Feeding the Beast: A Look at The Terminal List: Dark Wolf (2025) Series

Before The Terminal List, Navy SEAL Ben Edwards finds himself entangled in the black operations side of the CIA. The deeper Ben goes into the 'gray', the harder it will become to not give himself over to his darker impulses. Every man has two wolves inside him – light and dark – fighting for control. Which wolf will Ben Edwards feed?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8tZ07FLDdU

You ever notice how every time Hollywood runs out of ideas, they just yank open the prequel junk drawer and fish out whatever still smells vaguely like testosterone and cordite? Enter The Terminal List: Dark Wolf. If The Terminal List was filet mignon with a bourbon glaze, Dark Wolf is the beef jerky road trip snack that still somehow manages to slap.

We’re rolling back the clock here, people. Before James Reece was out there cleaning house like a SEAL-team Marie Kondo, we’ve got his bro Ben Edwards, played by Taylor Kitsch - a guy who seems contractually obligated to look like he just found out his Wi-Fi went down. Ben gets pulled into the CIA’s black-ops circus, which, if history has taught us anything, is basically the career equivalent of accepting a drink from Jeffrey Dahmer.

Now the show hammers on that ancient chestnut about “two wolves inside every man.” You know the one: one’s the light wolf, noble and righteous, the other’s the dark wolf, dangerous and hungry, like Alec Baldwin at an all-you-can-eat gun safety seminar. Which one wins? The one you feed. And believe me, in Dark Wolf, Ben’s wolf chow seems to come straight from the CIA’s all-you-can-lie buffet.

Let’s talk tactics. If you’re a sucker for military porn - and I don’t mean whatever website charges you $9.99 a month for “Boots & Berets” - this show is your jam. The way these guys clear a room, you’d think they were dancing the tango with live ammo. Subtle cues: one operator turns his back, confident his buddy has him covered. It’s beautiful. It’s like watching the ballet, if Tchaikovsky had replaced the Nutcracker with a Glock.

But here’s the rub: for all the tactical brilliance, sometimes these elite soldiers make boneheaded moves that would embarrass a mall cop with a Segway and a taser. You’re screaming at the screen like, “Really, fellas? That’s the plan? I’ve seen toddlers with better OPSEC.”

Taylor Kitsch… listen, I like the guy, I really do. But the man’s expression range runs about as wide as a 1997 Nokia screen. Serious. More serious. Still serious. If he cracks a smile in season two, I’m half expecting the credits to roll with a standing ovation.

Production value? Through the roof. Amazon clearly backed up the Brinks truck. Every explosion looks like it cost more than my car. And I’m not talking about my first car, the used Civic with the duct-taped bumper. And trust me, the car note makes me cry harder than the last ten minutes of Old Yeller.

The Easter eggs for Terminal List fans? Oh, they’re there, and they’re juicy. Little connective tissues to keep the diehards buzzing on Reddit like conspiracy theorists connecting UFOs to pothole repairs. You’ve got Chris Pratt reprising James Reece, Tom Hopper as Raife Hastings - whose wallet, by the way, sports the emblem of the Rhodesian Selous Scouts. That’s the kind of detail that makes history nerds nod approvingly while everyone else Googles “Rhodesian Selous Scouts” and ends up in a Wikipedia rabbit hole about bush wars they didn’t know existed.

Dar Salim as Mo Faroo brings some depth too. This isn’t just another faceless operator with the personality of wet cardboard. The man’s got gravitas. And that’s needed, because otherwise this show could slip into “Call of Duty cutscene” territory.

And speaking of gravitas, let’s talk soundtrack. Episode two closes with Metallica’s For Whom the Bell Tolls. That’s not just a needle drop, folks. That’s a cultural flashbang. It’s a hat tip to Hemingway, Jack Carr’s favorite author, and frankly, a reminder that if you want to end a scene with maximum testosterone, you can’t go wrong with Metallica. I mean, short of playing AC/DC’s Thunderstruck while a helicopter lifts off, it doesn’t get manlier than that.

Now let’s be real: Dark Wolf is setting the table for bigger things. This is basically the hors d’oeuvre platter for The Terminal List: True Believer. You’re not just watching Ben wrestle with his inner demons - you’re getting the origin story of characters who’ll matter down the line. It’s Marvel Cinematic Universe logic, but with more ammo and fewer spandex costumes.

What does it all add up to? A show that sometimes drags its boots through the mud but ultimately delivers on action, intrigue, and enough grit to sandblast a tank. You’ll get frustrated, you’ll get pumped, and by the end, you’ll be feeding that dark wolf right along with Ben Edwards.

Final verdict? I’m giving The Terminal List: Dark Wolf a 7.9 out of 10. It’s not perfect, but it’s solid, muscular storytelling that’ll keep your pulse up and your popcorn salty.