Wild Cards Season 3 Episode 8 Review: The Hostage Always Rings Twice

Wild Cards Season 3 Episode 8, “The Hostage Always Rings Twice,” taps into cross-promotion for the network and succeeds where it counts most.

This episode, written by Marcus Robinson and directed by James Genn, breaks the mold of what Wild Cards usually does. This case-of-the-week doesn’t follow Max and Ellis as they team up in the field — with or without disguises. 

Instead, “The Hostage Always Rings Twice” brings the case to the precinct.

That choice makes the connections to Wild Cards Season 2 Episode 7, “The Big Bang Theory,” far more seamless than the rather shoe-horned ties to NASCAR.

The former leads to one of the best — and possibly unexpectedly so — exchanges in the episode. Amid the chaos of Veronica’s kidnapping, Chief Li bets on Max.

It’s important that he takes a second to verbalize that: “If you can talk a mark out of a million dollars, you can talk her into staying calm. Max, you got this.”

That alone is such a testament to the trust Max has built with this team over the last two seasons. Li’s comments are all the better knowing that they’re built on that episode from the previous season, where Max helped him. 

It’s also such a great way to demonstrate that Max’s impact extends beyond Ellis.

Reinstilling those connections is paramount ahead of the heist that puts everyone at risk. Therefore, it’s productive to see how well all of these characters work together, as well as how much they trust one another.

For example, Yates’s one-liners are independently excellent, but they sharpen as they bounce around the bullpen. It’s also such a treat to see Ellis and Simmons work together again — a dynamic Wild Cards should utilize more often.

Of course, Ellis and Max’s relationship is the strongest, as it always has been.

“The Hostage Always Rings Twice” starts them on such a solid footing — time slows down when Ellis sees Max in her dress.

If that’s not a staple for a slow-burn romance on a procedural drama, what is? 

Then, Wild Cards shows their partnership’s strengths, even as they aren’t working side-by-side. When everything else is uncertain, they trust one another. 

Ellis knows Max is the best person to be on the other side of Veronica’s makeshift phone, and Max doesn’t think there’s anyone better to save the day. It’s romantic — the tension that lingers when Ellis comes to see Max. But it’s much more than that, too. It’s something Max can’t walk away from at the end of the day.

“The Hostage Always Rings Twice” has Max’s mother paint her home as “a trap” or “captivity with better drapes.” Vivienne doesn’t try to get to know Max’s life or the people in it beyond Wild Cards Season 3 Episode 5, “Hot Tub Death Machine.” 

In fairness, it takes Ricky and George their fair share of time to learn that Max cares about Ellis — and Yates, Simmons, Li, George, and Ricky. 

Despite being in the majority of episodes this season, Vivienne doesn’t try to understand the life that Max lives now. She hasn’t tried to understand the relationships Max built over the 15 years that she believed her mother was dead. 

Wild Cards Season 3 Episode 2, “Quit Playing Games (With My Life),” tees up that opportunity. Still, Vivienne prefers things the way they are when they’re pulling cons and don’t plant roots. Wild Cards Season 3 Episode 3, “M.D.-CEASED,” even approaches it all from Ricky’s perspective to no avail with Vivienne.

Meanwhile, Wild Cards Season 3 Episode 7, “Yurt So Vain,” sees George start to address the impacts those choices have had on his life.

So, “The Hostage Always Rings Twice” finds the characters at a familiar yet dynamically repurposed crossroads — going through with a con that jeopardizes their progress or dealing with the potentially deadly consequences.

It’s a perfect place for the narrative to sit with two episodes left in the season.

It’s also helpful that this episode picks up on the running gum wrapper bit from “Yurt So Vain.” The clues are starting to snowball just in time. Relatedly, “The Hostage Always Rings Twice” establishes that the only way Max will get through this is with the entire Wild Cards pit crew.

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Wild Cards airs Mondays at 8/7c on The CW.

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