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Dan Da Dan
Dan Da Dan may be a comedy, but the sensuality, violence and spiritual elements within it make it a tragedy for viewers.
As a driver for the “Southwest Al Capone,” Jim Ellis knows a thing or two about making sudden U-turns.
Jim zips across the Phoenix desert in his 1970 cherry-red Duster on Ezra Saxton’s whim, running illegal errands and ensuring that the drug lord remains in power. He lives a pretty sweet life. Things tend to be that way when you’re on the good side of the guy ordering hits.
But then someone catches Jim off-guard. It’s a rookie FBI agent, Nina Hayes, hoping to make a name for herself. It’s 1972, and she’s the first Black woman ever to join the force. She’s been put on the Saxton case merely because they desperately need an agent there.
Her second day on the job, Nina digs up an old tape of Jim’s dead brother, Joseph. Jim thought that the explosion that killed him was an accident; the tape proves it was a hit.
Of course, that doesn’t prove anything. It certainly doesn’t prove that Saxton was the one who ordered it. But it does cause Jim to doubt. Because if Saxton did kill his brother, well, Jim would make sure to take revenge.
And so, the two strike a deal: Jim becomes her confidential informant to help her get enough dirt on Saxton to take him down once and for all. In return, the FBI ensures that Jim stays out of jail when Saxton falls.
Of course, this deal only stays good so long as neither of them earn a sudden one-way ticket to the afterlife.
Duster is not the first time Director J.J. Abrams has hired Josh Holloway to play a conflicted criminal. But in Lost, Holloway’s romps as the womanizing confidence man Sawyer were a bit more sanitized. Here, there’s a fine layer of dirt and grime on everything.
The criminal landscape of 1970s Phoenix is filled with violence, sex and foul-mouthed fugitives. In the first episode alone, we see multiple instances of nudity, hear a few dozen f-words and see a man stumble out of his home after getting beaten into bloody submission with a baseball bat.
And those issues just may leave unprepared viewers in the dust.
(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at [email protected], or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out.)
Nina Hayes looks for evidence that might convince Jim Ellis to assist the FBI.
We see the breasts of three different women during the episode. A woman poses topless above an intoxicated man to take incriminating pictures for blackmail. A woman’s shirt reveals cleavage.
A car flips over during a chase and crashes. We see a man undergo heart surgery, and Jim applies pressure to the incision as a surgeon prepares the new heart. Another surgeon gets sprayed in the face with blood. Jim slices his hand with a knife to sign a contract with his blood. A van explodes, killing its driver. A man shoots at Jim and punches him, but Jim knocks him out with a kick to the head. Someone gets hit in the face with a baseball bat, and when we later see him, his nose and mouth are bleeding.
A woman spikes a man’s drink. Some drink wine or liquor. People smoke cigarettes.
We’re told someone believes in two things: “God and the chain of command.” A woman describes Jim as a “demon spawn.”
A few people doubt Nina’s abilities because of the color of her skin.
We hear the f-word nearly 35 times and the s-word 16 times. We also hear a couple different crudities that refer to the male anatomy. “A–,” “b–ch,” “d–n,” “h—,” “p-ss” and “t-ts” are all also used. Someone is called a “slut.” God’s name is used in vain six times, including two utterances paired with “d–n.” Jesus’ name is likewise used in vain once.
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He’s also an avid cook. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
Dan Da Dan may be a comedy, but the sensuality, violence and spiritual elements within it make it a tragedy for viewers.
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