'Reprisal' might have sold itself on Abigail Spencer's shoulders, but Meredith and Molly have their own strong points
Possible spoilers for Season 1 of Hulu's 'Reprisal'
Hulu's 'Reprisal' follows Doris Quinn (Abigail Spencer), formerly Katherine Harlow, on her quest for revenge. After her brother Burt (Rory Cochrane) dragged her from the back of a truck with chains, Doris was left for dead.
Years later, Doris is hungry for revenge. She wants to put to trial those who wronged her, and it is not only her brother she is aiming at. Back when Doris was Katherine, back when she was with The Banished Brothers, she had a romantic relationship with Bash (Gilbert Owuor), whom she later married. But that night when Burt attempted killing Katherine, Bash was also present. So it wasn't a betrayal from her brother but also from someone she loved.
And so, through 10-hour-long episodes, we follow Doris/Katherine as she embarks on a journey to find a crew that will help her break The Banished Brothers and their heads Burt and Bash. 'Reprisal' is a slow burn, almost too slow for our liking. And we genuinely think that the show would have done much better had the makers packed it confined to a movie. But that is only one of our many concerns about the show.
Hulu's official synopsis for the show 'Reprisal' describes it as a show that follows "a relentless femme fatale who, after being left for dead, leads a vengeful campaign against a bombastic gang of gearheads." As Katherine, Abigail Spencer sure shines as an actress. She is unassuming at first and is very easy to underestimate owing to her meek stature, which she is well aware of as she points out that people underestimating you is the best thing that will work in your favour. But when she takes charge, she is a wild, raving and persistent in her conquest. There is no way that Katherine will back out at this point. She has waited for this for a long time and now, there will be nothing that will deter her.
Alongside Abigail Spencer's Doris/ Katherine, there are other female characters that absolutely shine. Might we add, shine brighter than Spencer herself. Madison Davenport's Meredith is strong-willed to the extent that you could deem her stubborn. She nurses a restlessness deep within her heart and has never felt like she belonged in the pin-up world of 'Reprisal'. She wants to flee, run away to a world where she is no longer inhibited by The Banished Brothers and Burt. But when she does find the chance to escape the clutches of the 707, the establishment of The Banished Brothers, she decides to stay back. All her life, she has been lied to — Burt was never her father. In fact, he even lies to her in order to cover up the former lie. But his lies and shrewd manipulation takes the better of her and she falls back to the same clutches.
We also find Molly (Bethany Anne Lind) to be an intriguing character on 'Reprisal'. Doris' sister-in-law, Molly tags along with her after Doris shoots her husband in his own home. For the longest time, Doris decides to not reveal her plan to Molly — to keep her intentions a secret. But all her married life, Molly has been living under a rock, especially by her husband who, in her own words, wouldn't even treat her like a person, like another human being. So after she hides out in the motel room they're renting for a long time as Doris/ Katherine goes about finding herself the financial backing and a crew, she decides she no longer wishes to live under a rock.
She expresses her desire to work with Doris, or at least be of some help because she sees Doris with a purpose and the thought that she doesn't have that drive pricks her. But Molly is not just a weak character — she had served in the Archipelago as a field nurse and knows her way around stitches and such. When Big Graham (Ron Perlman) sends his lawyer and hitman to terminate Doris and Molly, their interaction ticks something inside her and she doesn't stop still she has painted the entire room with his blood — and a certain body part stuck to the ceiling rendering everyone clueless.
Underneath Molly's mellow, long-suffering demeanor, is a spark that she isn't willing to let go. It is unfair to not give Doris/Katherine the due credit here for had it not been for Doris, it is highly unlikely that Molly would have ever set forth on this path.
There is no doubt that Abigail Spencer does justice to her role of Doris/ Katherine of 'Reprisal'. But Meredith and Molly's characters contribute to the show's "femme fatale" identity.
Season 1 of 'Reprisal' is currently streaming on Hulu.