‘Harry Wild’ Recap: ‘When Harry Met Fergus’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the series premiere of ‘Harry Wild’.
​
We are taught in life, that we must follow a very specific path when we reach adulthood. One where we choose a career path that calls to us and stick with it. Because when it beckons to us, it is undoubtedly where we belong in life, and we should pour ourselves into it and leave an impact on our field so that when we leave it years down the line… we feel satisfied with everything we’ve done and can enjoy our retirement without a single regret in our hearts. If anything, this is a lesson that has true merit, since this is a foundational pillar to modern society, one that we have seen time and time again, help so many find their path in life. 
​
However, the only drawback to this particular lesson, is that it does tend to pigeonhole us and lock us into one path… rather than let us explore our other passions and talents in life. Which is a shame since human beings are incredibly diverse when it comes to their talents and when one discovers they can do more than one thing in this life… it ignites our souls in ways we never thought possible since it allows for us to feel quite special. But instead, we are taught we must spend every waking hour focusing on that prime career to become the master we know we can be and that’s why a lot of our secondary gifts aren’t discovered until later in life and well, that discovery is paramount to our discussion today, because it serves as the central theme of the new Acorn TV series, Harry Wild.

Now in this particular show… we are introduced to Harriet ‘Harry’ Wild, a literature professor that is preparing to bid farewell to her teaching career and enter that fulfilling retirement phase. But shortly after she bids farewell to teaching in ‘When Harry Met Fergus’, an incredible and terrifying surprise helps her to uncover a hidden talent she never knew she had. In that, she is mugged by a young man out of the blue and stays with her son, who is also a police inspector, and his family for a few days to recover. And while she heals, she finds herself pouring over a case file and the clues that clearly indicate the killer in this particular case, is a literature nut is and is acting out a particular piece, and that could help lead to his capture. A revelation that her son wants no part of, but she’s convinced she is right.

Which of course brings that talent in question to light. In that, Harry’s attention to detail and her instincts when it comes to people, makes her an excellent investigator and just like that, she’s on the case and diving deep into the clues and she even enlists the help of her mugger, a young man named Fergus… to help her crack it, as penance for his crime. And as expected, Harry turns out to be an incredible investigator and solves that tough case. Which is an ending that is proof positive, that second acts are possible in life, and that we can do incredible things when we nurture all of our talents. Making it clear that perhaps the old way of thinking needs a bit of an update for certain, so that people get the chance to really understand what they are capable of.

But for the sake of the show, this discovery benefits the audience, by informing us that we are about to embark on quite the ride. One where this former professor is going to embrace her newfound skills as an investigator and accomplish wonders in the process since she’s darn good at it and well, that’s going to make for some original storytelling. Since this is a concept, you just don’t see in crime dramas or cozy mysteries these days, and it also doesn’t hurt that the iconic Jane Seymour is the lead in this tale since she always delivers in any role she takes on, and well, this writer is definitely hooked and eager to see what kind of incredible crimes Harry is going to solve in the weeks to come… as she settles into her second act as gumshoe. Until next time.

---