Hanna Season 1 Episode 1 Review: Forest

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And the mystery begins.

There are so many questions and very few answers to be had on Hanna Season 1 Episode 1, but that's usually how good, suspenseful mysteries begin, and this story is thoroughly compelling.

Hanna Season 1 Episode 1

Hanna is an eight-episode Amazon series based on the 2011 film of the same name. It's about a girl who was raised in the forest by her mercenary father, Erik, and who tries to discover who she is and why they are being hunted by a rogue CIA agent named Marissa.

Hanna is badass, but she doesn't quite understand why she's been living with her father in the forest for the last 15 years or why he is so intent on making sure she's trained like a mini mercenary version of himself.

Related: Interview: Executive Producer David Farr and Star Esma Creed-Mills on Hanna

We don't know much more than she does and Erik isn't willing to share information with her no matter how many times she asks.

It's unclear why he can't give her some details because there has to be a reason why she was taken away from her parents and held in a secret Romanian facility.

The only thing he tells her is to not trust Marissa, even showing her a picture if she comes across the enemy.

Father and Daughter - Hanna Season 1 Episode 1

But being tight-lipped about the history that led them to flee into the forest has done more harm than good. 

Hanna's days are all about training and survival. There's no joy in their relationship, no real bond. He acts like a man with a target on his back, and it makes no sense to her.

They've lived in isolation for a long time with none of the comforts of the modern world. She's almost like a prisoner.

This is why things start to unravel when she meets Arvo. In all of her years, she's never come across anyone else, let alone a boy close to her own age.

At first, she doesn't know how to act around Arvo and scares him off, but she takes a different tact when they meet again.

Taking Baby - Hanna Season 1 Episode 1

Perhaps the most defining moment and the one that leads to her and Erik's discovery is when Arvo takes her for a ride on his ultra-terrain vehicle.

It gives her a sense of freedom, and for just a moment, she loses the fear and paranoia that her father has instilled in her for so long.

It's surprising Hanna decided to keep Arvo a secret from her father., but she knows he would have found him and killed him. 

Related: Mireille Enos and Joel Kinnaman on Hanna, Reconnecting, and Esma Creed-Miles & More!

It would have been better for their situation if that happened, but Hanna is in the process of becoming a woman, and with that comes an insatiable curiosity.

The level of trust she displayed with Arvo is concerning, and I'm not quite sure why she let her guard down so much with him.

Even if Arvo didn't come across as a threat, her internal danger meter should have been going haywire because for 15 years she's never come across anyone in that forest.

Why all of a sudden now?

Hanna realized the error of her ways, but it was already too late. She had given them up, so to speak, and Marissa smelled blood/

In Training - Hanna Season 1 Episode 1

It was quite impressive how Hanna knew Marissa's agents were coming even before her father did. She heard something or smelled something, but she knew they were on their way.

Erik trained her well.

However, it's unclear if she gave up her location because she was genuinely trying to save her father, or if she wanted a chance at freedom that leaving with the men could offer her.

As mentioned earlier, Arvo opened a door to a world Hanna never knew existed, and she wants answers.

Listening to Dad - Hanna Season 1 Episode 1

But she's also a teenage kid who has no idea what she's up against.

Marissa is not a nice person. Whatever happened between her and Erik goes deep and Hanna is caught up in the middle of it.

Related: Knightfall Season 2 Episode 1 Review: God's Executioners

It's strange that Marissa was willing to kill Erik, but not Hanna.

Still, Hanna is as good as dead because in Marissa's world, the girl doesn't exist,

The question is why?

Why was Hanna taken in the first place? Why did Erik feel the need to hide in the woods for so long?

Finding a Way - Hanna Season 1 Episode 1

What is the history between Marissa and Erik?

These are all questions that will need to be answered as the series progresses.

But the biggest question is how will Hanna survive in a world about which she knows nothing? Will she remember her father's training? 

Will she remember that Marissa is the enemy?

Maybe Hanna's great escape will be a way for her not only to find the answers to the questions she seeks but also to seek revenge for the type of life she's had to endure for so long.

We don't know what Hanna's motives are at this point, but I sure can't wait to find out!

Over to you!

What did you think of "Forest"?

Are you as intrigued by the story as I am?

Do you have any theories on what's happening and why?

Hit the comments and share your thoughts!

If you want to check out the series, you can watch Hanna online right here via TV Fanatic!

Forest Review

Editor Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
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Rating: 5.0 / 5.0 (2 Votes)
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Hanna Season 1 Episode 1 Quotes

Don't let me kill you. You don't get a second chance.

Erik

If I can't hide? Attack.

Hanna