TERRIERS: Pilot

I really enjoyed the “Terriers” pilot and am pleasantly surprised by how serialized this show is from the very beginning. I know we’re going to have some procedural, case-of-the-week elements thrown in, but it’s comforting to know there’s also a long term arc in place that we’re going to be following for awhile.


Co-stars Donal Logue and Michael Raymond-James have a very cool and comfortable chemistry with each other that immediately sucked me in. There’s a great sense of history between these two without the need for a whole bunch of exposition to convey it. Longue and Raymond-James are close friends in real life and actually lived together during production, which is undoubtedly one of the reasons their camaraderie feels so authentic; namely, because it is. You can even tell in the way Hank interacts with Britt’s girlfriend Katie, that this woman has come to think of Hank as a natural extension of Britt, an inextricable part of the whole. She has no problem discussing personal details of her relationship with him.

While Raymond-James is solid and charming in the pilot, I don’t yet have as clear a sense of his character as I do of Hank. Just one episode in, and this show has already made me love its protagonist. There were some great, defining moments for Hank:

-Loved Hank's reaction to finding out his ex-wife is getting remarried. The anguish and desperation that washes over his face is absolutely brutal and perfectly played by Donal Logue.

-I love the sense of pain and regret from Hank every time his drinking is referenced. This is a man who has made really bad, self-destructive choices in his life, and they’re mistakes he thinks about every day.

-Also love the scene where Katie cracks a joke about Britt being hopeless because Hank is his mentor, in reference to Hank’s own painful past. Katie can see she’s hurt Hank’s feelings right away, but Hank views his problems as his problems, and he quickly sucks it up, chooses not to lay any of it on her, and gives her some words of encouragement.

-I love the whole idea that Hank has become a better, redemption-seeking person because of his personal failings. His outrage over what happened to his friend in the final scene with Lindus is palpable. This is a man who has been through hell and caused hell, a man who has crossed a threshold and just can’t handle seeing another injustice or another person taken from him. When he tells Lindus he’s going to destroy him, I believe him.

Despite how satisfying outspoken heroics might feel to Hank, I’m not sure it was the best strategy to tell Lindus that they’re coming after him. After all, this man just had 2 people killed. What exactly is stopping him from having Hank and Britt killed next? This is an huge risk they’re taking, but then, these two like to gamble.


-Side note: Hank Dolworth obviously has a little Vic Mackey in him with the way he had his partner plant that gun.


Overall, I think this was a solid and entertaining pilot. I enjoy these characters and this universe, and I see no reason to think I'm not in it for the long haul with this show. Looking forward to next week.