After five long weeks, we have reached the finale of season 3 of Hunted. With only three days left, will any of the remaining four fugitives win the show?
Last episode ended with Joe and Dan live-streaming a gig in a pub on Facebook, as a way of provoking the Hunters. The provocation works and the Hunters send a ground team to catch the pair. however, by the time, the Hunters reach the pub, Joe and Dan have a long gone. The Hunters try bribing the patrons of the pub to give up information, but the patrons take the piss instead.
The next we see of Joe and Dan, they're in Burton Flemying, North Yorkshire and they have received a USB stick, which gives them information about their extraction point. They plug it in at an internet cafe and discover their extraction point is a boat on the Greenway Quay, along the River Dart in South Devon. They also find out that using the USB stick has automatically alerted the Hunters to their location, but not the location of the extraction point.
Joe and Dan then meet a contact who lets them borrow his car. However, first, Joe and Dan walk around Yorkshire, carrying their bike helmets to make the Hunters think they're travelling by bike.
Unfortunately, the Hunters suspect this is a ruse, because of how Joe is wearing the most Yorkshire thing ever, a flat-cap. But the ruse works long enough for Joe and Dan to drive within 40 miles of South Devon, where they commit to cycling the rest of the way. From there, we next see them in Chudleigh, Devon and they actually cycle past Bob, but they wisely decide not to make contact.
Now onto Bob Ayling. He originally began this process with his son Alex, whom we'll come to soon, but the pair split up to double their chances.
However, without Alex, Bob has become utterly lost. We see his morale drop and he becomes exhausted. yet he is still dedicated to his son. Bob regularly admits his failings as a father and he wants nothing more to atone for them now. This made me root for him. He's a favourite of mine to win.
We see Bob is in Chiddingstone, kent. When he receives the USB stick, he goes to the town hall to access it. When he realises he needs to scarpers, one of the town clerks agrees to drive him to a contact who can help further. The Hunters quickly discover Bob's location and send a team there, but the town hall staff do little to help them.
So instead, they begin tracking mobile phone activity in the area and they quickly identify the phone of a Sue Hewlett - the same Sue Hewlett who has just dropped Ben off with her contact.
The Hunters contact Sue and when it emerges she won't help them, the Hunters then begin playing dirty. They tell her that Bob made up a story about Alex, as a way of gaining sympathy, so that he can win the show and use the prize money for pay for his divorce. This tactic caused online outrage, and while I agree, it was below-the-belt, this was only because we've grown to love Bob so much. We know he is a decent, hard-working man. If Bob was a criminal, we wouldn't be so forgiving.
Anyway, Sue unfortunately believes the Hunters and tells that Bob is now on the edge of East Sussex. The Hunters again start tracking mobile phones in the area and quickly identify the phone of the man who is helping Bob. At the same time, they launch a social media campaign, appealing to the public for information. This works and Bob begins to get ratted out, helping the Hunters to pinpoint his location.
We next see Bob in Chudleigh, Devon, only a day away from winning. However, he is becoming lost and frustrated, as well as being caught on multiple CCTV cameras. To make matters worse, he then suffers from a knee injury and decides to pitch camp for the night in a field.
Believing they're close, the Hunters send up a drone with a thermal imaging sensor, which quickly picks up a heat signature. The Hunters go to investigate, but it turns out to be a Farmhand. Then it begins raining and the Drone has to be taken down. I have been glad to see that good old British rain.
Finally, we come to Alex, who has captured the hearts of the nation, due to his courage, earnestness and general likeability. Having been diagnosed with Aspergers at a young age, he has always had low self-confidence and has entered the process to prove something. And that is why Alex is my favourite to win.
We find out that Alex is in Reigate, Surrey and he asks in an office to access the USB stick. once he discovers the location, he plans his getaway by bravely asking for help from the public. A strange woman agrees saying that she'll help as long as Alex doesn't have a bomb in his bomb. In typical Alex honesty, he replies "I don't have a bomb. Only 9 days' worth of clothes, rice crispie bars and an unopen bag of sweets."
Alex is driven to safety, but not before he throws the details of the extraction point down a drain, proudly proclaiming that the Hunters will never find them there. A crucial mistake at this point in the process. Especially since the Hunters know Alex's location and see him on CCTV doing just that. They send a team to the drain to fish out the details, but it emerges that this was an all elaborate hoax, set by Alex. It was all a ruse to buy him time to escape. It fooled the Hunters and it definitely fooled me. I'm sorry Alex, I should have never doubted you.
To think this was the same Alex who only a few weeks ago, in a phone call to his mum, told her his exact location and how to get there. He's come a long way and all credit to him. This was a good plan. After Alex leaves his first contact, he befriends a woman named Nadine who agrees to take him to Torquay. And we see him beginning to recognise his own self-worth. He proudly proclaims "that the women love me and he loves the women," which was the cutest thing ever.
From here, we jump to 7 hours to the extraction time. After having seen Joe and Dan on CCTV in Devon, where Bob is, the Hunters conclude the extraction point is in Devon. When they begin analysing the fugitives' movements, they realise that they're all heading south. The Hunters realise that the River Dart is a natural extraction point, but with twenty-five jetties, they have no choice to search them all.
With all of the fugitives within spitting distance, Bob is the closest. We jump to 30 mins to the extraction time and I admit, that I was feeling the tension. I was screaming at my laptop, praying that nobody would be caught. Bob has a bad night in his tent, but his resolve to win is as strong as ever. He begins marching through the woods to the Greenway Quay, but then the Hunters send a chopper up, stopping Bob in his tracks. Thankfully, it rains again, and Bob remains undetected. With 15 mins to the extraction time, he starts running.
Meanwhile, Alex is also being driven to the extraction point by Nadine. He's driven, as close as possible, before he begins running. While running, he and Bob reunite. While this was a heart-warming, tear-jerking reunion, I was screaming at my laptop, as I was so scared that they would be caught here.
But luckily, they begin running again, but unluckily, the chopper spots them and the Hunters send all of their ground teams to Greenway Quay. However, the Hunters screw up by going to the wrong side of the river, which is what happened last year, strangely enough. This mistake is enough time for Alex and Bob to successfully reach the extraction point. I'm so glad that the two of them won. They are a lovely pair and they definitely deserve it.
But it's not over yet. Joe and Dan are also on their way to the observation point, closely pursued by the only ground team who didn't screw up. Meanwhile, the Hunters on the wrong bank are trying to commander a boat to the other side. Joe and Dan reach the quay and board the boat, narrowly missing the Hunters.
Four fugitives take home a share of £100,00 and Bob proudly announces by winning this show, Alex was proven all of his bullies and doubters wrong, which he definitely has. But all credit to Bob too. There were moments where I thought he was going to give up, but he stuck in there and all credit to him too.
Congrats to Joe and Dan as well. Although I don't feel that the series focussed on them, as much, as it could have done, the two also deserved to win. Live-streaming on Facebook was a risky move, but it paid off, and left the Hunters with a lot of egg on their faces. Talking of egg on faces, 4 fugitives escaped the Hunters this year, with one of two of them being complete underdogs.
It is interesting how the fugitives you expect to win crush out early. In season 1, I thought Ricy Allen was a surefire winner, before he gave up. In S2, two ex-soldiers, Kirk Bowett and Jez Scarrett, were caught after becoming complacent. And this season, ex-copper, Jamie Clark, was caught after taking one risk too many. But then this allowed underdogs Nick Cummings and Alex Ayling to win, so I can't complain really.
With season 4 of Hunted being broadcast later this year, we will soon go through this process all over again. While I doubt my little blog is big enough for the Hunters to care about, don't tell me your plan in the comments. You never know who's reading.
Friday, 9 February 2018
Hunted Season 3 Episode 5 Recap
There are five fugitives left who need to escape capture for another 6 days. Will any of them be able to evade the Hunters?
Last episode ended on Majid, the Deputy Mayor of Sheffield, being pursued by the Hunters after a bolshy return to Sheffield. Being driven by an accomplice, he desperately tries to escape into the Peak District. However, his getaway driver takes a wrong turn and Majid makes a break for it, running through the countryside. But it doesn't take long before the Hunters catch him.
From here we go to father and son team, Bob and Alex Ayling. Last episode, after 18 days on the run, the two decided to split up, to double their chances. Bob is still in his home county of Kent and is clearly suffering from the stress of being on the run. His poor physical condition is only exemplified from his lack of sleep and food. We begin to see a defeated man.
But we also a man utterly dedicated to his son. He wants nothing more than for Alex to win the show, even if he doesn't.
Hiding in Pluckley, Kent, Bob begins to make mistakes, such as walking in full view of a CCTV camera, which strangely isn't even mentioned by the Hunters. Becoming intensely paranoid, he hitches a lift with a delivery driver who offers to drive him to Newcastle-upon-Tyne in a couple of days.
Yet Bob's paranoia grows so much that eh calls the delivery driver on a burner phone to see if he can get an earlier lift to safety. But he runs out of luck. And to make matters worse, the Hunters have tracked the call, showing that even burner phones aren't safe. They then decide to target the delivery driver who helped him, who reveals everything, including, most notably, that Alex and Bob have separated.
Although Bob remains uncaught, I'm unsure whether he'll make the full 25 days. He may give up long before then.
Now we move onto his son, Alex. At 2 years old, Alex was diagnosed with Asperger's, which has left him shy, awkward and insular. In Sandhurst, Kent, he becomes badly lost, as he tries to navigate his way to Hastings to meet his mother, Lynne.
The Hunters also identify their close relationship and decide to focus their efforts onto Lynne. While they question her in the Hunter HQ, a covert team installs cameras in and around her home. Later, the cameras spot a seemingly strange woman leaving Lynne's home and entering a seemingly strange car.
The audience discovers that this is Lynne in disguise who is able to rendeyvous with Alex and give him supplies and a much-needed confidence boost.
Meanwhile, the Hunters have identified that the car belongs to one of Lynne's friends, Tracy Gough. The Hunters interview her and halfway through, bizarrely, her husband talks about a previously unknown sim card. I initially wondered whether this was a trap of some kind, but I'm wondering whether this was just a monumental cock-up.
Alex is still in Kent and he bravely asks help from a stranger who puts him up for the night. Alex is overjoyed that he had the confidence to do this and I was too. He speaks openly about how he was bullied, because of his Asperger's, and so it was great to see him develop like this.
Lastly, we came to best friends, milk men and singers, Joe and Dan, who hitherto haven't been on anybody's radar, least of all the Hunters'. The show hasn't been focussing much on them, so it was a surprise to learn they were hiding in North Wales.
But having become increasingly homesick, they decide to return home to Preston, Lancashire. Suspecting this could happen, the Hunters interview Dan's wife and install spyware on his computer. While doing so, they discover Dan has pre-recorded 25 bedtime story videos for his kids. Deciding to exploit this, the Hunters make a crude parody in order to provoke Dan and Joke into making a mistake.
Meanwhile, Joe and Dan are being harboured by their friend in the Eaves Pub. They see the Hunters' video and immediately begin plotting revenge.
They decide to perform a gig within the Eaves' pub and live-stream it on Facebook. They dedicate one song to the leader of the Hunters and rewrite the lyrics to mock them. And when they Hunters go to investigate, the pair plan to be long gone. This is a foolhardy move, which could prove to be their downfall.
When the Hunters see this, they're in disbelief at the recklessness and send a ground team to the pub. The episode ends with the team only being 200 metres away. Will Joe and Dan be caught? We need to wait until next week to find out.
Top tips for going on the run:
1. Don't use burner phones. Anything with an electrical signal can be tracked.
2. Don't give up. You'll make silly mistakes, which could cost you dearly.
3. Don't become provoked by the Hunters. Joe and Dan could soon be out of the game.
Last episode ended on Majid, the Deputy Mayor of Sheffield, being pursued by the Hunters after a bolshy return to Sheffield. Being driven by an accomplice, he desperately tries to escape into the Peak District. However, his getaway driver takes a wrong turn and Majid makes a break for it, running through the countryside. But it doesn't take long before the Hunters catch him.
From here we go to father and son team, Bob and Alex Ayling. Last episode, after 18 days on the run, the two decided to split up, to double their chances. Bob is still in his home county of Kent and is clearly suffering from the stress of being on the run. His poor physical condition is only exemplified from his lack of sleep and food. We begin to see a defeated man.
But we also a man utterly dedicated to his son. He wants nothing more than for Alex to win the show, even if he doesn't.
Hiding in Pluckley, Kent, Bob begins to make mistakes, such as walking in full view of a CCTV camera, which strangely isn't even mentioned by the Hunters. Becoming intensely paranoid, he hitches a lift with a delivery driver who offers to drive him to Newcastle-upon-Tyne in a couple of days.
Yet Bob's paranoia grows so much that eh calls the delivery driver on a burner phone to see if he can get an earlier lift to safety. But he runs out of luck. And to make matters worse, the Hunters have tracked the call, showing that even burner phones aren't safe. They then decide to target the delivery driver who helped him, who reveals everything, including, most notably, that Alex and Bob have separated.
Although Bob remains uncaught, I'm unsure whether he'll make the full 25 days. He may give up long before then.
Now we move onto his son, Alex. At 2 years old, Alex was diagnosed with Asperger's, which has left him shy, awkward and insular. In Sandhurst, Kent, he becomes badly lost, as he tries to navigate his way to Hastings to meet his mother, Lynne.
The Hunters also identify their close relationship and decide to focus their efforts onto Lynne. While they question her in the Hunter HQ, a covert team installs cameras in and around her home. Later, the cameras spot a seemingly strange woman leaving Lynne's home and entering a seemingly strange car.
The audience discovers that this is Lynne in disguise who is able to rendeyvous with Alex and give him supplies and a much-needed confidence boost.
Meanwhile, the Hunters have identified that the car belongs to one of Lynne's friends, Tracy Gough. The Hunters interview her and halfway through, bizarrely, her husband talks about a previously unknown sim card. I initially wondered whether this was a trap of some kind, but I'm wondering whether this was just a monumental cock-up.
Alex is still in Kent and he bravely asks help from a stranger who puts him up for the night. Alex is overjoyed that he had the confidence to do this and I was too. He speaks openly about how he was bullied, because of his Asperger's, and so it was great to see him develop like this.
Lastly, we came to best friends, milk men and singers, Joe and Dan, who hitherto haven't been on anybody's radar, least of all the Hunters'. The show hasn't been focussing much on them, so it was a surprise to learn they were hiding in North Wales.
But having become increasingly homesick, they decide to return home to Preston, Lancashire. Suspecting this could happen, the Hunters interview Dan's wife and install spyware on his computer. While doing so, they discover Dan has pre-recorded 25 bedtime story videos for his kids. Deciding to exploit this, the Hunters make a crude parody in order to provoke Dan and Joke into making a mistake.
Meanwhile, Joe and Dan are being harboured by their friend in the Eaves Pub. They see the Hunters' video and immediately begin plotting revenge.
They decide to perform a gig within the Eaves' pub and live-stream it on Facebook. They dedicate one song to the leader of the Hunters and rewrite the lyrics to mock them. And when they Hunters go to investigate, the pair plan to be long gone. This is a foolhardy move, which could prove to be their downfall.
When the Hunters see this, they're in disbelief at the recklessness and send a ground team to the pub. The episode ends with the team only being 200 metres away. Will Joe and Dan be caught? We need to wait until next week to find out.
Top tips for going on the run:
1. Don't use burner phones. Anything with an electrical signal can be tracked.
2. Don't give up. You'll make silly mistakes, which could cost you dearly.
3. Don't become provoked by the Hunters. Joe and Dan could soon be out of the game.
The Gold Rush Review
Number 129 on the top 1000 films of all time is Charlie Chaplin's the Gold Rush.
Set during the great Gold Rush of the late 19th century, Charlie Chaplin plays a lone prospector who travels to Alaska in the hopes of making his fortune. Once there, he encounters bears, criminals and love.
As is appropriate for a Chaplin film, the Gold Rush is definitely funny in parts, for example, with the Lone Prospector being unknowingly followed by a bear or the famous Bread Roll dance. I was also impressed with the ingenuity that Chaplin showed. As well as starring within the Gold Rush, he also wrote, produced and directed it. He only uses a handful of sets, for example, the first part of the film is set in a cabin, but it remains interesting. Rather than being limited by this, Chaplin uses it to its fullest potential.
But beyond the comedy, the heart of the film lies in the love story between the Lone Prospector and the showgirl, Georgia. Chaplin always includes these love plots and they're generally what I like most about his films. The love plots are always endearing and touching to watch. This love plot was no exception. It was the classic story of boy meets girl, but girl is interested in other boy, and then first boy has to fight to win her heart. This is what the Lone Prospector experiences and it was heart-warming to watch.
Chaplin said that the Gold Rush was the film he most wants to be remembered for. While it was a good watch, I think this honour should go to the Great Dictator.
Set during the great Gold Rush of the late 19th century, Charlie Chaplin plays a lone prospector who travels to Alaska in the hopes of making his fortune. Once there, he encounters bears, criminals and love.
As is appropriate for a Chaplin film, the Gold Rush is definitely funny in parts, for example, with the Lone Prospector being unknowingly followed by a bear or the famous Bread Roll dance. I was also impressed with the ingenuity that Chaplin showed. As well as starring within the Gold Rush, he also wrote, produced and directed it. He only uses a handful of sets, for example, the first part of the film is set in a cabin, but it remains interesting. Rather than being limited by this, Chaplin uses it to its fullest potential.
But beyond the comedy, the heart of the film lies in the love story between the Lone Prospector and the showgirl, Georgia. Chaplin always includes these love plots and they're generally what I like most about his films. The love plots are always endearing and touching to watch. This love plot was no exception. It was the classic story of boy meets girl, but girl is interested in other boy, and then first boy has to fight to win her heart. This is what the Lone Prospector experiences and it was heart-warming to watch.
Chaplin said that the Gold Rush was the film he most wants to be remembered for. While it was a good watch, I think this honour should go to the Great Dictator.
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