‘Harry Wild’ Recap: ‘No One Here Gets Out Alive’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the season finale of ‘Harry Wild’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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Something that crime shows tend to forget or overlook, is that there are other crimes committed in the world, that don’t involve murder and mayhem. There are crimes of passion, ones that involve money and others that are just plain violent and vengeful in nature. But since ratings are king and audiences are oddly comfortable with the portrayal of murder on screen… that’s where these shows reside. Which is why it is so refreshing and delightful to encounter a crime series that is eager to mix things up and present us with cases that don’t follow the norms. So, we can genuinely enjoy something different and unique, and this is why Harry Wild on Acorn TV is a series of note.
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Because after spending most of its first season, taking the time to put a fresh spin on murder cases to begin with, in order to liven up the genre in general… its season finale opted to change things up and offer us a case that was off the wall and wild and related to different penal codes. A feat that ‘No One Here Gets Out Alive’ accomplished, by introducing us to a woman named Zoe McCann, who quickly found herself in the midst of quite the conundrum. Because shortly after she stopped to help what appeared to be a person in need, they quickly attacked her, and she went missing. But thankfully she somehow escaped her captor, and the only thing she could remember about her ordeal, was being chased and dressed in exotic clothing.

Unfortunately, since she was a recovering addict, no one law enforcement wise believed that she actually endured any harm and simply went on a bender. Which brought her to Harry and Fergus, so they could solve the mystery of what happened to her and well, what they uncovered was quite incredible. In that, a broken woman, one desperate to have a family after suffering through great loss, was targeting people she thought no one would miss… and kidnapping them and forcing them into a form of servitude to have that family. And courtesy of Harry’s quick thinking, she and Fergus were able to expose this reality and save Zoe when she was kidnapped a second time and bring this broken soul to justice and well, that’s the perfect case in which to shake things up thematically.

Since kidnapping and assault in this manner and attempts to force people into strange servitude are crimes that do indeed happen. And it was refreshing to see this series remind us of the fact that there are other crimes out there than murder and be brave enough to break the mold. But while that was fascinating for certain, we would be foolish to not talk about the other important plot-line present in this tale as well. Since Harry and her son Charlie, were dealing with drama and lies at the station. For a jilted Vivian decided to take control of the station house and install a puppet and it took a bold gambit on Harry’s part, to put an end to the drama and to get the station house back to normal, with Ray fully reinstated no less. 

If anything, this was just… a delightful season finale when all is said and done. Simply because it took some bold risks for certain, the kind that shook up the tropes of the genre, and hopefully other shows take note of what this story did and showcase some different crimes as well. Plus, you had character growth and progress, and even a burgeoning romance for Fergus and Lola and well… you can’t ask for much more from a season finale and hopefully, this isn’t the end of Harry’s journey, and we get a season two announcement soon. Because this really was a refreshing and unique season of storytelling, one that a story of this caliber can only grow upon in a second year, now that Harry and Fergus are settled in and ready to tackle whatever cases come their way.

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