Society tells us that committing crimes is wrong, and that those whose job is to catch perpetrators are the good guys. Yet that assumes, incorrectly, that all laws are fair and treat populations equally, and that law enforcement officials are always interested in the pursuit of justice. There are also motivating factors for crimes that don’t necessarily justify them but make clear that there are no distinct boxes into which victims and perpetrators fit perfectly. The new Hulu series Furious operates entirely in that gray area, a cat-and-mouse thriller where the person chasing and the one being chased are just two players in a much larger and deeply flawed system.
Alice (Emmy Rossum) is a fresh FBI agent recovering from a vicious attack from her husband and fellow cop Marshall (Jake Lacy) that left her physically bruised and made her a pariah when everyone believed Marshall rather than her. She’s soon thrown into the deep end as Catherine (Lola Petticrew) leaves a trail of bodies and also a series of questions as to why this mysterious figure is targeting powerful men who seem to have it all, augmented by an intense resistance from higher-ups to fleshing out the true nature and motive for these crimes.
Furious comes from creator and executive producer Liz Meriwether, whose projects have skewed more serious after her breakout comedy hit New Girl and pivoted to Emmy recognition for limited series The Dropout and Dying for Sex. This is certainly her most dramatic and violent effort yet, but it still contains a surprising amount of humor in the way its characters interact, demonstrated most entertainingly by Alice’s ally at the FBI, Nora (Quincy Tyler Bernstine), who verbalizes her inner monologue at every opportunity, and pretty much every scene involving Rob Yang’s questionably competent investigator.
Meriwether has a strong history of working with exceptional lead actresses and giving them extraordinary platforms, and this show is no different. Rossum, who spent nearly a decade starring in Shameless and has made precious few television appearances since departing that long-running series, makes a very welcome return to the small screen playing a character whose temper is similar to Fiona Gallagher’s but whose life experience has been completely the opposite. It’s a grueling performance that delves into the pain that she’s endured and that she thinks she deserves, and it translates to a magnetically watchable character who at times feels like her own greatest enemy.
Petticrew, last seen on American television in Say Nothing, is equally compelling as someone driven by rage and determined to find some pleasure in the justice she believes herself to be meting out as she hunts down those who have hurt her. The supporting cast is very well-populated, including Scoot McNairy as a longtime friend of Alice’s who is also loyal to Marshall, and Lacy, hardly a stranger to unlikable roles, who adds depth to a man who clearly wants to be a good but doesn’t seem to know how. A handful of other actors make memorable appearances, but this show’s tone is set and emphasized by a formidable and very funny Bernstine, and Steve Way also makes a distinct and unforgettable impression as the one person who sees a very different side of Catherine and is hopeless to resist her.
Furious will not be for everyone, in part because of its subject matter, which deals extensively with sexual violence involving minors, and also because of the graphic nature of Catherine’s kills and the run-up to them where she makes them suffer. But it doesn’t feel excessive or exploitative, merely the kind of show that requires a content warning to ensure that all audiences opt-in for the experience rather than stumble upon it due to an affinity for either Rossum or Meriwether. Any that do seek it out, however, will find something very much worth watching, a solid crime thriller with an unsuspecting sense of humor that reveals itself at all the right moments and a deeper, more scathing message about what people are willing to allow when it’s not happening to them.
Season grade: 8/10
