Hudson And Rex Season 8, Episode 1 ‘Into the Wilds’ Review: Thrilling Return
Hudson and Rex, the wildly paw-pular Canadian canine detective show, is back on for its eighth season. The procedural crime drama takes place in the craggy, beautiful, and colorful town of St. John’s on Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Besides having a lovable but fierce dog star, the show appears to have a new lead. Luke Roberts has joined the cast as Detective Mark. How does he stack up against Detective Charlie Hudson?
How Season 7 of Hudson and Rex Left Things
Sarah, the forensic doctor and detective, and Charlie (John Reardon) had gotten close. After they had moved into a new house, Charlie was called away to help his brother in Mexico. Unfortunately, his brother possessed a knack for getting himself in trouble. After only a few episodes in season seven, Reardon had to take time off to treat tonsillar cancer. As a result, he was not appearing in the show for much of the seventh season.
While the rest of the crew worked various cases, Sarah (Mayko Nguyen), and the IT investigative detective, Jesse (Justin Kelly), took on much of the caseload. And it’s a good thing – Rex was able and ready to help! Throughout it all, the team maintained regular contact with Charlie, rooting him on to find his brother.
Unfortunately, Charlie became harder to track the longer he was in Mexico. Phone connections were not the best and ultimately they lost touch. A detective from a neighboring province was brought into help with a case. Detective Mark (Luke Roberts) made his first appearance in the latter part of season seven. Although the team tried hard to locate Charlie, they didn’t achieve any success. Shockingly, in Hudson and Rex’s last episode of season seven, news was delivered that he was shot and fell into the water.
Hudson and Rex Season 8 Starts with a Bang
(Warning – spoilers ahead!)
A young man is a witness to a deal gone wrong and he sees someone getting shot. Scared, he flees towards his favorite camping area. Meanwhile, our trusty investigative team is hanging out by Detective Mark’s riverside camper.
When the team receives word of the murder, they start diligently investigating. Once they know the key players involved, they immediately start looking for motive. Also, they need to find the witness. Who else is better equipped with a keen sense of smell than Rex?
Without going into the full plot of Hudson and Rex episode one, Mark and Jesse, guided by Rex, go into the wilds to find the witness. Sarah works the investigative end, while Joe keeps it all together. By the way, Sarah has become quite discerning when it comes to questioning suspects. She has a new toughness about her.
Hudson & Rex – How the Series Has Changed
Although it’s still very early on in the season, we see some new connections that the team has forged with one another. As much as we miss Charlie, Mark fits in. More importantly, he seems to have established a bond with Rex. For working breeds like shepherds it is devastating to not be able to have a job. In fact, they’ll find their own work, which humans may not like. (Usually that work involves destruction of furniture!)
Detective Mark continues the Hudson & Rex tradition of driving a muscle car, similar to Charlie’s, but this time it’s teal. As mentioned before, Dr. Sarah now works more closely with possible suspects. Jesse is out in the field more often and Joe is still the fair boss that we’ve known him to be. The first episode does allude to the fact there are some political forces which could be at play later in the season.
Charlie Hudson is unfortunately not mentioned very much, but we hope to get more information about him. Even if John Reardon is not a regular in the show, Hudson & Rex fans could hope Charlie gets a potentially fulfilling closing storyline.
The Verdict for Hudson & Rex
Hudson & Rex’s first show of the eighth season has plenty of action; it has the typical “Rex takedown,” but does little to address the elephant in the room. It leaves loyal fans wondering what happened to Charlie. How has Sarah been? How has she been able to move on? Charlie and Sarah were (quietly) engaged last season.
It’s said that the series now will be a little “darker and edgier.” While some crime show watchers may like that, will Hudson and Rex lose what attracted fans in the first place? As long as the team still has their rapport, Detective Mark blends in well and shows he can fill Charlie’s shoes – and we get lots and lots of Rex time, maybe the series will fill our hearts again.
