Hot Takes: Boots and Teenage Bounty Hunters

Boots (Netflix)
Set in the 1990s before the ban on gays serving in the military openly was overturned, Boots is a coming of age 10-part dramedy series that follows a closeted teen’s experiences as he goes through boot camp after he joins the U.S. Marines. While the show is primarily told through the eyes of the teen fresh out of high school, it actually is an ensemble piece as we follow the journey of several of the aspiring marines, as well as some of the senior non-coms and officers, and the teen’s single mom (played by Vera Farmiga).

Complaints from across the political spectrum—with some accusing the series of being “woke,” while others see it as a glorified recruitment poster for the military—suggest that the show has managed to thread the needle of shining a light on the harshness and intolerance of military culture, while also acknowledging that it instills toughness, confidence and discipline into its recruits (as well as unapologetically turning them into efficient killing machines).

I found the show entertaining and engaging, and full of heart—even many of the drill sergeants, while certainly hard asses, are given moments to show their human side. While the entire cast is terrific, particularly Miles Heizer as the main protagonist, Cameron Cope, actor Max Parker, as a closeted drill sergeant and decorated marine, to be a standout in a heartbreaking and conflicted role.

Teenage Bounty Hunters (Netflix)
This 10-part dramedy series was quite a gratifying find—produced back in 2020, I had never heard of it and stumbled across it by accident. Thanks to a great fusion of writing and actors, I found the show charming and hilarious, and full of heart.

The series follows two non-identical twin sisters named Sterling and Blair Wesley (adorably played by actresses Maddie Phillips and Anjelica Bette Fellini), who by happenstance become bounty hunters under the mentorship of a gruff but kind-hearted bail enforcement agent named Bowser (Kadeem Hardison). Set in Atlanta, the girls are typical teens who nonetheless also come from a conservative right wing family (hence their comfort with handling guns), though they have good hearts and are ingrained with tolerance. While clearly genuine about their Christian beliefs, perhaps reflecting their generation, they nevertheless are less strident in how they interpret the Bible on issues like sex, race, and the environment.

That said, this is not an action series—indeed, it’s more of a coming of age story that focuses on the girls’ high school lives, friendships and first loves (and sexual awakenings), as much as their bounty hunter side hustle, if not moreso. And this includes their relationship with Bowser with whom they form their own familial bond. Tying this all together is the girls’ growing suspicion that their parents are harboring a dark secret about their past that eventually intersects with the girls’ bounty hunting.

While the first season did not end in a completely unresolved cliffhanger, it nevertheless ended with some revelations and loose threads that clearly would have driven the next season. Unfortunately, the show was not renewed for a second season, which I suspect might have partly been due to COVID. Given the great ensemble—and particularly the incredible chemistry between the incredibly charming and comedically gifted two leads—it’s criminal the show was not renewed.