Varun Patel
The first half of ‘Hunters‘ has been messy and incoherent at best. At its worst, it has felt confused, unable to decide which aspect to focus on: intense action, empathetic characterization or overarching themes. The sixth episode of the show turns out to be a more simplistic one in this regard. The show follows a bunch of Nazi hunters who track and kill WWII war criminals living in the United States in 1977.
Hunters Episode 6 Recap:
The sixth episode of the sees Sister Harriet driving the Nazi, Kenneth (that is his alias, not real name). Then, the episode switches to a flashback scene where a young Sister Harriet bids farewell to her father at a train station. Her name was Rebecca and she was a Jew. She was sent to a convent.
Lonny has taken a book from Tilda’s house. He finds out that it is the same book that was found at Holstedder’s house. Morris meets Danny and asks him for his source’s contact. Danny gives it to her but decides to stay out of the matter.
Biff gives a melodramatic speech to the president, urging him to remove the sanctions levied on South American countries. Joe meets his friend from the army who had been involved in the chemical warfare agents experiment carried out at Edgewood. Joe needs the name of the German man in charge. His friend gives him the name: Timothy Randall. Lonny finds out that Tilda’s book is Vril: a science fiction story that became quite popular in Germany. People started to view it as a compendium or manual for securing a safe future for a superior race.
Kenneth asks Sister Harriet about a certain officer called Ziegler. He starts to attack her when she says she knows him. It had been a trick question, to test whether Sister Harriet was actually a Nazi. Harriet manages to defend herself and stuffs Kenneth in the trunk of the car.
Morris finds out about Operation Paperclip from Danny’s source. You can read about the true event here. Basically, the American government invited close to 1,600 Nazi scientists and geniuses to live in the United States since they wanted to use their knowledge to stay ahead of the USSR.
Murray remembers his past during his daughter’s wedding. He remembers how his son had been shot in front of Mindy and him by a Nazi soldier. On the other hand, Juanita (Secretary of Commerce) confronts Biff regarding his speech to the President, accusing him of wanting to throw her under the bus. When she threatens to expose his two-faced nature, he calls her a “maraca-shaking, mariachi band gangbanging old sombrero.” He tells her to stay out of his business.
Morris’ superior asks her to stop looking into the case of Nazis living in the United States on her own. He tells her that the case is bigger than he had anticipated and wants to run her findings up the chain of the command. Jonah asks Meyer why he does not wear a religious necklace. Meyer tells him that he gave it to a woman he loved. Jonah remembers seeing a religious necklace in his grandmother’s drawer that, according to his grandmother, belonged to his grandfather. Jonah thinks Meyer might be his grandfather.
Sister Harriet returns! The team members (all but Mindy and Murray who are busy with the wedding) ask her why she betrayed them. She tells them that she didn’t and opens the trunk of her car to tell them that she had gone after Kenneth.
Morris breaks up with her girlfriend Maria. Maria obviously does not take it well and tells her that she knows Morris doesn’t feel that way. Harriet visits Mindy and Murray after the wedding and takes them to their basement. She has tied Kenneth on a chair there. She tells them he is a gift from her. Kenneth was the soldier that shot their son. Tobias and Leich break into Meyer’s apartment and burn the Ark. That is how the episode ends…
Hunters Episode 6 Review:
The sixth episode of ‘Hunters’ is quite a straightforward and simple one. This was much-needed after the confusing fifth episode. The wedding takes center stage, apart from Sister Harriet’s return and an exploration of Mindy and Murray’s past. The depiction of Jonah realizing the importance of being a part of a community turns out to be quite effective. The episode successfully manages to depict the importance of Jewish culture and how rituals and customs help the Jews maintain their identity.
Moreover, the episode also touches upon Sister Harriet’s past, making her character more rounded and complex. Along with Mindy and Murray’s past, the series continues its focus on characterization. However, the fact that it focuses on characters other than the more central ones (Jonah, Meyer, Ruth, Morris) helps.
Mindy and Murray’s past proves to be especially effective in highlighting the grave consequences of being oppressed due to war. In fact, I would say it turns out to be the aptest depiction of how the Holocaust had a lasting impact on Jews and why it is so tough for them to move on from the incident. Lastly, for viewers unaware with Operation Paperclip and the history of Nazism in the United States of America might find a brick or two being dropped on their heads.
Read More: Nazi Hunters, Explained
