Teenage Bounty Hunters Review: The Second Half is Worth the Wait (Season 1 Episodes 6-10)

Previously on Teenage Bounty Hunters, the first five episodes offered a glimpse at the interesting show trying to break through. With episodes 6-10, the series finally shows what it’s really made of.

On Teenage Bounty Hunters Season 1 Episode 1, “Daddy’s Truck,” the final scene showed a picture of the girls’ mother, Debbie, on Bowser’s wall of wanted criminals. This isn’t brought up again until Teenage Bounty Hunters Season 1 Episode 6, “Master Debater,” when it becomes clear she has a secret life, but more on that later.

Up until this point, Sterling has been portrayed as a tightly wound good Christian girl, who feels guilty about every minor transgression. On “Master Debater,” Sterling has a sexual awakening, which leads to her embracing her confidence.

Just when it seems like there is no reason to spend so much time on Sterling and April’s fractured friendship, it finally pays off when Sterling admits she’s attracted to April and the two kiss.

The moment does come out of nowhere, as there were no previous hints about Sterling’s sexuality, but somehow it still works.

Ultimately, the pair don’t get a happy ending, but their romance is a highlight of the season.

Unfortunately, as Sterling is finding herself, Blair’s life is falling apart. Her boyfriend dumps her, then her obsession with discovering Debbie’s mystery leads to a huge fight between her and Sterling.

Maddie Phillips and Anjelica Bette Fellini are finally given a chance to build separate characters, with separate lives, and they both shine.

Yes, the teen drama is still center stage in the second half of the series, but it doesn’t feel like it’s taking time away from the rest of the story.

Everything is a lot more connected and layered through this batch of episodes.

Just as their double life begins catching up with the sisters, Bowser’s choices also start to weigh heavily on him.

When Bowser decides he’s had enough and is heading back to Florida, Kadeem Hardison lets us see both Bowser’s physical and emotional exhaustion with where his life has ended up.

We know he’s hurting, the girls know he’s hurting, and Yolanda knows he’s hurting, but his feelings are always given the respect they deserve.

He’s so much more than the typical down on his luck, irascible ex-cop.

So, about that big mystery. Turns out Debbie was involved with an extremist church when she was young, and set fire to an abortion clinic. It’s a big reveal, but it’s not quite as shocking as the show wanted it to be.

Luckily, the truly shocking part comes in the final episode when Debbie’s twin sister Dana is revealed as the real arsonist.

With all the game-changing moments in the second half of the season, it legitimately feels like two different shows. The stories and jokes aren’t nearly as campy this time around.

Every episode advanced the overall arc of the season, keeping everyone involved in the action.

Speaking of how important all the supporting characters are, we need to take a minute and discuss Method Man as Terrance Coin. He’s a bounty hunter who’s made a name for himself on social media, and also is interested in Bowser’s ex Yolanda.

Terrance only appears a few times in the early episodes, however, on Teenage Bounty Hunters Season 1 Episode 9 “Our Ham is Good,” Method Man takes the spotlight and runs with it. Though his scenes aren’t long or frequent, he makes every minute he’s on screen memorable and hilarious.

If there’s one thing that needs to come out of this show, it’s a spinoff following Terrance Coin.

By the time we reach Teenage Bounty Hunters Season 1 Episode 10, “Something Sour Patch,” there’s a lot to unpack in 58 minutes. More even storytelling in the first half would have let the second half breathe a little more and not rush through every reveal.

They come so fast and furious, none of the big plot points are really given a chance to land.

April and Sterling are a couple now, boom. Sorry, no time to linger, because Debbie’s an arsonist from the worst town ever. Oh, nevermind that, Sterling’s been kidnapped by Debbie’s twin Dana.

Then, as if that wasn’t enough whiplash, the final scene is a cliffhanger where Dana drops the bomb that she’s actually Sterling’s mother.

All that happens in three episodes. Yeah, it’s a lot.

Even with all those reveals, Teenage Bounty Hunters does leave a few stories in case there’s a season 2. The top questions revolve around Sterling’s parentage, Bowser’s future in Atlanta, what Mr. Stevens is planning, and Sterling and April’s relationship.

The second half of the show is so much better than the first half. It’s a real shame the series is so disjointed because there are a lot of viewers who aren’t going to make it past the slow set up.

What did you think of Teenage Bounty Hunters? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Teenage Bounty Hunters is now streaming on Netflix.

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