SPOILER ALERT: The following contains spoilers for Anna Pigeon Season 1, Episode 2.
The most impressive thing about Anna Pigeon Episode 2 was how different it was from Episode 1. “Hide + Seek” not only had a completely opposite tone, but it told a story that made the USA series’ title character more of a supporting character than the hero. And the fact that the creative team could make such a sharp pivot and come up with an equally successful product bodes well for the show getting to the all-important Season 2.
“Hide + Seek” still gave Anna plenty to do—she was the one who connected all the dots—but it wasn’t her story. The story was centered on the Davies family, and how father Jake (played excellently by guest star Roger LeBlank) was willing to do anything to try and hold it together, whether it was taking his terminally ill wife off the grid or firebombing the ranger station to reunite with his two children. While Anna arrested Jake in the end, Jake’s mother-in-law Lori came to her rescue, and it was Jake’s children who convinced him to surrender. The family were the characters who drove the story and who provided the emotional payoff, even if they were only there for a single episode.
Here’s why that was such a creative risk: this early in a new TV show’s life, the writers are still trying to win over an audience. They’ve served up an idea and a character that viewers like—particularly in Anna Pigeon‘s case, as it posted considerable numbers for USA—and they want those viewers to come back. To go in a different direction would be like going to a great restaurant, having a fantastic entree, and then coming back the next week and it’s not on the menu. There’s the chance of alienating some of those viewers, who wonder what happened to the stuff they enjoyed. And it’s not a small consideration, since in the quick cancellation and countless options era of TV, some people won’t even look at a show until they’ve seen that it’s getting Season 2. It would seem safer to stick with what works, and if the writers are going to try something different, to do it later in the season.
But the gamble worked for Anna Pigeon because of how well-written and acted “Hide + Seek” was. Focusing on the guest characters was effective because the audience invested in them—not the firebombing part, but the emotions underneath it, as well as getting to learn their backstory in more detail, and being able to see the feeling between a father and his children. They shared Anna’s compassion for the family; in a way, they were in her shoes. And the audience being able to invest in characters whose names aren’t in the title is paving the way for a second season, since the primary objective of any TV show’s Season 2 is to expand the world.
The most memorable series are the ones that give their guest characters a chance to breathe. If the guest characters aren’t developed, then they feel like objects, existing solely to get the plot from A to B or to teach the main characters a certain lesson. And it’s normally easy to guess what function they serve—which makes the entire plot a lot more obvious. For example, if Tracy Spiridakos’ former show Chicago PD gives Kim Burgess a case with a child involved, that can highlight Burgess’ own challenges or fears as a parent. But the audience should never know that’s what the writers are trying to do. It’s a far better episode when they care about what happens to the kid, and not just how that case affects Burgess. Anna Pigeon just proved it can tell those kinds of next-level stories, where Anna doesn’t have to be front and center, and the world doesn’t revolve entirely around her.
Doing that so early in the season tells the audience that they should care about everyone who passes through Glacier National Park (except for Jeremiah Paulson, because he’s clearly the love to hate type). It gets them more engaged with the episodes that follow. And it establishes that there will be different kinds of plots beyond “Anna saves the day yet again and there are some witty jokes along the way.” Anna Pigeon is able to change how it tells its stories, in order to tell the best possible ones. It’s that extra level of commitment, and the opportunities it presents, that makes a very strong argument for Season 2. It’s still early days, but Episode 2 establishes how much more of Anna Pigeon’s world is out there to explore.
Anna Pigeon airs Fridays at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on USA. Photo Credit: Michelle Faye/Courtesy of Versant Media.
Article content is (c)2020-2026 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.
