This review was made possible by AMC+ providing access to review screeners for YAGA.
In a perfect start to spooky season, Yaga, based on the 2019 play of the same name by Kat Sandler, takes us to a dreary coastal town where an eerie mystery is unfolding. Commercial fishing heir Henry Park (Hudson Williams) has gone missing and it’s up to private investigator Charlie Rapp (Noah Reid) and police detective Carson (Clark Backo) to find him.
Written by Kat Sandler and directed by David Frazee and Rachel Talalay, Yaga takes the audience along as the P.I. playboy Rapp and the by-the-book Detective Carson reluctantly work together to find the missing heir. What starts off as a normal investigation quickly takes a weird, deadly turn.
A Mysterious Disappearance And An Unlikely Partnership
The first episode of the two-episode premiere begins with a grand entrance via helicopter from Rapp, where he meets his new investigation partner Carson outside missing Henry Park’s massive coastal home. The tension between the two is immediate, their personalities clashing with Rapp being more loose and Carson being the straight man in the professional relationship. They immediately begin their investigation, speaking to Logan Casey (also played by Hudson Williams in a dual role) Williams here is almost unrecognizable at first, with a prosthetic nose and fake teeth and acne, enough to differentiate Casey from Park, but the similarities between the two characters cannot be understated. He’s fairly calm and seems to have an answer for everything as he’s casually questioned by Rapp and Carson. It’s just enough to get you to start asking your own questions and wondering… what exactly is Logan Casey’s deal, and how does him looking like Henry Park come into play later?
After questioning Logan, the two investigators begin questioning others in town about Henry, in an attempt to gather clues about where he may be. Along the way, we begin to learn just how flirtatious Rapp can be, almost to the point of being uncomfortable. As someone who is only familiar with Noah Reid from Schitt’s Creek, it’s strange to see him play a character that is a far leap from Patrick, but very entertaining. The uncomfortable but sexy(?) level is taken up a notch when Rapp meets Katherine Yazov (Carrie-Anne Moss) at a fancy bar. The sexual tension between the two is so thick; it could be cut with a knife, but it ends almost as quickly as it begins, seemingly playing hard to get as she leaves Rapp behind. Another mystery, or perhaps a related one, is intertwined throughout the episode, with chickens making appearances several times, chicken feet on Henry’s bed, a chicken failing to cross the road, and the episode ending with a roasted one. If you’re familiar with the legend of Baba Yaga, the one that both the play and this series is based off of, you’ll know that her hut has chicken legs, and much of the marketing has involved chickens in some way. How this all comes into play in the series is yet to be known, but it makes me very curious.
A Second Episode Full Of Secrets And Suspicion
Episode two continues the investigation into Henry Park’s disappearance, with Rapp and Carson being led right back to Katherine Yazov. As it turns out, she’s a professor at Henry’s college, and rumor has it she has an affinity for younger men, including Henry Park. She denies any involvement with Henry Park or his disappearance, but there’s an aura about her that makes that hard to believe. The investigation eventually leads Rapp and Carson right back to Henry’s house, where Logan Casey is throwing a huge, drug-fueled masquerade. The episode ends where we’re once again left with no answers, only more questions, and a cliffhanger that will leave you wanting more.
‘Yaga’ Premiere Review – Final Thoughts
Yaga manages to fit a lot of story and thrills into its 30-minute episodes. It balances the mystery with the spookiness just right, and doesn’t lean too much into one side or the other. It’s definitely a good Halloween watch for October, and it’ll be exciting to see how the entire story unfolds. Noah Reid and Clark Backo are great at managing the tension between Rapp and Carson, and really show the evolution of their working relationship even in just the first two episodes. Hudson Williams shows that he is not just a one-hit wonder with Heated Rivalry, and although we only meet him as Logan Casey in the first two episodes, there’s no doubt that he’ll get a chance to show off more of his acting chops as the series progresses. Carrie-Anne Moss is a real standout, bringing a sexy maturity to the series that’ll leave you wanting more.
Yaga‘s two-episode premiere is on October 23, streaming on AMC+ in the United States, and on Crave in Canada. The series premieres on Sky and NOW in the UK on October 31. Check out the trailer for the new series below:
