‘Duster' series review: Rachel Hilson's sass and Josh Holloway's laidback charm rock the retro ride

The Hindu

14 hours ago

From the title sequence featuring a miniature car race, with the King's famous Blue Suede Shoes swinging jauntily from the telephone wires, to the music and costumes, J. J. Abrams and LaToya Morgan's Duster, brings 1972 Phoenix, Arizona to thrilling life.
Duster (English)
Season 1
Episodes: 8
Creators: J. J. Abrams, LaToya Morgan
Starring: Josh Holloway, Rachel Hilson, Asivak Koostachin, Sydney Elisabeth, Benjamin Charles Watson, Camille Guaty, Adriana Aluna Martinez, Greg Grunberg, Keith David
Runtime: 52 minutes
Storyline: A driven FBI agent co-opts a skilled getaway driver into helping her bring down a crime boss
Nina Hayes (Rachel Hilson), the first Black female FBI agent (supposedly loosely modelled on Sylvia Elizabeth Mathis) right out of Quantico, asks to be posted to Phoenix. She faces chauvinism with a smile, a sharp wardrobe, and a sharper mind. She is determined to bring down Ezra Saxton (Keith David), a crime boss whose power and influence are increasing by the day.
No one at her office believes she can do it, as others have tried and failed — with the last agent on the Saxton case losing his mind and getting locked up in an asylum. Nina's boss, Nathan Abbott (Greg Grunberg), tries to be supportive of her even as he has to answer to his superiors, while the other male agents, including Chad Grant (Dan Tracy), are openly hostile.
Only Awan Bitsui (Asivak Koostachin), a Navajo, who also does not get any respect from the other agents, supports Nina. Even though not as willing to colour outside the lines as Nina, Awan is a loyal partner and follows Nina to the end.
Nina feels the only way to crack the Saxton case open is through a mole, and she identifies Saxton's getaway driver, Jim (Josh Holloway), for the job. We first meet Jim as he is driving his red 1970 Plymouth Duster like a bat out of hell. We learn that he has to pick up a time-critical package. In the car is Luna (Adriana Aluna Martinez), Jim's ex Izzy's (Camille Guaty) daughter. Nine-year-old Luna loves to ride with her Uncle Jim, and he obliges her whenever possible.
We learn that Jim is going to take delivery of a heart for Saxton's son, Royce (Benjamin Charles Watson), who has a congenital heart disease. The heart transplant is conducted in Saxton's mansion, with Jim pumping the heart to get it beating again. Ezra's daughter, Genesis (Sydney Elisabeth), is the brains and a more than capable heir — if not for her gender. After all, this is the '70s we're talking about. Jim's family, including his father Wade (Corbin Bernsen) and brother, Joe, have been working for Saxton.
Joe died on the job, and Nina figures out a way to turn Jim with some information she has. Charlotte (Gail O'Grady), Wade's wife, is not particularly fond of Jim, and the feeling is mutual. Billy (Evan Jones), Ezra's muscle man, is unpredictable and suspicious of everyone, including Jim. Throw in dirty cops, including a particularly nasty one, Groomes (Donal Logue), a conspiracy from the highest powers, Elvis Presley's Blue Suede Shoes, a discussion on Pitirim Sorokin's six types of mobility, and Howard Hughes, and you are guaranteed one hell of a ride.
The period detail is exquisite but lived-in, from the music (Jimi Hendrix's 'Foxey Lady', Presley's 'Teddy Bear', Chakachas' 'Jungle Fever', and more), clothes (shorts, scarves, wide collars, and flared trousers), and movie references to delightful blasts from the past — including a Rolodex and Agent Bitsui's Superman wallet. There is also Hughes in all his eccentric glory, insisting the suitcase be handled with tissue, his visitors wash their hands four times, while also giving Luna a taste of the millionaire lifestyle with the 350 gallons of banana nut ice cream he has stashed and a screening of Bullitt, that ultimate car chase movie with the king of cool, Steve McQueen, as the eponymous San Francisco cop.
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The acting is spot on, and it is difficult to draw the eyes away from Holloway's easy rider and Hilson's uncompromising politeness and charm. Duster, with its muscle cars and retro vibes (I almost expected Amitabh Bachchan as the laconic, dangerous Vijay to lock the godown door and ask Peter to try and take the keys from him), is a blast from the past in a million delicious ways. Can Season 2 come already?
Duster is currently streaming on Jio Hotstar