Hulu series Furious is a rich, tense thriller with a great cast
Hulu original thriller series Furious is getting a lot of positive press right now, and there are solid reasons for this. Is it wholly original in its story and characters? No, but it combines its elements in a compelling and completely riveting way. It’s filled with flawed characters that are both frustrating and sympathetic.
Emmy Rossum is Alice, a former homicide detective, now an FBI agent who has basically been assigned to answering phones. As we soon find out, she left NYPD after reporting her boyfriend Marshall (Jake Lacy) – also a police detective – for physically abusing her. The tie amongst police officers is strong, so she is basically being punished while Marshall is still part of the “club.”
Catherine (Lola Pettigrew) is a female serial killer, and we learn about her slowly. In the beginning, we see her injecting the wealthy Caleb with a drug, subduing him, periodically taunting him, and eventually killing him. This is clearly personal, and we find out that she was trafficked as a teenager, and is targeting the men who assaulted her.
Both women are complex characters who are struggling with their trauma in ways that are somehow different and similar at the same time. Their paths begin to venture towards one another when Alice’s former NYPD partner Danny (Scoot McNairy) reaches out for her help when Caleb’s body is discovered.
Alice’s FBI boss is not happy about it, but Nora (Quincy Tyler Bernstine), the head of the FBI’s sex crime unit sanctions her continuing involvement in the case. Alice and Nora’s respect for one another is palpable, and their scenes together are great.
One of the things I appreciated most about Furious is the relationship between Alice and Danny. She keeps herself a safe distance from most people in her life, but in her own prickly way, she trusts him. She is quick to anger, defensiveness, and insults, but he doesn’t take any s*it from her. He bluntly tells her at one point that she smells bad and needs a shower. He later finds out that Marshall was fond of beating her after she got out of the shower, and this is why she avoids it. In response, he sits in the bathroom with her as she finally steps under the hot water, proving that he is a safe person to trust. I loved that moment.
As for Catherine, the more we find out about her past, the more we understand her (even while we know that killing people – even if they deserve it – is not the answer). She is tiny, but fierce, and uses sex to control people because she feels she has been used sexually to the point where it is her only defense.
She dresses and acts girlish, carrying a sequined bag, keeping her injectable drugs in a tin case covered with sparkly gems and stickers, and steals a backpack that belongs to one of her victim’s young daughter.
Nora is also a complex character; she is tough as nails, but has a kind heart, and she drinks to cope with the harsh realities of her job. Together, she and Alice are a force to be reckoned with, even while the men in charge try to subdue them.
Many of the men in Furious are definitely not nice guys, but the series is smart enough to give us Danny and another character named Alden in order to keep the storyline from going into “all men are bad” territory. And as already covered, our main female characters have not so nice moments, which keeps them from staying firmly in victim mode.
Emmy Rossum gives a tough, yet vulnerable performance as Alice, and the other actors are extremely strong as well. It will be interesting to see if Furious will get a second season; it could go either way with the ending we are given. But I really enjoyed Furious, and stayed engaged throughout all eight episodes.
Furious is currently available to stream on Hulu.
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