‘Harry Wild’ Recap: ‘Silence Dogood Did Bad’ & ‘The Village Has Eyes’

10/10/2023

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Jane Seymour as Harry Wild in Season 2 of ‘Harry Wild’. (Photo Courtesy of Szymon Lazewski/AcornTV.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the Season Two Premiere of ‘Harry Wild’. To revisit the Season One Finale, click here. Also, this piece was written during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Without the labor of the actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.

Perhaps the most difficult aspect of starting a new series, is establishing the universe it resides within. Because that means the writers have to establish the rules, lay the groundwork for the characters, and tell compelling stories that the audience will love… in a very limited time frame. Which is no easy task and that is why a great deal of first seasons don’t offer us the very best the show has to offer, but enough for us to fall in love regardless and hope for more. Because more is where a show really shines, because then… the writers can build upon that world and really dive deep into the characters and test them like never before and that brings forth wonders untold and well, the majesty of future seasons is top of mind today, simply because the benefits of it are apparent in the season two premiere of Harry Wild on Acorn TV.

For the next two episodes in Harry and Fergus’ adventures through the world of private investigation offered up a vastly different set of stories for certain. The kind that truly showcased this show’s potential. For the cases in ‘Silence Dogood Did Bad’ and ‘The Village Has Eyes’ were bigger and more personal in nature and that really helped us to understand how formidable Harry is as an investigator and it helped her to grow before our eyes, and let’s talk about that growth first, because some of it, for Harry at least, came from a case. Since the beloved town Chief was gunned down in cold blood in this story, and of course… Harry felt compelled to solve his murder. After all, there was some history there and the evidence made it seem as though someone else was responsible for this heinous crime since the evidence was more circumstantial than iron clad.

Which prompted Harry to dig deep and discover that the ol’ Chief was onto something big in this town, a crime syndicate born out of the mind of someone that Harry put away and functioned because of someone within law enforcement. An assistant she was able to nail down and expose… despite the ache in her heart. Because those personal ties did indeed run deep and that made this case tough. But Harry was born tough and firmly believed that she would heal by bringing a monster to bear, and she was right. Because this did give her and the town closure and peace, and it informed us of how much Harry can handle and it also showed us how she has grown as an investigator. Since she was able to separate the business/justice side from her own personal feelings and concerns and she wasn’t the only one to grow in this story, since Fergus faced a tough task as well.

(L-R) Rohan Nedd, Samantha Mumba, and Jane Seymour as Fergus Reid, Paula Kenny, and Harry Wild in Season 2 of ‘Harry Wild’. (Photo Courtesy of Szymon Lazewski/AcornTV.)

Because his mother came home after all this time, and well… that was a lot for Fergus to reconcile. For it had been so long, and he wasn’t sure if he could trust her or not, and rightfully so. After all, being abandoned causes major trust issues, the kind that can take a lifetime to overcome. So, he was vigilant, and he was never quick to give into emotion, and that’s some serious growth for a young man. The kind that eventually paid off when his mother revealed she was trying to do the right thing here… and really take care of him and help him. To the point where she even made arrangements to buy the house for him, so that when he turned eighteen, he had a place to live and take care of his family and that was a sweet and powerful gesture. But what mattered more, was that growth, since it showed us what kind of man Fergus is going to be and that made for some satisfying moments for both characters.

But of course, there was mention of the cases being bigger and we need to touch on that. Because the whole mess with the Chief was bold for certain, and game changing for the character dynamics of the show, and it takes guts for a writer’s room to off a love interest like that, and the second episode’s unique dive into Devil Worshipping, and small-town secrets was also quite epic in nature. Because you don’t see stories with that subject matter, and that level of anger playing out in cozy mysteries. But this one tried it, and it worked, and it led to a very unique ‘who done it’ that kept us guessing every single step of the way.

If anything, all of these elements brought forth, a wondrous season two premiere. One that informed us that year two of Harry Wild is going to be nothing short of incredible. Complete with stories that take our breath away, and big moments from the characters because it is in fact… free. Free to do what whatever needs to be done to make the audience happy because that is what year two does best, and it really did leave us with a pair of incredible tales. The kind that engaged us and kept us guessing with their wonderful twists and turns and really, in the end, it is just wonderful to have this series back on the air. Because it is a lot of fun, and a great mental exercise from a clue perspective, and it will be interesting to see what other surprises await us, as season two of this delightful series continues along. Until next time.

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