The Terminal List: Dark Wolf

The Terminal List: Dark Wolf is finally here and it did not disappoint. I absolutely loved The Terminal List starring Chris Pratt so I've been looking forward to this ever since they announced this spinoff a few years ago. This spinoff is a prequel story about Ben Edwards (Taylor Kitsch), who was in the first one but takes center stage here. I've been a fan of Kitsch ever since he starred in the amazing Friday Night Lights. He's awesome here too. Chris Pratt is also back as James Reece and even though he's just a supporting character in this series he's as good as always. It also stars a bunch of other great actors like Tom Hopper, Luke Hemsworth, Jai Courtney, Constance Wu, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Michael Ealy and plenty of others you will recognize. There is plenty of action and drama to keep you entertained throughout each episode. The only bad thing I can say is they didn't release all the episodes at once and we have to wait a week between episodes. It's much better as a binge watch.

A fresh take on The Terminal List universe, shifting the spotlight to the original series' main bad guy Ben Edwards (Taylor Kitsch) and making him the protagonist. Who are we kidding, it's hard not to like Kitsch in anything, even when he's playing the bad guy.

Without giving away spoilers, Ben's story takes an unexpected turn after a SEAL mission goes sideways, forcing him into a more clandestine role that plays perfectly to his skillset. The first episode does a great job setting this up and establishes Dark Wolf as a completely different beast than Chris Pratt's Terminal List, which was an excellent series.

Performances and pacing are spot on. No filler, no dragged-out exposition, easy pitfalls for prequels and military ops thrillers. Tight storytelling from start to finish.

Bonus points for the soundtrack choice. I'm loving the use of metal band outros in sync with the final credits. Alien Earth is doing this too and I'm feeling amped as the credits roll. I'm liking this trend.

Looking forward to the rest of this series.

Too bad I had to read the reviews where people couldn't get over that the prequel is Iraq or James Reece shows up (no way, he was actually somewhere before the future storyline?). Shows a lack of intelligence or in depth thinking of the post "Dark Wolf" story. There are so many parallels to the future Termial List if you pay attention while watching it. Too many people have to draw criticisms of an actors political beliefs or where the story takes place. Watch the future Terminal List, pay attention and don't be a pansy.

My brother and I just watched The Terminal List: Dark Wolf and while it's not quite as good as the original with Chris Pratt, it's still really good and definitely worth your time to watch. Actually, some people might even enjoy this one more...it's that good. Dark Wolf is a prequel origin story of Taylor Kitsch's character, Ben Edwards. It shows his journey from the Navy Seals to his time working for the CIA Special Operations. Chris Pratt is also back in a smaller role. This is a gritty spy thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat and wanting more. If you like action you'll love this because it's full of it, it never lets up from the beginning to the end. I cannot recommend this series enough. I loved it.

Finally, actors that resemble the characters portrayed in the various Jack Carr books. Far better than both Reachers, Rapp, and others. No, I have no actual military experience other than multitudes of novels addressing similar plots. (I read around 200 books a year.). I would rather read about people addressing the fight against barbarianism than a corny, smutty romance novel.