Caffery is definitely one of those edgy cops. He originally joined the force because of his guilt stemming from his older brother Ewan’s childhood disappearance. Caffery knows Ivan Penderecki, the neighbor who still lives across the street abducted Ewan, but the police could never prove it. Recently, Caffery moved back to his old Welsh home, just to observe Penderecki from Ewan’s former room.
Since crime ripped Caffery’s family apart, he has a certain rapport with other survivors. That is why he feels comfortable reaching out to a grieving father who turned vigilante for information regarding Penderecki, while they served time in the same prison. Technically, “Walking Man” never had dealings with the creep, but he knows the guy who beat Penderecki to within an inch of his life. Walking Man will reach out if Caffery does him a favor first.
The off-the-grid hermit found a lost dog with a fragment of an S.O.S. note. Walking Man is convinced a family might truly be in danger. As he investigates, Caffery starts to agree. Indeed, they would be the Anchor-Ferrers, who have been taken hostage by two home-invaders masquerading as policeman. “Honey” and “Molina” are a nasty, sadistic duo. However, there might be a third-party toying with them, as well.
Coincidentally, Caffery’s off-the-books case brings him back to the area of the notorious “Donkey Pitch” double homicide that he worked as young constable. He soon suspects the unknown family’s peril might be related to that supposedly closed case. Indeed, Honey and Molina intentionally incorporate elements of the Donkey Pitch crime scene in the torments they devise for the Anchor-Ferrers. Of course, poking around the old case causes friction with the original investigating DS, Maia Lincoln, which is particularly awkward for Caffery, given their history of furtive hook-ups.
Don’t freak out. The dog suffers a bit of rough treatment, but he will be just fine at the end. There are no guarantees for anyone else, although it is probably safe to assume Caffery survives, since Hayder wrote seven novels featuring the angsty DS—but there are no assurances regarding his mental or emotional state. Incidentally, the late author worked as a model and actress under the stage-name Candy Davis, most notably as the bombshell secretary on Are You Being Served, before reinventing herself (and eventually winning an Edgar Award) under her Hayder pen-name.
It is clear Gallagher incorporated elements from multiple novels, but she did so in a way that makes sense. Nevertheless, squeamish viewers should consider themselves forewarned. The torture the Anchor-Ferrers endure will be tough for even jaded viewers to take. There is also some creepy material involving raves and cults, which presumably explains how Wolf landed on Shudder for American audiences. Regardless, series directors Kristoffer Nyholm and Lee Haven Jones certainly maintain a high degree of tension.
Sachan Dhawan and Iwan Rheon are utterly chilling as Honey and Molina, while Anthony Webster radiates bogeyman vibes as Penderecki. Plus, Karl Johnson adds an acutely human dimension as Frink, the still bereft grandfather of one of the Donkey Pitch victims.
If you consider Thomas Harris’s novels cozies, then this is the series for you. It is all tightly executed, but definitely not for the faint of heart. Recommended for fans of dark psychological thrillers with horror overtones, Wolf starts streaming today (12/30) on Shudder.
