") conservatives and right-wingers. But the way they present abortion as a tool that can dismantle someone's life in an instant is laughably bad. I may not be aware of how Texas works, but I don't think you can just show up at someone's house, accuse them of having an abortion, and watch their life fall apart. What also doesn't make sense is that the accused would kill their accuser because of that threat, especially when he's been presented as one of the most evil, manipulative, and powerful individuals in Maple Brook, capable of making anyone dance at his whim.
To top it all off, they use amnesia to unravel this abortion controversy. There's a right way and a wrong way to use memory loss as a narrative device. The right way is to strategically extract fragments of the story and refocus them at the right moment. The wrong way is to extract them at random and vaguely imply that the puzzle is solved. Guess which approach the show chooses. If that weren't enough, it also has a ton of red herrings. While I no longer like red herrings in this kind of narrative, because you know they're a red herring from the start, I'll admit there's one that works wonderfully, as it underscores the show's "critique" of bigoted conservatives.
Everything The Hunting Wives does visually is terribly bland. The only time it comes alive is during the sex scenes, but I don't know how much of that can be attributed to the directors, because having attractive people simulate sex inevitably raises the temperature. What does this reveal about the characters? Is it being used to alter the course of the narrative in a meaningful way? Or is it just there to titillate viewers? I'm fine with it if it's just looking to darken the screen (I'm no prude), but in that case, it needs to be aesthetically pleasing, which it certainly isn't, at least in my opinion. As for the performances, everyone has done well. Malin Akerman is incredible, especially during the final episode, when her character is at her most desperate.
Brittany Snow is fantastic throughout. Dermot Mulroney isn't on screen much, but he lights up the screen every time he is. Karen Rodriguez is truly incredible. Jaime Ray Newman, Chrissy Metz, Katie Lowes, Evan Jonigkeit, George Ferrier, Madison Wolfe, Hunter Emery, Paul Teal, Jason Davis, Lauren Bowles, and the rest of the supporting cast are truly solid. They all deserved better writing and competent directors. All of this brings me back to the questions in the title of this review: Who is this show for? What is it about? It's certainly not for those with a conservative stance, as their definitions of racism and conservatism are very confusing. It's definitely not for those with a leftist stance, as it ends up portraying homosexuality as a social evil, and its stance on abortion is a bit ambiguous.
It definitely aims to be provocative, while still meeting the standards expected of a series set in this murder mystery subgenre. But it takes too many risks, especially in exploring its themes, to stimulate anyone's mind. All it manages to do is include a bunch of softcore adult sex scenes, but with the endlessness of the internet, why would anyone watch a show called The Hunting Wives to "have a good time"? I honestly don't know what this show is about. I've been mulling it over for about 24 hours and have come to the conclusion that the show is too confusing to be anything substantial. I'm done. I don't want to think about it anymore. I'm done. If you have any conflicting opinions, please share them in the comments section; I can't wait to hear my thoughts.
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