Furious Episodes 1 Through 3 Review: Emmy Rossum and Lola Petticrew Power Hulu’s Gripping Crime Thriller

By Justin D Williams

Hulu’s Furious may sound like another familiar thriller about an investigator chasing a serial killer, but the first three episodes take a more emotionally complicated approach. The series reveals the killer early, shifting the mystery away from who is responsible and toward why the murders are happening. The story follows Alice Black, a former NYPD homicide detective who has recently joined the FBI. Alice is intelligent, observant, and eager to prove herself, but she is not immediately given the investigative role she expected. When she notices connections between several suspicious deaths involving powerful men, she becomes convinced that one woman is responsible. That woman is Catherine Grace, a calculated killer who changes her appearance, personality, and behavior depending on her target. Her victims are connected to abuse, exploitation, and institutional corruption. This makes her anger understandable, even though her violent methods remain impossible to defend.

What interested me most was the connection developing between Alice and Catherine before they truly confront each other. Alice still believes justice must come through the law, even though she knows the system is deeply flawed. Catherine has completely rejected that belief. She sees the system as something that protects powerful people while abandoning victims. The series never made me feel as though I was supposed to celebrate Catherine’s murders. Instead, it placed me in the uncomfortable position of understanding her anger while recognizing how dangerous she has become. Her mission has consumed her identity, and any boundaries she may have once had are beginning to disappear. Alice is also becoming obsessed with the case. Her determination makes her a strong investigator, but it also causes her to ignore warnings, cross boundaries, and allow her personal history to affect her judgment. By the end of Episode 3, it became clear that Alice is not only chasing Catherine. She is also chasing answers about herself.

The acting is the strongest part of Furious, and Emmy Rossum gives the series its emotional foundation. She does not play Alice as a flawless detective who immediately understands every clue. Alice is capable, but she is also frustrated, isolated, and less emotionally stable than she wants anyone to realize. Rossum communicates much of Alice’s pain through her tense posture, guarded expressions, and reactions whenever someone questions her judgment. Alice wants people to respect her abilities, but her need to prove herself often becomes more important than protecting herself. What I appreciated most was the balance between strength and vulnerability. Alice can take control of a conversation and challenge people with more authority than her, but she can also appear completely overwhelmed when she is alone. Rossum makes those emotional shifts feel natural. Alice occasionally makes reckless decisions that could have made her frustrating to watch. However, Rossum helps me understand the emotions behind them. Alice has spent too much time being dismissed and underestimated, so every warning to step back adds to the pressure already building inside her. Rossum also allows Alice to be difficult, defensive, and unfair. Those flaws make her feel like a real person instead of a perfect television investigator.

Lola Petticrew is equally impressive as Catherine, although the performance works in a completely different way. Catherine constantly reshapes herself based on the person she is targeting. She can appear frightened, charming, vulnerable, seductive, or emotionally empty whenever the situation requires it. Petticrew makes every version of Catherine believable. These changes feel like carefully designed identities created by someone who has spent years learning how to survive and manipulate others. The quieter moments are where Petticrew becomes especially unsettling. Catherine can smile warmly and then allow every trace of emotion to disappear from her face. I was constantly questioning whether anything she said or felt was genuine. Petticrew also reveals brief glimpses of the wounded person beneath Catherine’s controlled exterior. Those moments do not excuse her actions, but they prevent her from becoming a one-dimensional villain. Catherine is frightening because she feels intelligent, damaged, and completely committed to a mission that has taken over her life.

Quincy Tyler Bernstine gives one of the strongest supporting performances as Nora Washington. Nora has spent years working inside a system that repeatedly fails victims, and Bernstine captures the exhaustion of someone who still cares despite knowing how painful that can be. Her scenes with Rossum are some of my favorites. Nora does not simply encourage Alice or become an easy mentor figure. She challenges her behavior and recognizes the danger of allowing a case to become personal. Scoot McNairy brings a quieter presence as Danny, Alice’s former NYPD partner. He appears to be one of the few people who understands both how capable Alice is and how self-destructive she can become. The supporting cast keeps the story from feeling like a simple battle between a detective and a killer. Each character represents a different response to trauma, injustice, and institutional failure.

The direction creates tension without relying on constant violence. Many scenes remain close to the actors, allowing uncomfortable silences, facial expressions, and quiet conversations to carry the suspense. I also enjoyed the visual atmosphere. The offices, apartments, and hotel rooms appear ordinary, but the direction creates the feeling that something dangerous is hiding beneath every interaction. Catherine’s scenes are especially effective because the audience often understands more than the person speaking to her. The series occasionally struggles with its tone. Some of the dark humor feels natural, while other jokes arrive too close to serious discussions of abuse and exploitation. There are also moments when Alice discovers information too conveniently. She receives more freedom than I would expect someone in her position to have, and certain developments depend on other characters ignoring obvious warning signs. These issues weakened the realism, but they did not ruin my investment in the story.

After watching Episodes 1 through 3, I found Furious to be an intense and morally complicated crime thriller. The investigation gives the series momentum, but the performances are what made me want to keep watching. Emmy Rossum gives Alice intelligence, anger, vulnerability, and enough flaws to make her unpredictable. Lola Petticrew matches her with a disturbing performance that shifts between warmth, pain, and emotional emptiness. Quincy Tyler Bernstine and Scoot McNairy add experience and humanity to the story. The series is not perfect. Some clues arrive too easily, and the changes between bleak drama and dark humor do not always work. Still, I remained invested in the characters and eager to see what happens when Alice and Catherine finally collide. Based on the first three episodes, Furious earns a Binge-Worthy Remote Rating. Its strong performances and complicated battle between justice and revenge made it difficult for me to stop watching. This version removes much of the repetition while keeping the acting, story, direction, criticisms, and final rating intact.