Prime Video’s The Terminal List: Dark Wolf sees Ben Edwards from The Terminal List Season 1,Taylor Kitsch reprising his role in this prequel, charting his path towards the original series as tragedy sends him from Navy SEAL to the darker Black Ops world as a CIA Ground Branch operative. White-knuckle action sequences and complex, nuanced characters help this espionage thriller stand not only as a prequel, but firmly on its own merits.
That’s not to say The Terminal List: Dark Wolf is a complete success. There’s plenty of covert spy game tropes and twists that are easily sussed out, but original novel author Jack Carr and showrunner David DiGilio have fleshed out an exciting corner of this world and an entertaining cast of characters. Kitsch is particularly good with his usual quiet intensity and charm, and seeing Edwards path towards darker justice is compelling.
Tom Hopper will have many viewers going to his IMDB page (watch Umbrella Academy, btw) as Edward’s level-headed operative bro Lieutenant Raife Hastings. Hopper is an absolute beast of a human being, but has undeniable gravitas that could easily propel him into his own spinoff or hopefully even bigger roles in other franchises because the guy should be a huge star. The series is careful to not push any political agendas, and characters like Hastings and Edwards portray complicated looks on what it means to serve and whether the ends justify the means.
The series debuts with three episodes, followed by new episodes every week for the remainder of the seven episode season. The early installments that focus on Edwards’ SEAL days are gripping and authentically represented thanks to military veterans contributing in almost all areas of production including, acting, writing, advising and producing. There is a strong sense that the story is about the sacrifice and brotherhood of the service men and women and not any nation’s ideals or agendas – it puts the focus where it should be and that’s those who serve.
As The Terminal List: Dark Wolf moves out of the SEAL days (yes, Chris Pratt does reprise as James Reece) the story shifts into a Bourne-esque adventure centering on Edward and Hastings as they join spymaster Jed Haverford’s (the always terrific Robert Wisdom) merry band of special agents. The team aesthetic feels too Mission: Impossible for my tastes, but it does provide some welcome fun in the middle of the season. The action sequences are an absolute selling point of the series, and the exotic locales and swanky parties provide fresh new areas to cause carnage instead of the gritty desert military battles. One particular car chase in the middle of a European city is excellently choreographed, bringing the viewer directly into a suspenseful smash mouth sequence.
Zero offense to Chris Pratt, I am no hater and enjoy most of his work, but in this particular franchise I like him better as a supporting character. There might be a bit too many ensemble action franchise clichés here, but when it comes down to it, The Terminal List: Dark Wolf, might be the rare exception where a spin-off is better than the original.
Score: 3.5 out 5