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Hunted |OT| Never Make an Agent the Enemy

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R

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
I thought the finale was quite good, as well as the season overall. I'm definitely excited to see what they have planned next. Thoughts:

I liked the little animated "Snow Maiden" intro.

The botched car bombing was stupid. Jack was obviously too far away, so why did they decide to go through with the detonation? They could have waited for a more opprotune moment later on.

Tyrone is the secret thrid brother! What a twist!

What was up with that creepy girl in the window? She was just a random neighbor that happened to witness the murder of Stephen's wife?

I really liked the callback to the pilot, with Sam holding her breath in the bathtub. I had totally forgotten about that and I remember wondering why she was doing it when I was watching the pilot. Seems like someone tried to smother her when she was a child and she had to hold her breath to make him think she was dead, so ever since then she practices holding her breath? That doesn't make a lot of sense though - why would she be captured and taken to that abandoned house/castle, only to be smothered by some guy? If they wanted her dead they could have just killed her when they killed her mother.

There were a lot of story threads left open. Let's see:

Everything to do with Hourglass.

Everything to do with her past. Who killed her mother (Hourglass?) and for what purpose? Why was she kidnapped? Who was the guy who was missing the one half of his finger?

The real identity of Aiden.

How Deacon knew to help Sam fake her death.*

What the needle guy wants with her, and who he works for.

Clevinger said:
You like Aiden?
Click to expand...

Not really, but I think his backstory is sort of interesting and I'm curious to find out more about him.

Also, Maureen Ryan has an interview up with Frank Spotnitz, which is located here. Here are some good bits -

Q: Her having a daughter, that was kind of a big reveal. And obviously that’s the kind of thing that you probably only could reveal right at the end. When did that become part of your thinking? And I am curious to know when Melissa knew as well.

A: She knew from the beginning, because if you go back and look at Episode 1, you’ll see that after she gets coffee, she stops on the sidewalk and there’s [a woman with a baby]. That’s her nanny and her baby. And we wanted to hide it in plain sight for the audience, because I didn’t want people to think, “Oh, so at the last minute they decided that she did have a baby.” And I went, “No, it was there from the very beginning.” And that’s why she was gone for a year, because a year is a long time to be gone. If you trace it back in your head you [now] realize, "Okay, so she got shot in Tangier, but the reason she didn’t resurface is that she didn’t lose the baby and she waited until she could bring it to term."

And then, once she was situated and recovered, then she went back to work. And that’s part of why she’s still in training when we find her a year later. She wasn’t just recovering from the shooting. It requires you to go back and play [the season] all in your head again.
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That is awesome. It makes so much sense too. She was gone for a year because she was pregnant, and she stopped to look at the baby - not because she was sad about losing hers - but because it was hers! haha that's an awesome twist.

*
Q: Just actually going into some of those twists and turns, did Zoe betray Sam in the end?

A: No. It’s meant to be ambiguous when she says, "How shit is this?" on the bridge. You can’t tell at that moment. Wait a minute, did she set it up or she commiserating with [Sam in] the situation? You really don’t know for sure the way the show ends, how many people were in on the rescue of Sam and the faking her death on the bridge. But I will tell you now that when you come back next year, you realize that they were all aware of it. And that that’s why Keel says to Deacon Crane in his office, “I want to put an end to this, but I need your help.”

Q:Okay. I assumed that Crane and Keel were in on bridge plot, but Zoe -- she was part of faking Sam's death too?

A:Yeah, she told Byzantium that she was being blackmailed, which is how Crane knew to go to the bridge and fake Sam’s assassination. There was no way he could have been in position unless Zoe had been in on it.
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Okay, that makes sense.
 
R

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
Cornballer said:
- Sepinwall: 'Hunted' creator Frank Spotnitz on the series finale and the future of Sam Hunter
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Sepinwall: I know it's early stages yet, but what can you tell me about the plan for the new series? Are there any characters or story elements who are off-limits now? Will she still be working with Byzantium? Looking into what happened to her mother and why so many people are interested in her? Or will this be structured differently from Hunted, but just featuring Melissa in this role?

Frank Spotnitz: I loved "Hunted," but we really are talking about a completely different series. Having Cinemax as our sole broadcaster is really liberating -- we know we're writing for an audience that's looking for thrills, action and suspense. Those things were always a big part of the show, of course, but so was a heavily serialized story structure that I don't think we'll need in the spinoff.

Viewers who are eager for answers to the outstanding questions from "Hunted" -- about Sam's mother, the Fingerless Man and Hourglass -- won't be disappointed.
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...

:/

The heavily serialized story structure is gone? Noo. Ugh.

From the sound of it, Sam Hunter is the only returning character and Byzantium is gone as well. They'll still answer the main lingering questions, but it sounds as if they're ditching the cerebral, paranoid mythology in favor of something more Strike Back-ian.

It doesn't necessarily have to be a negative thing, I guess, but my fears won't be put to rest until the new show is on my TV screen.
 
C

Cornballer

Member
RatskyWatsky said:
The heavily serialized story structure is gone? Noo. Ugh.

From the sound of it, Sam Hunter is the only returning character and Byzantium is gone as well. They'll still answer the main lingering questions, but it sounds as if they're ditching the cerebral, paranoid mythology in favor of something more Strike Back-ian.

It doesn't necessarily have to be a negative thing, I guess, but my fears won't be put to rest until the new show is on my TV screen.
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Agreed. I'm not sure if a more procedural version of Hunted will be as interesting to me, though Strike Back does a decent job with mixing a season long arc with some two-parters.

The bigger problem is losing out on Byzantium and specifically much of the cast they had in those roles. I really liked Rupert, Deacon, Zoe, and even Ian grew on me. I didn't have as much of a problem with Aiden as other people that watched, as well.

Btw, the actor who plays Ian is named Lex Shrapnel which is awesome and hilarious at the same time.
 
R

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
Cornballer said:
The strange Byzantium Tests website that Cinemax put together is going offline soon, so check it out now if you want to have a look.
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I'm an autonomous striver with hidden strength. Top 20%.

Your responses indicate a desire to overcome a persistent feeling of emptiness or dissatisfaction. You believe life should have more to offer, and fear you have somehow not achieved everything you deserve.

Your desire for legitimate respect and success has led to increasing anxiety. Consequently, you no longer exhibit some of the friendliness and openness for which you were once known.

Similarly, you fear being overly influenced by others. You are often fiercely independent, which sometimes leads to being resistant to the opinions of friends and relatives — even to the point of denying what you fear may actually be true.

This behavior stems from your wish to be regarded as an authority. It leads you to react strongly when you suspect you might be wrong. At times you feel that too much is being asked of you, and that you are not properly recognized for your efforts. This situation — be it fueled by others’ jealousy or negligence — adds to the stress in your life.

Luckily, your determination is unyielding. Unlike others facing similar adversity, you forge ahead despite the challenges. Through strength of will or simple endurance, you are unique in your ability to withstand the troubles of a complicated life.
Click to expand...

I have an unusually well realized ability to make confident decisions under pressure. :)
 
TDLink

TDLink

Member
Decado said:
Is there any difference between the Cinemax and BBC versions of this show?
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The Cinemax version does in fact have a bit more nudity than the BBC version. It doesn't really drastically change anything though. You get the same scenes just with some different shots.
 
R

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
TDLink said:
The Cinemax version does in fact have a bit more nudity than the BBC version. It doesn't really drastically change anything though. You get the same scenes just with some different shots.
Click to expand...

Which is weird, because the nudity level in Hunted is already pretty low.
 
C

Cornballer

Member
A couple of items of Hunted related news:

- Melissa George To Star In ABC’s ‘Gothica’
Melissa George has been tapped for a lead role opposite Janet Montgomery in ABC’s drama pilot Gothica. Set in the present day, the project, created by Matt Lopez and exec produced by Mark Gordon and Nick Pepper of The Mark Gordon Co., weaves together a mythology that incorporates the legends of Dracula, Jekyll and Hyde, Frankenstein and Dorian Gray. It centers on journalist Grace Van Helsing (Janet Montgomery) who takes over her family’s hometown newspaper. George, repped by ICM Partners, 3 Arts and Smelkinson, will play Fiona Hunter, the series’ most formidable force, and everyone – from Grace, to Dorian (Chris Egan), to Victor Frankenstein (Tom Ellis) – will find their mettle and savvy tested by this deliciously cunning woman. Aussie George recently toplined Frank Spotnitz’s BBC/Cinemax series Hunted. While the series ended when BBC opted not to renew it, Ciinemax and Sportnitz have been plotting two-hour movies centered on George’s character, which has developed strong fan following.
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And reposting an article from back in November:
- Cinemax Eyes New Incarnation Of ‘Hunted’ With Frank Spotnitz And Melissa George
 
C

Cornballer

Member
RatskyWatsky said:
Two hour movies? Very interesting. I assume that it'll either be like Sherlock or maybe sort of like the first season of Strike Back, where they aired two episodes per night, for one sort of two hour mini arc.
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I hope they find time/money to do it. The longer we go without news, the less likely it seems that anything will come of it. I'd be cool with a few 2hrs movies now and then, though I hope the quality of the cast and production stays similar to what we saw in S1.
 
C

Cornballer

Member
- Deadline: Cinemax & Frank Spotnitz Developing ‘Hunted’ Spinoff Starring Melissa George
HBO/Cinemax and The X Files alum Frank Spotnitz are developing Sam Hunter, a drama starring Melissa George to air on Cinemax. A spinoff of Cinemax’s Hunted, the action series sees George reprising her role as Sam, a gutsy agent in the murky world of private espionage.
Now on the run from her former employer, Sam has a price on her head and a young daughter to protect. She must work as a freelance spy to find out who wants her dead — and how it connects to the murder of her own mother.
Cinemax is planning to launch Sam Hunter as a four-hour miniseries, which Spotnitz is currently writing.

Cinemax has been looking to keep Hunted alive in some form since partner BBC One last November opted not to renew the series for a second season. Hunted, Cimemax’s second original series after Strike Back (which Spotnitz co-executive produced), earned some of the best reviews for a Cinemax show and did solid business in the ratings for the pay cable channel. Because of the project’s setup –- BBC originally commissioned eight episodes from Shine-owned British production company Kudos Film and Television before Cinemax came on board as producer/U.S. distributor — continuing the series in its original incarnation was impossible without BBC’s involvement. So Cinemax brass started looking for others ways to extend the franchise, focusing on the key elements that they loved about Hunted — Spotnitz, the character of Sam Hunter and George. Doing the new series by itself would give Cinemax greater creative control and allow WME-repped Spotnitz to push the boundaries on storytelling, tailoring the show to a pay cable network vs. a public broadcaster, what BBC is.

Kudos is on board to produce Sam Hunter in association with Spotnitz’ Big Light Prods. Executive producers are Jane Featherstone, Stephen Garrett, Alison Jackson and Spotnitz, who also exec produced Hunted. George, repped by ICM Partners and 3 Arts, recently starred in the ABC pilot Gothica.
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C

Cornballer

Member
ivysaur12 said:
Yaaaaaaaaaas
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I know, right!?!
RatskyWatsky said:
4 hour miniseries? Miniseries suggests a one and done sort of deal, and I'd like for the show to continue past this little mini season, so hopefully they mean mini season. Maybe they can do a Sherlock-esque 3-4 hour mini season every year or something like that.
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Well, it says "Cinemax is planning to launch Sam Hunter as a four-hour miniseries." So maybe they're going to kick it off with 4-hrs and then figure out where to go with it? Use the first mini-series as a test case and see what the response is critically and financially?
 
R

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
Cornballer said:
Well, it says "Cinemax is planning to launch Sam Hunter as a four-hour miniseries." So maybe they're going to kick it off with 4-hrs and then figure out where to go with it? Use the first mini-series as a test case and see what the response is critically and financially?
Click to expand...

Yeah, that makes sense.
 
I

ivysaur12

Banned
I actually thought Hunted and Enlightened were a strangely intriguing pair on the faults of a corporate-centered society from a female POV. I hope some of that remains in Sam Hunter if/when it happens.
 
M

Munin

Member
This is great, I'm just scared the show will lose some of its unique personality (British-centered setting and actors) in favor of some generic American...stuff.
 
C

Cornballer

Member
Munin said:
This is great, I'm just scared the show will lose some of its unique personality (British-centered setting and actors) in favor of some generic American...stuff.
Click to expand...
That's a concern for me, as well. The look of the show had a certain British sensibility to it (color palette, etc...) and I liked a lot of the cast (Keel & Deacon in particular.) I hope they maintain that in any sort of continuation.
 
R

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
I think there is cause for concern on that front, but I'm confident that they'll come up with something equally good if they do decide to change things.
 
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