Hunted Episode 2 Review

Last episode had everyone decrying the ineptness of the Hunters.  It looked like ex-Marines, Jeremy Scarratt and Kirk Bowett, were going to be caught when they decided to have lunch in a curry-house in the middle of broad daylight.  The Hunters spotted them inside the restaurant, but they did they go in for the kill? No.  They didn't.  They let the fugitives escape out the back.  Well they let one of them escape, whilst the other stayed at the table.  This was when the Hunters went after Kirk and Jeremy, only not to catch them.  Confused yet? Wondering how these Hunters, who are police detectives, intelligence experts, hackers and psychologists, in charge of the nation's security could let these two fugitives so easily slip through their fingers? You're not the only one.

However, this episode immediately served to clear up some of the confusion.  It was revealed that both Kirk and Jeremy escaped from the curry-house by sneaking out a back exit (although this doesn't explain how the one who stayed behind managed to get away) and then get driven to safety by the manager of said curry-house.  They escaped the grips of the Hunters through more luck than judgement.  Or by the sheer uselessness of the Hunters.

Anyway, the curry-house manager drops Kirk and Jeremy and their accomplices a couple of miles away from the centre of Blackpool.  From here, they have one of their accomplices call one of their friends who holes them up for the night.  However, shock, horror, can it be? The Hunters do something right and track the phone call, leading them straight to Kirk and Jeremy.  The ex-marines lead the Hunters on a merry car chase before pulling into a service station and promptly giving up.  This was a disappointing ending to a pair whom I had high expectations off.  I expected Kirk and Jeremy, with their military background, to do very well, but instead they just became over-confident.  And as for the confusing ending of the first episode, I reckon this was Channel 4's stupid way of creating tension by leaving things on a cliff-hanger.  It was stupid, as it was too unclear how things ended and we saw the pair had gotten away in the trailer for next week.

Fugitives: Jeremy Scarrett and Kirk Bowett

Time on the run: 8 Days

Status: Caught

Although one plus of Kirk and Jeremy being the first to be caught is that they weren't targeted in the mass-media campaign that the Hunters instigated to track down the rest of the fugitives.  They used Facebook, Youtube, Radio, Television and old-fashioned wanted posters to catch fugitives like Anna May and Elizabeth Garnett.

I'm liking the two girls so far.  They're young, bubbly and good fun to watch.  They're best friends and their chemistry shows through.   They've managed to last 8 days on the run through hitch-hiking 500 miles from Cornwall to Perth, Scotland where they are holing up in a warehouse depot.  However, here they become aware of the media campaign and get one of the warehouse managers Catherine to drive them to the safety of Dundee or Stanley.  Well this is the plan, until the three get wind that one of the warehouse workers have ratted out Elizabeth and Anna for a £250 reward.  Catherine chastises this worker claiming that grassing people up is something that we do in Scotland.  Instead she drops them off in a little rural village in the middle of nowhere.

This is where we see the girls beginning to crack.  Panicking at the social media crime, they bemoan their situation and how they ever came to Scotland.  Meanwhile, the Hunters pay a visit to Catherine who quickly shows her hypocrisy.  Despite earlier claiming that being a grass isn't something you do, she rats out Elizabeth and Anna for £500.  The Hunters do guilt-trip her into doing it, but this shows that you cannot trust anyone on the run.  Back in Scotland, the girls are breaking down and are going door-to-door asking for a lift out of town.  One good Samaritan helps them before the Hunters are able to intercept them.  But hey at least Catherine and that warehouse worker got their karma.  Their cash rewards are conditionally offered upon the successful capture of the fugitives.  As Elizabeth and Anna got away, they get zilch! Ha! Serves them, especially the hypocritical Catherine right.  

David Toddington, an online intelligence expert and one of the Hunters, makes an interesting comment about the effects of the mass-media campaign.  He notes that it elicited a lot of reactions along the lines of "fuck you to the Hunters and help the fugitives." Although as we've already seen, it isn't universal, it's interesting how most of the public are siding with the fugitives, seemingly empathising with their situations and living vicariously through them.

The last pair of fugitives in this episode are Hamish Thoburn and Mikaela Sales who the living embodiments of hedonism.  Old flames, the two decided to go on the run for the adventure.  And hell, they have quite an adventure.  The free-spirit Mikaela wants to have as much fun as possible and brow-beats Hamish into enjoying things with her.  And that's exactly what the two want to do.  Throwing caution to the wind, they go water-skiing in Wiltshire and live the Champagne lifestyle.

 Paying little to no attention to the Hunter's media campaign for them, Mikaela claims she is too delicate to be camping in the cold, so they go to a pub, despite Hamish's protests, where they continue to drink and make far too much noise.  All Hamish wants to do is to camp quietly, but he can't resist Mikaela's zest for life and soon joins her in talking to the other pub patrons.  However, all this noise is bound to attract attention, which is exactly what happened.  One of the barmen grass up the couple claiming he doesn't like the look of them.  Mikaela and Hamish completely oblivious to this continue to drink away until they decide to hitch a lift out of there.  However, the Hunters were there to stop them right in their tracks.  After a week on the run, Mikaela and Hamish were caught, but not before Mikaela, in some last weird attention-seeking stunt decides to jump in the canal in a desperate bid for freedom.  This, unsurprisingly, doesn't work and the two go home.

Although it is difficult to imagine how Hamish and Mikaela survived for a week, especially due to their larger than life personalities, they were also good entertainment.  Both middle-aged, they showed that just because you grow older, doesn't mean you have to grow up and there isn't anything wrong with having some fun once in a while.

Fugitives: Hamish Thoburn and Mikaela Sales

Time on the Run: 8 Days

Status: Caught

Top tips for going on the run:

1.  Never trust anyone.  We've seen it multiple times in this episode.  Anybody could grass you up at any time.

2.  Never become over-confident.  This is what almost got Kirk and Jeremy caught out.  And they really should have known better.

3.  Don't draw attention to yourself.  Hamish and Mikaela could have lasted far longer if they had followed this advice.

So what do you think of Mikaela's hedonistic lifestyle? Is it okay to have some fun every so often? And what do you think of Catherine stabbing Elizabeth and Anna in the back? Let me know what you think in the comments below and remember, DON'T TELL ME you're plans for going on the run.

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