THE HUNTING WIVES

I almost skipped this show, mistaking it for a literal reality series about wives who hunt. Based on the novel of the same name, it’s actually a mini-series centered around a wealthy group of East Texas housewives, living the high life off their husbands’ money. With pastimes of gossip and guns, they are mesmerisingly beautiful people who are deeply flawed when it comes to values, ethics and honesty. When newcomer Sophie O’Neil (Brittany Snow) arrives in town, lead socialite Margo Banks (Malin Akerman) becomes enamoured with her and sees her as a conquest. She begins her usual pattern of seduction to try to win her over … and into her bed. A debouch, alcohol fuelled night at Margo’s with Sophie and two teenage boys sets off a cataclysmic chain of events that exposes closely held secrets and leads to several twists you won’t see coming. Stand out Akerman plays the character of Margo with risqué confidence and an authentic, melodious Texan draw. There’s no definitive resolution for some of the storylines unless you consider summary justice to be a satisfactory ending and a couple of dodgy wigs make an appearance (one of my absolute bug bears), which is disappointing for a show with a decent production budget. Still it’s an eye-opening soirée of deceit, affairs and m*rder.