In Duster, Josh Holloway finally gets to go full Sawyer again

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10 hours ago

Duster, in which Josh Holloway slips into '70s outfits and effortlessly cruises in the show's titular cherry-red car in balmy Arizona, is tailor-made for the Lost alum. Max's breezy crime drama finds him playing Jim Ellis, the trusted wheelman of mob boss who can charm the socks off of (almost) everyone he interacts with, whether it's by sharing a drink with an assailant sent to kill him or convincing a budding actor to help him steal Elvis' blue suede shoes. Fifteen years after ABC's seminal hit went off the air, Holloway finally gets to properly channel the rugged bad boy with a heart of gold archetype that made his performance as James 'Sawyer' Ford so indelible.
Of course, Lost and Duster couldn't be more stylistically different, despite sharing J.J. Abrams (who co-created the latter with LaToya Morgan). One takes place on an esoteric island and features a smoke monster, time travel, and healthy debates on faith versus science, while the other is set is the sunny American Southwest during a race to bring down Jim's criminal employer. While Lost was a game changer for TV storytelling, the serialized action-comedy Duster feels much more like a throwback. But genres notwithstanding, both shows afford Holloway the opportunity to capture the pathos of a defiant, dangerous leading man with an undercurrent of emotional pain, surprising vulnerability, and Southern swagger. (And, hilariously, Jim and Sawyer are also skilled at throwing out nicknames and rocking flowy manes.)
Sawyer wasn't always a winning hero who was easy to root for, though. Lost's writers had the advantage of a lengthy first season and overall run to carefully take him from a morally fickle con man who pissed off his fellow plane crash survivors to, ultimately, a protective savior who fought for their safety. (Remember the LaFleur persona in season five?) Holloway took what was on the page and churned out a believable take on Sawyer's development, imbuing the character with both tenacity and heart. (This early-ish Lost conversation where he admits to Jack about meeting his father is a turning point for Sawyer—and for Holloway—and a sign of the growth to come.)
In the case of Duster, only four of its first season's eight episodes have aired so far, so Holloway hasn't had as much time to flesh out his character. Still, he's already tapped into what worked for him in Lost, whether it's in a well-timed delivery of a one-liner, cool handling of an action sequence, a potent display of agony, and that aforementioned fantastic Southern drawl. Just look at the fourth episode, 'Criminalus Velocitus Super-Sonicus,' when Jim proves his Sawyer-esque ability to wriggle his way out of a chaotic situation. After facing off against a hitman in a urinal—and with blood still smeared over his face—Jim wisely stops beating him up. He instead proposes that the two men take a break and bond over a beverage. The hour ends with them expressing anti-establishment sentiments, admitting they want more from life, and hunting down the two idiots who stole an expensive vehicle owned by Howard Hughes.
This scene reinforces Duster's entertaining yet lightly serious tone and allows Holloway to expressively bring out more layers to his flawed character. He reminds the viewers that, even if Jim is loyal to the nefarious Ezra Saxton (Keith David) right now, there is good and a desire for change underneath that hard exterior. This characteristic is highlighted in the premiere, too, when Jim meets determined rookie FBI agent Nina (an equally powerful Rachel Hilson). She urges him to become her spy in Ezra's organization so they can bring him down together, revealing to Jim that his beloved boss is likely responsible for his brother's death. And as we know from Lost, Holloway is excellent whenever his character has grief as a driving force.
But again, Duster is not all doom and gloom. Despite the simmering tension, the show can be very lighthearted, a vibe reflected in Holloway's performance whenever Jim shares time with his young niece (who is actually his daughter), flirts with Izzy (Camille Guaty), and cracks jokes with Ezra's adult children. It's clear that Abrams and Morgan know how to utilize the actor's strengths in a way that shows after Lost failed to do, like the far-too-brief Intelligence, Yellowstone, and the niche Colony. (Heck, Community was better at tapping into Holloway's hunky cowboy appeal than those series.) And whether Max renews Duster or not, for now it's just a delight to see the guy playing in this sandbox once more.
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