Summary
Hunters kick-starts with an enticing opener that updates viewers on the main cast’s whereabouts and current mental states, whilst introducing new characters with apparent ease. This is stylized and well written drama.
We recap the Prime Video series Hunters Season 2 Episode 1, “Van Glooten’s Day 1972 Butter Sculptor of the Year,” which contains spoilers.
The most hated man in the history of modern civilization has to be Adolf Hitler, the German leader, who initiated World War II and instigated the Holocaust genocide, leading to the deaths of millions of innocent people. A real-life villain that has become a caricature of sorts in the pop culture narrative of late, is now seen as a stereotypical bad guy that must be defeated at all costs. This fantasy of killing Hitler can be seen in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds, Valkyrie, and many more war films of a similar nature. It is also a major plot point in Prime Video’s Hunters, which returns for a second outing after a three-year hiatus.
Hunters Season 2 Episode 1 Recap
Episode 1 of Season 2, titled “Van Glooten’s Day 1972 Butter Sculptor of the Year”, opens in Austria, Adolf Hitler’s nation of birth no less. It’s a scenic, sunny setting that introduces viewers to Chava Apfelbaum, played by Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight). She enters a candy shop, and a friendly conversation ensues with the store owner. This chat quickly turns sour though as she notices that this is or once was a Jewish-owned store. She frankly asks the owner if he is a Jew. The store owner is offended and rather defensive, but he explains that he took over from the previous owners, who were Jewish and presumably deported.
Suddenly, Chava pulls out a knife and reveals a tattoo on her arm, indicating that even though she seemed hostile towards the Jewish people at first, and spoke with a German accent, she is in fact Jewish herself. She asks about a possible route Hitler may have once taken to escape after the war and then proceeds to remove the shop owner’s eyes. These two body parts are squished on a poor man’s sculpture in the town square as a German version of Kelis’ Milkshake plays in the background. Chava receives one bad-ass introduction.
The story races forwards three years to 1975, which we are informed is just two years before Meyer’s death. It was revealed in the season one finale that Meyer Offerman, the Nazi hunter, was actually Wilhelm ‘The Wolf’ Zuchs, a Nazi doctor who tortured many Jews during the war. On discovering this information, Jonah killed the traitor.
In this flashback, Meyer (Al Pacino) is stalked by a shady individual. He then receives a letter from an unknown sender, which specifies that someone knows his true identity. The letter says ‘Hello Wilhelm’, sending Meyer into a paranoid panic. He tries to investigate possible leads, even phoning his real-life sister Gertrude, but cannot seem to find any clues as to who is following him wherever he goes. Meyer decides to confront the stalker in the end and invites the man inside for a drink. He soon realizes that the stalker is an old colleague called Fritz, sent by Viktor Frondheim, and he stabs the man to death in an alleyway.
The Hunters have disbanded after the fallout of the season one finale, and Jonah can be found frequenting brothels in Paris, 1979. He isn’t there for a fun time though, he’s actually stalking his own prey, searching for a specific guest that uses the brothel regularly. Back at home, Jonah is engaged to be married to Clara (Emily Rudd) and is living under a new alias. He’s now Sam, a student with no family of his own. But he appears to be deep undercover still as a stranger passes him a note in public.
Eventually, Jonah finds the man he is after. Biff Simpson (Dylan Baker), the undercover Nazi agent is caught in a compromising situation by Jonah, who instantly cuffs the villain. Jonah states that he’s been waiting a year to capture the Nazi and is now going to kill him. It looks like Jonah is still in the Nazi killing business, although business is not a-booming. Biff tries to negotiate with Jonah, promising to direct him straight to Adolf Hitler, who he claims is very much still alive. Jonah doesn’t wait to find out more of the finer details though and just shoots the Nazi in the face instead.
Ending Explained
Meanwhile, in 1979 Pasadena, Millie Morris (Jerrika Hinton), the FBI agent, is hunting down her own Nazi. She arrests a Bishop, who is known to have aided the Nazi regime in Lithuania during the war, and killed many himself, including a baby. Unfortunately, there isn’t sufficient evidence to lock the murderer away and he’s eventually released. Feeling desperate she calls up Jonah, but there is no answer. Millie takes a leaf out of the Hunters’ book and takes matters into her own hands. She shoots the Bishop in his own home and flees the crime scene.
Millie runs back to her apartment, where she begins to dispose of her clothing and any items that are linked to the crime scene. As she bins the gun that she used to kill the Nazi Bishop, she hears a knock at the door. She takes the weapon out of the bin and tiptoes to the door. There is no answer when she continually asks who’s there. On opening the door though, she is greeted by Jonah. The two haven’t spoken in two years, but he has found something important and has come to her aid.
In the final scene of the premiere, we see Adolf Hitler shaving in his fancy dwellings. Udo Kier (Brawl in Cell Block 99) portrays the Fuhrer, even keeping that infamous mustache. It makes for a scarily accurate appearance. He joins The Colonel (Lena Olin) for a meal and then Joe Mizushima (Louis Ozawa) sits at the table too. Joe was once their prisoner, but he seems to have settled in with the Nazis over the last few years. What villainous plans are these criminals plotting next?
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