The suspense is excellent in Hit & Run. But it is really the pace and the time this nine-part first season takes to build tension and character that makes this Netflix series such a good watch. The plot may be complex, but it still feels plausible: An American dancer is married to an Israeli tour guide. All seems well, till a what-appears-to-be random accident kills the wife and leaves the husband inconsolable and desperately seeking answers.
This incident acts as a catalyst that sets in motion the intensity that follows. Segev Azulai (Lior Raz), the tour guide, tries to piece together his wife Danielle Wexler’s (Kaelen Ohm) whereabouts on the day of the incident—she was on her way to the airport to board a flight bound for New York. What was she doing on the street? Whom was she visiting? Segev’s pregnant police officer cousin, Tali (Moran Rosenblatt), is in charge of the case and provides him with as much first-hand information as possible. The sense of intrigue and tension is pitch-perfect. The build-up is impressive, and once in, you get intelligent reveals as well. The show does veer occasionally into the excessively violent space, with our genial tour guide transforming into the ruthless persona he once was.
A fabulous Raz (also one of the creators/writers) puts in an acting masterclass as the tortured and intense Segev. The audience empathise with his need to be a good man, a changed man, for the sake of his daughter and wife, but the latter’s murder succeeds in harnessing darkness that was always embedded deep within. The show would like us to believe that such men are never really capable of escaping who they really are and that the terrible past will come back to haunt. It’s a familiar trope but brilliantly showcased through the raw and passionate acting.
Though the plot is undoubtedly the hero here, there is emphasis on characterisation too. Be it the primary characters or the minor ones, one is able to get invested in their respective stories. To top it all, the final episode ends on a knife-edge. This cliffhanger of a show deserves a second season and more. To make a whole series on espionage that’s original, authentic, and not run-of-the-mill, especially in this day and age, is a serious challenge. The makers, led by Avi Issacharoff and Lior Raz, have managed this with aplomb.
Name: Hit & Run
Producers: Avi Issacharoff, Lior Raz, Dawn Prestwich, Nicole
Genre: Thriller
Platform: Netflix