The best thing about Anna Pigeon Season 1 Episode 1 “Track of the Cat” is that the show makes it clear from the first 10 minutes what kind of woman she is. Because yes, she’s a solitary creature and is running away from her problems. But she cares deeply for the parks that she works at, the people who work there, and the animals that live there. She’s kind, even while holding this huge reservoir of anger within her. Basically, Anna has layers. And I can’t wait to learn more.
MORE: Is Anna Pigeon Based on a Book?
One Episode, Lots to Love About Anna
Usually it takes me about three episodes to get a really solid understanding of who a character is. And it’s because I feel like TV shows don’t trust their audience to understand or pay attention to what they’ve built. But I paid attention to Anna in this first episode. And from the moment that she decided to literally weather the storm with Sheila so the vultures wouldn’t get to her, I knew what kind of woman she was. She’s someone who cares.
In “Track of the Cat” we see Anna care for the park, threatening that Jeremiah that if he touches one hair on the park, she’ll stop him. We see Anna fight to find out the truth when it comes to Sheila’s death, not only for her fellow ranger, but also for the cougar that they were going to blame instead of the real culprit. We even see her have this sweet moment with the ex-girlfriend of Sheila. And they’re all little pieces that show that even though Anna is in pain and keeping herself separate, she chooses kindness over and over.
I would also like to note that in one episode, this show managed to show a spark of change and hope for Anna. Because it’s been established that she jumps from park to park. But when the opportunity to stay arises, she chooses to stay. The same thing with the cat. She establishes that she’s a solo traveler, but by the end decides to take the cat. That tells me that this is a woman looking to establish some roots, yet terrified of making them. And in this park, she’s found something that feels like home. She’s not ready to admit it, and probably won’t for a while. But it’s there.
And if Anna Pigeon can give me this kind of growth/development in one episode, imagine what a season can do?
MORE: Where to Find the Cast of Anna Pigeon on Social Media
The Cast of Characters Around Anna
Of course “Track of the Cat” has to focus a lot on Anna and her motivations. She’s the lead character after all. But I really did enjoy how this first episode felt really rich because of how they set up a lot of the characters around Anna. She’s got people that want her to stay, that look out for her, or that are annoyed by her. (I’m looking at her boss for that one. lol) Nevertheless, Anna has found a community. And that makes the show more interesting, but also can lead to some really cool character dynamics when they start mixing and matching them up.
Even the bad guy Jeremiah was interesting. Yes, he’s a little cookie cutter when it comes to being a villain. But people like that really exist. They don’t care about the beauty of the parks or the importance of protecting these delicate ecosystems. It’s all about money for them. And Kim Coates manages to play a slimy one at that. But bad luck for him because Anna cares, so much so that she wouldn’t let falling off a cliff, getting hurt, or finding a dead pigeon on her porch stop her from finding out the truth and locking in on the bad things he’s doing.
We can’t talk about characters in Season 1 Episode 1 without talking about Anna’s husband Zach. Because he’s dead. But that doesn’t mean he’s gone. And even though I found it a little bit cheesy that she saw a vision of him on that mountain side, being cheesy isn’t always bad. It’s a highly charged and emotional thing that Anna went through. And in a moment of pain, the thought of her husband gave her strength. That’s another reason why I think this show is really character driven, and something refreshing for USA Network to add to its lineup after pulling away from scripted TV.
MORE: Everything We Know About Tracy Spiridakos’ Anna Pigeon Series
Additional thoughts about Season 1 Episode 1:
- I was already terrified about coming close to the edge of things like cliffs. Now I’m even more scared because they set up a trap for her!
- But also, can we talk about how she popped her shoulder back in somehow while hanging off the side of a cliff? Crazy business right there
- I also really like that Anna was busted. Or more accurately scrapped up and bruised. And it wasn’t just for 5 seconds. The entire episode she was a mess. But women sometimes are a mess. And things get dirty at parks. Anna Pigeon isn’t hiding from that
- Back to her husband, I also like that even though he’s gone, she’s still out there trying with other men. And it’s not because she’s looking for another partner. It’s because she’s looking for comfort. And too often, TV paints us in broad strokes where we can’t hold multitudes. Anna is grieving, and she’s still having sex. See, multitudes. And we still like her
- I really like this FBI agent Frederick. He seems to be one of the few people that really knows Anna. And there’s this trust between them that when she calls, she knows he will come. I want to explore more of that
- I also want to explore how this was filmed. Because if this was done at a national park, a lot of great care has to be put into preserving the environment and making sure that they leave it the way they find it
Anna Pigeon airs new episodes Fridays at 10 p.m. ET on USA Network.
Loved it! My favorite new show!