Like a lot of people who wanted a return to roots of gritty and tough action and espionage series, I quite enjoyed The Terminal List (the original) and thought it was great. This was released during a time that anything that didn't feature tremendous amounts of diversity came under a lot of scrutiny and Chris Pratt himself, who is an unapologetic Christian (why should anyone have to apologize for that?) faced a lot of lot of undeserved criticism and review bombs by some sort of mainstream mob that was trying to cancel anything that wasn't ultra-progressive.
I will admit that this was a big part of the reason why I ever watched it to begin with but in the end I really enjoyed that series in its entirety and when a sequel of sorts popped up this year called Dark Wolf I was eager to see what it was all about as well.
Nevermind, it is a prequel not a sequel. I honestly forgot what the underlying theme of the original story was because i watched it so long ago. It wasn't exactly Game of Thrones memorable, it was just really good.
Anyway, in Dark Wolf we have very similar themes going on here. Very elite branches if the US military team up with the CIA or at times actively work against them in an effort to control what is going on with various countries around the world. While none of us have any proof that this actually happens, the CIA probably doesn't let us know about those sorts of things on purpose. I'm quite certain that it does happen but I digress.
This story is about a Navy SEAL unit in Iraq who does some things that they were not permitted to do and therefore two of the main dudes get discharged. Then on their way back to civilian life they end up getting recruited to some sort of CIA lead group that does things outside of military influence and in a way it is attempting to showcase what things are like for the people that are involved in these sorts of things.
I find it amusing and entertaining for sure but I must admit at times that I feel as though it is a bit too out there and outlandish to possible be based in any sort of reality. It is not based on a true story or anything but the things that this small group of elites get away with at times are pretty friggin crazy. Such as shooting multiple people in and around a crowded and urban disco that has armed security but not only do they not get detected despite needing to somehow get many bodies out of the place undetected,but their dozens or hundreds of rounds of ammo they discharge just doesn't get noticed not just by the people in the club, but to anyone living in the surprisingly empty streets surrounding said club.
I can suspend my disbelief to a certain extent, but even if you were able to deactivate all the CCTV in Berlin's underground subway on demand as they do in an episode, I think that when two people are murdered in public that at least a couple of people are going to get that on record with their phones. I don't like that this isn't addressed and we are just told "there's nothing matching your description on the police wires so you are in the clear." Are you kidding me? There were a hundred people around when it happened and homeboy confidently just walked away from the scene.
Whatever right? It is an action series so just go with it.
This show also plays out like it isn't really an ongoing objective sort of thing but like it is designed to end on a cliffhanger so that you have to watch the next episode to understand what just happened. I don't like when series do this because it keeps me up too late at night... lol.
The overall objective of what we are actually aiming for in anything that is going on isn't terribly clear, and it changes episode by episode. I sometimes wonder if the people who made the show really even knew or if it was altered regularly as they proceed with linear filming. I have no idea, but at times it feels like I am watching Prison Break where situations are created right at the 44 minute marks so we can have something exciting and mysterious happen just before the episode reaches its conclusion.
But lets not allow this to suggest that I am saying you shouldn't watch this. I am just being as unbiased as possible and present both the good and the bad. I have no agenda other than to try to direct people to something they may or may not want to see.
The characters are cool, mostly have decent backstories and come from a wide variety of backgrounds without it seeming at all as if it was DEI oriented, which is a good thing because I feel as though many if not most people are tired of that. There are no 110 lb women beating up a group of ten 240 lb soldiers at once in this. Things are kept realistic and I appreciate that.
The actors and actresses are mostly exceptionally good looking, very very ripped, and have some really cool and possibly not real technology that they are using. The dialogue takes place in multiple languages and they don't bother pretending as though some dude from Missouri is fluent in Arabic and Mandarin either. I guess Jared Leto wasn't involved in the production.
Chris Pratt is a producer, but he actually, at least thus far, has very little involvement in the actual show, which might make a lot of sense for someone with greater knowledge of the source material than I am. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. It is nice to see Taylor Kitsch and the ridiculously good-looking Tom Hopper take the front seats in this one instead. Their bromance is a bit strong at times, but for the most part this show is all about the action and espionage and it keeps things moving at a fast pace.
you will never get bogged down in what seems like completely senseless dialogue designed to waste 20 minutes of each 45 minute episode.
Should I watch it?
I think almost definitely yes, especially if you enjoyed the original Terminal List. I think the original set the bar so high that there was no way I personally was going to enjoy it as much as the first one, but it is still my favorite series that I am watching right now. They keep you engaged, they don't waste time, the dialogue and characters for the most part are really good, and even though the story is convoluted and all over the place perhaps this was done on purpose and the only reason I feel that way now is because the audience isn't actually supposed to understand the full painting until all of it has been painted.
I recommend this for sure.
At the moment the only legal way to acquire this series is via an Amazon Prime membership using the with or without ads options
