The Terminal List: Dark Wolf Review – Prime Video’s New Action Series Manages To Sidestep Some Of The Terminal List’s Sins

Since the early days of the platform’s Jack Ryan adaptation, Prime Video has become one of the best homes for militaristic action shows, particularly those based on a book series. When the Chris Pratt-led Terminal List came along in 2022, it was kind of surprising that the streamer’s winning streak was broken by the underwhelming adaptation of Jack Carr’s first novel in the series.

But not only was it renewed for season 2, the streamer ordered a spinoff prequel with The Terminal List: Dark Wolf. Not a direct adaptation of Carr’s books, the series centers on Taylor Kitsch’s Ben Edwards and is set years before the original show as he’s dishonorably discharged from the Navy SEALs.

Before he can return home, Ben and fellow SEAL Raife Hastings are recruited by the mysterious CIA member Jed Haverforth to join his team working in Europe to stop Iran from getting a device that will make them a nuclear power. Along the way, he learns the dark side of covert operations and begins to question who he can actually trust.

Joined by Umbrella Academy alum Tom Hopper, The Covenant‘s Dar Salim, and a returning Chris Pratt, Kitsch’s Terminal List series suffers from many of its predecessor’s issues. It’s quite grim in places, and the plot begins to get lost when it tries to throw in some twists and political conspiracies.

But where the original failed to overcome some of these missteps, Dark Wolf actually course corrects the franchise. Carr and David DiGilio find ways to infuse some levity alongside the twists and turns, and some solid action to make it a better watch.

Dark Wolf’s Plot Takes A While To Feel Needed For The Terminal List Universe

The Terminal List season 1 underscored how interesting Kitsch’s Ben Edwards was, particularly after the bombshell reveal that he was involved in the conspiracy that led to Reece’s family’s death. There was more to this story, and Dark Wolf strives to fill in its gaps.

When we meet Ben during his SEAL tenure, he shows many traits of prototypical soldiers, including a brotherly camaraderie with his teammates and developing bonds with locals in Mosul during his tour. However, it’s also clear something is brewing under the surface, thanks in large part to Kitsch’s layered performance.

As the show progresses, it’s made — a little too explicitly — obvious that Ben has become obsessed with the violence of the job and is willing to leave everything else behind to stay immersed in it. This leads to a few fascinating conversations between himself and others, particularly Hopper’s Raife.

But while the story does lay some groundwork for where we meet Ben in Terminal List season 1, Dark Wolf takes too long to justify the expansion of the franchise. For someone who’s been in service for as long as he has, Ben’s introduction to the world of covert ops isn’t that out of the norm from his prior experiences.

Given that the show is meant to set up the dark side of the character, I was often left wondering why the darker situations were presented to others. We watch Raife thoroughly torture someone for information, only for a reveal to leave him haunted by his actions, while Salim’s Mo displays symptoms of PTSD that make his actions all the more haunting to watch.

There’s also an occasional lack of believable stakes surrounding Ben. He’s shot and nearly blown up during multiple action sequences, but it’s hard to worry about his safety while knowing his future story.

Dark Wolf’s Action Is A Little Too Slick At Times

The Terminal List has certainly delivered some exciting set pieces, and Dark Wolf really ups the game in some exciting ways. Whether it’s the heist-like operation to steal the device in a highway tunnel styled almost entirely in a one-take, or one of Ben’s climactic one-man showdowns with a swarm of foes, the characters’ skills are nicely on display.

However, the show’s action is sometimes a little too slick. With its focus on former Navy SEALs and other elite military vets, it makes sense that there would be a certain level of smoothness to the way the scenes are shot, playing off of their team coordination and training.

Whether it’s the insistent usage of silencers for every weapon, few life-threatening injuries, or an often steady hand behind the camera, it lacks the authentic messiness of combat. With gunshots that also have little effect on what they’re hitting, I was taken out of some of the action.

Dark Wolf’s Cast Is Solid, Even If The Characters Are Unlikable

Kitsch undeniably slips back into his role with aplomb. When he’s not preoccupied with gunfights, the returning star nicely unpacks Ben’s extra layers that were alluded to in the original show, particularly his frustrations over various betrayals.

Meanwhile, Salim is genuinely heartbreaking as Mo and makes his ever-evolving arc fascinating to watch. Fauda vet Rona-Lee Shimon is compelling in her twisty role as Eliza Perash, and Barry star Robert Wisdom is quietly intense as the suspicious CIA team leader.

I was mixed on Tom Hopper and Luke Hemsworth as Raife and CIA Contractor Jules Landry, respectively. They understand their characters and play them well, with the Westworld alum’s dry wit often garnering the show’s best laughs, while Hopper showcases excellent chemistry with Kitsch as spiritual brothers.

But it’s the characters themselves who so often prove unlikable that it becomes harder to embrace these performances. Raife frequently fluctuates between being ready to leave the fight to sticking with it, even down to a torture scene that is excessive and drawn out. Landry, on the other hand, becomes an abhorrent figure after his actions with a female teammate.

Considering how much time we spend with these characters, Dark Wolf has only somewhat learned from the sins of The Terminal List. Moral ambiguity makes sense for the story it’s trying to tell, but when characters become borderline irredeemable, and the premise spirals into familiar territory, the prequel stands only slightly above its predecessor.

The first three episodes of The Terminal List: Dark Wolf premiere on Prime Video on August 27, followed by new episodes every Wednesday.