The Hunting Wives Pulls Off a Beautiful Double-Twist Maneuver

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Warning: This discussion contains spoilers for the entire first season of The Hunting Wives, which debuted on Netflix on July 21st.

In its inaugural season, the series “The Hunting Wives” offers a lavish feast of the outrageous, scandalous, and absurd. The grand finale, however, is an overabundance of surprises. Not just one twist, but two! Not a single femme fatale, but a duo of them! This final act can be likened to the climax of “Sophie’s Choice.” It resolves the season’s main mysteries while also laying the groundwork for a potential second season filled with drama, satire, and extravagance similar to this one. As we eagerly wait for news about the next season, let’s dissect the nail-biting conclusion and trace the journey that led us here in “The Hunting Wives.

Initially given the go-ahead by Starz in 2023, The Hunting Wives eventually made its way to Netflix following a split between Starz and Lionsgate Television, the series’ producers. However, the show retains a distinct flavor reminiscent of Starz’s tagline “We’re all adults here,” as it delves deeper into explicit content such as sex, violence, and deceit than the original novel by May Cobb. The viewing experience is similar to what one might recall from True Blood. The story begins in a manner akin to Yellowjackets, with a teenage girl fleeing through a forest, only to be fatally shot. The narrative then jumps back three weeks to introduce Sophie O’Neil (Brittany Snow), a 30-something woman struggling with the monotony of her marriage to architect Graham (Evan Jonigkeit). They have recently relocated from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Maple Brook, a small East Texas town, due to Graham’s new job under local businessman Jed Banks (Dermot Mulroney). The cultural shift is significant for Sophie, who initially finds herself out of place, as she dons Birkenstocks instead of cowboy boots and is appalled by the NRA-supporting atmosphere at Jed’s house. How will she adapt to this new environment?

In a unique twist, the solution manifests as Jed’s wife, Margo (skillfully portrayed by Malin Åkerman), who is alluring and provocative. During their initial encounter, Margo strips almost completely when she requests a pad from Sophie, revealing her non-tampon preference (a detail to remember later). Margo exudes an irresistible charm, dominating her social circle through a blend of manipulation and attraction, instantly captivating Sophie. Their relationship bears resemblance to the dynamic between Nomi and Cristal in ‘Showgirls’ or Devon and Michaela in ‘Sirens’: while Sophie admires Margo’s self-assuredness and sexual freedom, she is also drawn to Margo romantically. As their connection deepens, Sophie finds herself both wanting to emulate Margo’s confidence and desiring her physically, leading to some provocative foreplay scenes. Sophie unintentionally witnesses Margo having sex with her high-school lover Brad (George Ferrier) and continues watching until Margo notices and acknowledges her arousal; the two later share a passionate kiss while playing spin the bottle with Brad and his friend, Jamie (Chosen Jacobs). If Jed’s unconventional relationship with monogamy became public knowledge during his run for Texas governor, it would be detrimental to his campaign; if Graham discovered Sophie and Margo’s relationship, he would take away their son. Despite the risks, the women cannot resist each other, and Snow and Åkerman convincingly portray the characters’ tumultuous attraction with subtle glances and tender lips. ‘The Hunting Wives’ skillfully exploits and satirizes pornographic girl-on-girl tropes.

The series reveals Sophie’s tragic past through intimate conversations between Margo and Sophie, as well as the nosy investigations of Callie, Margo’s ex-lover. In Massachusetts, Sophie underwent an emergency hysterectomy which prevented her from having more children, leading to severe depression and alcoholism. One fateful night, she drove drunk and killed a pedestrian, causing her immense guilt ever since. Graham, fearing a repeat of this tragedy, forbids Sophie from driving or drinking. However, influenced by Margo, Sophie begins drinking again, driving, and even purchases a gun – all actions that later implicate her in the murder suspicion when the teen girl from the series’ opening scene, Abby (Madison Wolfe), is found dead in the woods near Margo and Jed’s lake house. Abby was Brad’s girlfriend, whom he was cheating on with Margo, and she was killed on the same night that Sophie and Margo were partying with Brad and Jamie. Sophie can’t remember anything from that night, but assumes Margo will support her story – except Margo, more focused on Jed’s gubernatorial campaign and hiding her own past as an escort from a trailer park, chooses to frame Sophie for Abby’s murder instead, leading Sophie to independently investigate the murder to clear her name.

Towards the end of the final episodes of the series, “The Hunting Wives” neatly ties up all its interwoven narratives. The show also includes a scene where Callie, the wife of her macho-sheriff husband, seductively talks dirty about his arrest skills, as the show is well aware of its genre. The season-long secondary plot revolves around a missing teenager, and Deputy Wanda Salazar (Karen Rodriguez), one of Maple Brook’s most effective police officers, discovers that the town’s youth pastor, Pete (Paul Teal), was the perpetrator. Upon confronting him, he commits suicide, allowing Salazar to rescue his victims. She suspects him of killing Abby too, but Sophie has a different theory. Before Pete died, he told Sophie that Brad confided in him about Abby’s pregnancy — something highly controversial in this small town, leading to some darkly humorous dialogue about Texans’ disdain for Planned Parenthood — and Sophie informs Abby’s mother, Starr (Chrissy Metz), of the pregnancy. Starr already despised Brad, who took Abby for granted, and Brad’s mother, Jill (Katie Lowes), who didn’t think Abby was good enough for her son. When Starr confronts Jill and Brad about their knowledge, Jill kills Starr, and Callie and Margo unwittingly witness the crime, leading Callie to kill Jill in self-defense of Margo. This is a glimpse into the consequences when everyone carries guns and has quick tempers.

It appears that the secret has been unveiled: Abby was pregnant and had an abortion, which Jill found out about and killed Abby as well as another woman named Starr to conceal her initial crime. Later, Callie murdered Jill. Sophie, after having sex with Margo again, discovers tampons in Margo’s bathroom and realizes the truth. It was Brad who confided to Pete that his girlfriend was pregnant and had an abortion, but he didn’t mean Abby – he meant Margo. Margo couldn’t use a tampon when she first met Sophie because she had recently had an abortion, which made it awkward for her high-school boyfriend to get her pregnant while her husband was campaigning for governor. Abby uncovered this information and threatened Margo, who ended up killing her. At another one of Jed’s fundraisers, Sophie reveals to Margo that she knows everything, but Margo remains unfazed. When Sophie storms out of the party in anger, Margo confesses to her lover Jed (and is subsequently slapped and kicked out of the mansion), while Sophie tells her former lover Graham about the truth, causing him to leave her and return to Boston.

The TV series departs significantly from Cobb’s book where Abby was indeed pregnant, Jill killed her, Margo drowned Margo for being with Brad, and tried to kill Sophie before Callie and the police intervened. However, the alterations by showrunner Rebecca Cutter, known for her work on Starz’s intricate thriller Hightown, and her team don’t end there. They introduce a shocking second twist that intensifies the suspense even more. In the climax of “Sophie’s Choice,” both Margo and Sophie reach their lowest points; Margo returns to the trailer park she escaped from through manipulation, while Sophie succumbs to her self-destructive tendencies. Sophie abandons her son, drives drunk, and has a car accident involving Kyle (Michael Aaron Milligan), who was involved in the killing of Abby. In a chilling turn that leaves you questioning whether she truly ran over that pedestrian by mistake, Sophie intentionally runs over Kyle with her car, then pushes his body off a cliff into a river. As Sophie continues to destroy her life, she accidentally picks up Kyle’s ringing phone. On the other end is Margo, who expresses concern about Kyle threatening Sophie – a revelation that moves Sophie to tears. Unfortunately for Sophie, Kyle is now deceased!

In the concluding phone call, both women, scarred by their past relationship, find themselves burdened with guilt – Sophie feeling remorseful for her assumptions about Margo, and Margo suspecting something tragic might have befallen Kyle due to Sophie’s actions. This tense ending sets the stage perfectly for a captivating second season! Will Margo seek revenge by exposing Jed as a hypocrite who advocates against abortion during the day while engaging in illicit activities with sex workers and having wild encounters in hot tubs at night? Or perhaps she’ll share her story on Nancy Grace’s show (who made an appearance in season one), or publicly come out as pansexual and champion LGBTQ+ rights? Alternatively, she might open a gun range, leverage Callie’s rise to reality-TV stardom, or even emulate the character Greer Garrison Winbury from ‘The Perfect Couple’ by writing a revealing memoir about her life. Alison Janney delivers a captivating and convincing performance as this self-aware seductress, making me eagerly anticipate any direction Margo’s story may take in the future!

As a movie reviewer, I’d rephrase the passage like this: In her role as Sophie, Katharine Snow delivers a chilling performance reminiscent of her portrayal of a sinister teenage neo-Nazi on Nip/Tuck years ago. Her character, though seemingly calm and innocent with those captivating eyes, hides a complex mix of self-loathing and arrogant disdain for conservative Texans. This duality adds intrigue to her feelings towards Margo, creating tension that could shift their relationship dynamics even more in the event of a second season. If Sophie can find it in herself to forgive Margo for framing her, can Margo do the same for Sophie’s actions involving Kyle, who was notorious for blackmailing Margo? Will they now cover each other’s tracks or will Sophie descend further into darkness and consider eliminating Margo as well? The storytelling possibilities are endless, especially if a second season focuses on Sophie and Margo pursuing each other like predators.

The primary appeal for another season of The Hunting Wives would undeniably be the development of Sophie and Margo’s relationship. However, the show also explores several other storylines that could be expanded upon in future seasons to expand Maple Brook’s world (or continue satirizing self-righteous conservatives).

One potential direction for the second season could involve Salazar, who might consider running for sheriff following Callie’s husband’s mishandling of the Pastor Pete case. Another intriguing subplot could be unraveling the mystery surrounding Margo’s stalker, played by Atkins Estimond from Hightown. Is he a Democratic operative gathering information on the Bankses as Sophie assumed, or does he have a sinister connection to Margo’s questionable past?

Additionally, there is room for growth in exploring Brad’s character, who has been portrayed as a troubled individual due to his mother’s abuse. One of the show’s weaknesses this season was its underdevelopment of Jill’s abuse. Offering more insight into Brad’s inner world in the second season would be beneficial.

Regardless of the direction The Hunting Wives takes in a second season, it will continue to build on a strong foundation of soap-opera plotting and a consistent tone. When a series is bold enough to end with a cliffhanger involving a literal cliff, that’s quality entertainment.

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2025-07-22 23:55