‘Dynasties II’ Recap: ‘Hyena’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 204 of ‘Dynasties’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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Often times, documentaries about nature and the wonderful wildlife that populates our world, offer stories that have a hint of Hollywood in them. In that, they include a species that we know and love and find cute and endearing. So that we immediately are drawn into the story and rooting for them to succeed at whatever task they are trying to accomplish. Plus, going this route allows for a comfortable good versus evil storyline to pop up as well, since animals that we tend to consider a ‘villain’ can antagonize the hero when in fact… this is just nature being nature and the cameras managed to snag something special.
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Which is why BBC America documentaries should be celebrated often. For these are stories that remove that stylized nonsense and present nature in the raw, including examinations of the lives of animals that we might consider to be… villainous in nature, and for proof… then look no further than last night’s episode of Dynasties II. For ‘Hyena’ is a story that examined an animal that has been painted to be the villain often, and how their dynasties and family lines thrive and well… what we learned about these animals was simply fascinating to say the least. For the pack we focused upon in this particular tale, were dealing with quite the surprise. In that, their queen had recently died, leaving a power vacuum that one hyena was eager to fill.  

For Suma saw a chance to just take the throne, since Princess Sia was too young to assume command of this pack and well… her gambit worked, and she quickly became the queen and did her best to be a just and kind ruler. One that would always have the favor of her subjects, allowing for her to begin to grow a family beyond her one-year-old son and for a time… it appeared as though this was going to be quite the successful coup d’état and… it allowed for the audience to see Hyenas in a whole new light. Since we were able to learn about their hierarchy and how the queen and her children get first crack at food and how she has actual lieutenants that carry out her bidding and hunt for her, making for a powerful episode for certain. One that made it clear that leadership matters to the hyena and that they are indeed opportunists when it comes to building a dynasty.

However, what was so incredible about this documentary, was that it took the time to explore how assuming the throne does not guarantee security. For often times, the daughter will assume command when the queen falls and well… as Sia grew, she began to challenge Suma for leadership and could have potentially been involved in the end of Suma’s new pups. Since they disappeared along the way, and all of these machinations were designed to put the pack back in family hands and eventually… Sia was successful in doing just that. For there came a day when Suma was challenged and knew the odds were against her. Forcing her to gracefully exit and perhaps start a new dynasty of her own and well, in the end this was simply one of the most incredible episodes of this series to date.

Largely because, it really did showcase a different side to an animal that is oft viewed as nothing more than a villain in these stories, and storytelling in general. In fact, the hyena was the antagonist during last week’s episode. But putting them front and center here, offered up fascinating insight into how the hyena lives and operates and how important the family line is to them, and how far they’ll go to ensure it thrives and they are clearly, a touch more ruthless about it than other species. As evidenced by the long game that Sia played here to become queen and the sheer genius she injected into that process and well, in the end, this documentary just goes to show… that family is everything to nature, and while it might not thrive in the traditional sense for every species out there, one way or another… it will thrive. Until next time.

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