I don’t know about you, but I felt just as blindsided as James Reece (Chris Pratt) was at the end of The Terminal List when he found out that his friend and confidant, Ben Edwards (Taylor Kitsch), had betrayed him. Now, obviously, I get why Ben did this, because he explained his reasoning before he was killed. However, there’s still so much more to this story, I can just tell. So, thank goodness we’re getting a spinoff on the 2025 TV schedule all about this complex character.
How The Terminal List Ended For Ben Edwards
So, I did not contribute to The Terminal List’s 1.6 billion minutes watched when it originally came out in 2022. I binged it with my Amazon Prime subscription weeks before Dark Wolf’s premiere. Therefore, knowing Taylor Kitsch was getting his own show played a big part in my interpretation of and shock over the series.
This shocking instance I’m referring to is the scene where we find out that Ben was involved in the conspiracy that ultimately led to James’ team and family dying. That was confirmed in the show’s finale when Ben said:
Admiral swore you were already dead. Said you and the boys had tumors. And I thought ‘Let ‘em die with their fucking boots on rather than in some hospital bed.’
Then, when James asked if Ben did this for his friends or for $20 million, Kitsch’s character replied with:
Maybe both, at first. I haven’t spent a fucking dime. I can’t. But you should know, I need you to know, that it’s set in fucking stone. Laura and Luce, I had nothing to do with it. And when I found out, I wanted to set the fucking world on fire, brother. I was with you. Every step. Cleaning up all those motherfuckers that took them. That’s the truth.
There wasn’t much explanation past that, and James ended up shooting his friend. Now, as we move into The Terminal List Season 2, I can’t help but wonder how that betrayal and choice will impact James. However, a bigger question on my mind is: What led Ben to do this? Well, thankfully, his spinoff from one of Amazon’s best shows might give us an answer.
The Terminal List: Dark Wolf Will Serve As Ben’s Origin Story
Here’s why I’m so relieved Ben is getting his spinoff, The Terminal List: Dark Wolf: I need to know when and why he changed and lost his undying loyalty to Reece and co. When did he decide to betray his brothers? What changed him to the point where he felt like he could or had to make the choice? How did his time in the CIA change him after he left the SEALs?
Thankfully, it seems like The Terminal List: Dark Wolf will answer at least some of those questions. The series, which premieres its first three episodes on Wednesday, August 27, will serve as Ben’s origin story. Amazon’s synopsis states that it will follow Kitsch’s character “throughout his journey from the Navy SEALs to the clandestine side of CIA Special Operations.” It also promises to be an “espionage thriller that explores the darker side of warfare and the cost that comes with it.”
I’m really hopeful that we’ll get some necessary backstory here that adds some depth to Ben's moral greyness, and I personally can’t wait to watch it. That feeling increased tenfold when I re-watched the trailer for Dark Wolf after seeing the original series, and heard Ben say:
When we step on that battlefield, we fight for each other. This is why it’s so hard to give up that brotherhood.
So, that tells me we’ll get to see some events play out that lead to him ultimately giving up this “brotherhood” he found in the military. The trailer, which you can see below, also features Tom Hopper’s Raife Hastings talking about the importance of knowing how to find the breaks and stop as a whole bunch of violence happens.
It seems like Ben is a loose cannon, looser than he was in The Terminal List, and that will likely play into the choices he makes that eventually lead to his fatal fate at the end of the original series.
The Terminal List is one of Taylor Kitsch’s best projects, and his character was such a fascinating part of the series. So, I’m thrilled he’s getting a spinoff, and we might finally get some backstory to the biggest betrayal of Season 1.
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