'The Bondsman' review: The Apocalypse is better with Bacon
In The Bondsman, a new brisk and brutal action-horror series created by shorts/commercials director Grainger David, the "Six Degrees of..." man plays reprehensible bail bondsman Hub Halloran.
He is such a "selfish @$$h**e", as one character observes late in the season, that we meet him in the first episode just as he is about to get his throat sliced open from ear to ear.
We won't have to settle for a Bacon substitute for the next 7.9 episodes, though – faster than you can say R.I.P.D., Hub is brought back from the dead by no less than (a thus-far-unseen) Lucifer.
Why? Well, because demons have recently started escaping from aitch-ee-double-hockeysticks and Hub's skills as a skip-tracer are needed to send them back (in fact, Hub himself was sent "downstairs" briefly after being murdered).
'You are done! No more diving board. Where you going, pal? Sorry ... I just can't resist quoting Die Hard.'
Sounds simple, but Hub's baggage complicates things. He can't get over ex-wife Maryanne (Jennifer Nettles, of the country & western duo Sugarland and recently seen in The Exorcist: Believer), who is being wooed by "reformed" criminal Lucky Callahan (Damon Herriman, Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood's Charles Manson), who in turn (not exactly a spoiler) is the one behind his murder.
Plus, there's the big question of why Hub was damned to begin with, something his mother and "business partner" Kitty (Beth Grant, Pushing Daisies, Donnie Darko) wants to know but claims she doesn't.
Each episode of The Bondsman clocks in at just about a half-hour, making this a breeze to binge.
There is a rough "demon of the week" structure, with an underlying pattern to the escapes. These escapees are tough customers, but conveniently dispatched by a means usually reserved for a different breed of screen monster.
So between jobs, we get Hub trying to win Maryanne and their son Cade (Maxwell Jenkins, Lost In Space) back, Lucky trying to finish him off, Kitty bending the law to help her son, and Midge baking pastries.
Wait, who? That would be Midge Kusatsu (Jolene Purdy, neighbour Beverly from WandaVision and another Donnie Darko alumnus), a home baker turned recruiter for supernatural bounty hunters like Hub.
She also gets her little heart-tugging back story, featuring the seemingly ubiquitous Jay Ali (Daredevil S3, NCIS: Hawaii, Magnum P.I., Carnival Row, among many others) in an off-the-wall departure from his usual roles.
They forgot to tell Maryanne that no one is ever safe on Apocalypse Idol.
The Bondsman works because of the terrific dynamic among all its major characters. Bacon gives us a winningly complex lead who consistently fails because of his conviction that he is trying to do the right thing (even when blind drunk and homicidal). It's an interesting counterpoint with his rival/nemesis Lucky, who shares that same drive, although the character grates on the nerves after a while.
Grant is the show's emotional anchor, as a mother willing to go to great lengths to protect her son; though from a moral standpoint, there's a point where her love doesn't extend.
The thread running through most character arcs and situations in the show is that the road to THAT place is paved with good intentions, though there is little time for preachiness.
This shortness of time (half-hour episodes, remember?) is most sorely felt when it comes to the show's assortment of demons, which end up as mostly underdeveloped ciphers.
Sure, the season's Big Bad is a pretty big deal, but before you can say "primordial she-demon", it's cliffhanger time – and one heck of a note on which to end a season. Dang it, Hub, you'd better come back, and not just from the dead. The realm of incomplete TV shows is a nasty kind of damnation for faithful viewers.
All eight episodes of The Bondsman Season One are available to stream on Prime Video.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hype Malaysia
2 days ago
- Hype Malaysia
(Video) Actress Fazura Gets Emotional Over Outfit With Late-Father's Portrait
'What is grief, if not love persevering?', a famous line from the Marvel hit series 'WandaVision'. No matter how much time has passed and how much we have moved on with our lives, the grief of losing someone dear to us is everlasting. Actress Fazura experienced a bittersweet moment when she was presented with her outfit for one of the shows at Kuala Lumpur Fashion Week. On seeing the dress, she could not help but be overwhelmed with emotion, as the attire featured something, or someone, very dear to her. Watch: Over the weekend, TikTok user Ajim Salleh posted a video on his page showing Malaysian actress-singer Fazura getting ready to attend the final day of this year's KL Fashion Week. Fashion designer Zaimi Zulkafli came into frame to present the outfit he had specially made for her to wear to the event. She remarked on how beautiful the dress was, but was soon in tears when she realised it featured a portrait of her with her late father. The starlet could not hold back her emotions and grabbed tissues from her dressing table to wipe away her tears. Thankfully, a woman, presumably her assistant or stylist, comforted her as she continued to admire the special gift before her. 'Ya Allah, what did I do to deserve this?,' she can be heard saying in the video, before thanking the fashion designer for the beautifully crafted dress. The TikTok went viral, garnering more than 311,600 views. Netizens left comments offering words of comfort to the mother-of-one, noting that she is also someone's daughter whose father loved her. Some offered prayers that she would continue to thrive in her career, knowing she has good people around her. Others thanked Zaimi Zulkafli for his effort in making a special dress for the actress. We can confirm that Fazura looked absolutely stunning in the dress when she attended the last day of KL Fashion Week last Sunday (10th August). We hope to learn more about the process if either she or the designer decides to share that story on social media. Watch the viral clip below: Source: TikTok
The Star
4 days ago
- The Star
We could all use the new superheroes' ‘poptimism' of hope
Light positivity: David Corenswet in 'Superman'. Amid all of this global turmoil, we could really use a Superman in our lives, says the writer. — Warner Bros Pictures/TNS THE world is a pretty bleak place at the moment. Around the globe, it doesn't seem much better. Amid all of this turmoil, with humanity seemingly at one of its lowest points, we could really use a Superman in our lives. In fact, we've never yearned for such a person to be real as much as we do now. Instead, we got the next best thing: James Gunn's Superman , a bastion of hope on the silver screen, about the best example of what analysts call 'poptimism' that we're ever likely to find: optimism in pop culture in the face of doom all around us. See him stop wars! See him rescue kids and squirrels! See him take down a bald technocrat billionaire! (Whose look predates a couple of egg-shaped billionaires we're contending with now.) And soon after, we've got Superman times four, with The Fantastic Four: First Steps , featuring Marvel's beloved First Family. This one's an equally optimistic throwback story with the fabulous foursome up against Galactus, the devourer of worlds, who could be seen in this day and age as a metaphor for climate change. In the recent past, superheroes on the big and small screen have tended to be quite dark and cynical, perhaps as a contrary response to the 'hope and change' Barack Obama era. The Boys and Invincible are deliberately satirical and bloody. The Spider-Verse movies are on a years-long cliffhanger with the hero captured by his dark alternate self. Even Superman was not immune: Man of Steel featured a dark blue suit and a neck-snapping climax. It seems that as the world makes a running dash down a Slip 'N Slide toward fascism, much of our pop culture, from music and television to streaming and big-screen movies, is going hard toward bright and sunny, to shine a little light in the darkness, provide a much-needed escape and show all of us how things could be, if only we tried a little harder. Even shows such as Ted Lasso deal with the concept of toxic positivity or going too far toward being positive that you fail to deal with real problems. In the yawning void that is the absence of Superman in our own world, and in between forays into fiction where he exists, it behooves us to act more like Superman in our own little corners of the world. What would the Fantastic Four or Superman do? Superman's three pillars these days (revised in the comics after it seemed a bit jingoistic to have him care at all about the American Way, whatever that is): 1. Truth. Seems in short supply these days, right? Lying and dishonesty are the name of the game, not only when you hear a politician open their mouth but in the workplace, too. We could all do with quite a bit more honesty, even when it hurts. 2. Justice. It also feels like the cup has run dry here. Famous people with dozens of felonies fail to be punished in any significant way. Those with the best lawyers dodge serious charges after long trials. There's not much the average person can do when the system fails, other than speaking out collectively through protest. 3. A better tomorrow. The master speculative fiction writer Lois McMaster Bujold wrote, 'Guard your honor. Let your reputation fall where it may. And outlive the bastards.' We have to hope that eventually, the world will turn toward the better, if we would just live long enough to see it happen. Seeing an uplifting film about an immigrant refugee who gets the job done or a fantastic foursome that watches over humanity makes us look for bright spots elsewhere in our current worldview. For example, the undeniable rizz of New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. It inspires us to try to look for silver linings wherever we can, no matter how tiny. In the absence of much leadership from the resistance side of things against creeping authoritarianism, or many real-life role models or leaders who are interested in anything other than holding on to their own jobs, pop culture like Superman shows us the way. — Chicago Tribune/TNS
Sinar Daily
05-08-2025
- Sinar Daily
Are Florence Pugh and Finn Cole secretly engaged?
They are the kind of couple that hides in plain sight. Walking hand-in-hand behind festival crowds, exchanging warm Instagram comments and exiting red carpets through the back door. Florence Pugh, the Oscar-nominated darling of Hollywood and Finn Cole, the British actor best known for his role in Peaky Blinders, may have quietly fallen in love. And if recent reports are true, they may be taking the next big step together. August has just begun, and the rumour mill is spinning again over their alleged romance. According to one insider, Cole and Pugh have been in a bubble, getting to know each other away from the spotlight. Florence Pugh and Finn Cole are rumoured to be engaged. Photo: X As for a ring? None has been spotted and neither party has commented. But they continue to support each other's work publicly and it seems, love quietly. Back in September 2024, they were seen hand-in-hand at The Perfect Couple premiere after-party at The Hoxton hotel in East London. Even celebrity gossip accounts reported sightings of the couple all over London during that time. But perhaps the most telling moment came when Pugh confirmed to British Vogue in the same month: 'Yes. We are figuring out what we actually are. And I think for the first time, I am not allowing myself to go on a roller coaster. I am allowing myself to take time to let something evolve and let it be completely real to its core, as opposed to racing into that,' she said. While she did not name names, the timing was hard to ignore. She went on to describe falling in love as 'the most amazing feeling,' but warned that 'unfortunately if that is the only thing that you know in a relationship, then that is the thing that you chase. That is not gonna last.' Florence Pugh and Finn Cole are rumoured to be engaged. Photo: X In June 2024, the pair were spotted together at Glastonbury Festival, and by July, Pugh had commented excitedly on Cole's casting announcement, joking, 'Granny Pat wants to come. #obvi.' Though neither Pugh nor Cole has confirmed their relationship, the evidence has been building quietly over the past year. What began as a long-standing friendship appears to have turned into something far more serious. Their connection goes back to at least 2017. Over the years, Pugh has consistently liked Cole's Instagram posts, with her interactions becoming more frequent and affectionate in recent months. While Pugh's rise has been swift — from indie darling in Lady Macbeth to Marvel star in Black Widow and Thunderbolts — Cole's career has also been a steady climb. Born in Kingston, London, on Nov 9, 1995, Cole got his start with a background role in Offender (2012), which starred his older brother Joe Cole. Joe would go on to play John Shelby in the acclaimed BBC series Peaky Blinders, a gritty crime drama where Finn would eventually find his breakout role as Michael Gray, John's cousin and the ambitious son of Polly Gray. While his brother exited the series in 2017, Finn remained until its conclusion in 2022. His portrayal of Michael, who began as the family's legal brain before spiraling into a more ruthless figure, gave him a lasting mark in British television. From there, he expanded into international roles, starring in the American crime series Animal Kingdom (2016–2022), Dreamland (2019) and even appearing in F9 (2021) of the Fast and Furious franchise. Cole has largely kept his personal life private, giving few interviews and seldom appearing on the tabloid radar. As both actors continue to take on high-profile projects — with Cole recently appearing at the Thunderbolts premiere in support of Pugh — the intrigue around their relationship continues to grow. And while fans may keep watching for rings or red carpet appearances, perhaps what is most admirable is that the two seem content building their story far away from the spotlight, one quiet moment at a time.
