The notion that Taylor Kitsch was going to be the next big thing sank to the bottom of the ocean right alongside Battleship's box office. That was thirteen years ago. He hasn't stopped working since then, but with the exception of a few blips, such as 2013's Lone Survivor and 2015's True Detective, Kitsch has struggled to make a box office impact. It's been three years since he showed up in The Terminal List, so probably it wasn't his launching pad back to the mainstream, but between it and Dark Wolf, this might just mark a new chapter in his career. If so, it's one that we're happy to jump on board.

Dark Wolf is cinematic comfort food. You know what to expect with every frame, and if you've watched The Terminal List, you know how it's going to end. However, rather than relegating the show to mundane and boring, the tried and true formula is warm and familiar. Its likable characters, charismatic performers, and universal themes, like fraternal bonds, do most of the work, but a heavy dose of quality action doesn't hurt.

We're not quite halfway through the series, and despite some clunky dialogue and a handful of performances that don't always reach full speed, if Dark Wolf continues on its current trajectory, we're in for a fun ride.

It's always a pleasure to mark something as Worth it, and Dark Wolf is.

We've passed the halfway point, and Dark Wolf remains an engaging series. Granted, this episode suffers from some of the same expositional deficiencies as the others, namely, an opening scene in which one character receives an information dump from another (weaker) actor over a long phone call. It also has a smattering of moments in which a few performers lack the empathic connection to the material that one might hope for, and there is one cringeworthy sequence that sets up a future interpersonal confrontation with the subtlety of a car crash.

However, despite these and some narrative redundancies that fill time rather than further the story, 'The Sound of Guns' (Ep 4's title) is entertaining and nicely sets up the season's impending climax. Once the action begins, it's top-notch, and the two leads, Talor Kitsch and Tom Hopper, share good chemistry, giving fans who have read or watched The Terminal List a delicious knot in their stomach as they wait for the inevitable.

Stay tuned for next week's entry.