‘Harry Wild’ Recap: ‘A Botox a Day Keeps the Mortician Away’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Jane Seymour and Rohan Nedd as Harry Wild and Fergus Reid in Episode 203 of ‘Harry Wild’ – ‘A Botox a Day Keeps the Mortician Away’. (Photo Courtesy of Szymon Lazewski/AcornTV.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 203 of ‘Harry Wild’. To revisit the Season Two Premiere, clickhere. Also, this piece was written during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Without the labor of the actors currently on strike, the movie being covered here wouldn’t exist.
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If there is one particular aspect of the human condition that continues to confuse us and fascinate us all at once… it would be why people commit to the act of murder. For we are the most evolved species on the planet, and we do have an understanding of what is right and what is wrong, and the impact that our actions have upon one another, and what it means to lose someone close to us. Which should be more than enough to motivate us to never want to cause that kind of harm. But people still do, and often, and we pour over the reasons for their heinous actions and still receive no understanding. Despite pondering upon every angle in every way. But perhaps what we truly fail to understand… is that the answer to our deep-rooted question might be far simpler than we give it credit. That some fundamental changes to who we are… could perhaps put an end to such darkness.
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At least, that’s the theory that the next episode of Harry Wild on Acorn TV poses. For ‘A Botox a Day Keeps the Mortician Away’ presented Harry and Fergus with a heartbreaking murder case. One that saw a matron of honor die in a shocking manner. For she was poisoned at a bachelorette party at a spa, and well… since the deceased was the only one that came down ill… the bride had to know why this happened and who did it. To have closure, and so the wedding could go off without this hanging over it. Which brought forth struggles for Fergus and Harry, simply because… there was little to go off of in this case, and even turning to one of the estheticians at the spa as a suspect, proved to be fruitless. For there was no malice to be found there, just another victim when the killer decided to turn their attention that way.

Which meant, Harry had to really think outside of the box to solve this case and well, in looking at the dynamic of the wedding party, she began to suspect that something unique had occurred between several of them, that might have motivated something dark, and she was right. For the bride’s bestie was outed by the matron of honor years ago, and only recently learned of this truth. And her life was so badly impacted by having her sexuality announced in a manner without her control, that she felt the only way to be whole again… was to take a life. All of which spoke to a simple solution that could have avoided all of this. In that, had the matron of honor just… been kind and communicative and respectful, none of this would have happened.

Ergo… those are likely the keys to stopping a lot of the cruelty we see in this world. For if respect came into play for the lives of others in every sense, revenge and justice would not be an option. And if respect and thoughtfulness were used more often, there would be no need to worry about a heat of the moment reaction. Which of course… might be easier said than done, since there is a level of emotional maturity that we as a species might not have reached yet to make that the norm. But we can of course… do more in the interim, and if we can be kind every day, and use our words and be respectful toward others… perhaps that can in fact start a movement that slowly enacts that change and makes the world a better place.

If anything, that was quite the poignant message to find in this story, but a welcome one none the less. Especially in this moment, when the world is burning with fury. And really that message and this case just goes to show that this series really is on a different level than most crime stories, since it does look at aspects of the human condition that no other crime story will. Since that kind of thoughtfulness is rare in this genre, but this show has no problem thinking in such terms and that made for one powerful episode. One that will stay with us for some time with its messaging, and because it also set the stage for other important events down the line. Since we once again are curious as to what Fergus’ mother actually wants courtesy of her odd behavior here, and the only way to find out… and to see what amazing lessons are ahead… is to patiently wait for the next chapter of this thoughtful and delightful series. Until next time.

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