Duster Season 1 Episode 1 Review: A Gutsy Getaway Driver and a Federal Firestarter Collide

The ’70s are back, baby — and this time, they’ve brought Josh Holloway, a blood-soaked baseball bat, and a whole lot of dust-kicking chaos with them.

In Duster’s electric series premiere, Max (soon to be HBO Max again, because there is justice in this world) throws us into the sweltering heat of Arizona’s criminal underworld. 

This is not your typical crime drama. It’s loud, stylish, a little absurd, and utterly soaked in grindhouse charm. Think Smokey and the Bandit if Burt Reynolds were morally conflicted and on the verge of being recruited by the FBI.

Jim Ellis: The Wheelman With Ghosts in the Rearview

Josh Holloway was built for the ’70s. From the feathered hair to the leather blazers and polyester shirts, he looks right at home behind the wheel of his groovy Duster. 

Jim Ellis isn’t just the best getaway driver in the region — he’s also been deeply embedded in Ezra Saxton’s criminal syndicate since he was sixteen. He’s loyal, smooth, reckless when he has to be, and charming enough to calm a cop or con a killer.

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But beneath all that swagger is a man haunted.

 The job has taken a toll, and there’s trauma in his rearview mirror — specifically, the loss of his brother, Joey, who died in what Jim long believed was a tragic accident during a job for Saxton. That belief begins to unravel thanks to a federal agent with no patience for criminal mythology.

Agent Nina Hayes: Unbought and Unbothered

Rachel Hilson’s Agent Nina Hayes is a bolt of lightning. 

Fresh from the FBI Academy, she’s tenacious, sharp, and impossible to dismiss — though her white male coworkers try at every turn. 

She’s a Black woman in a system that only reluctantly let her through the door, and she’s well aware of it. But Nina’s got one hell of a spine and a deep personal stake in the case she’s come to Phoenix to pursue.

While we’ve only heard her mother’s voice so far, their dynamic says a lot: her mom is her anchor, a source of reassurance and clarity when Nina feels like the walls are closing in. And they’re definitely closing in. 

Chad Grant (Dan Tracy) warns her to steer clear of Jim Ellis. But what if Chad’s not just a condescending gatekeeper? What if he’s part of the rot?

Because if there’s one thing this pilot makes clear, it’s that alliances are murky and nothing in Phoenix is as clean as the badge you wear.

Family Ties and Fractures

There’s real emotional weight baked into Duster, and it’s not just in Nina’s determination or Jim’s growing suspicions. It’s in the families that surround them. Jim’s relationship with his niece Luna is pure gold — playful, protective, and often very funny. 

But there’s more bubbling beneath the surface. His sister (is she, though?) Izzy (Camille Guaty) doesn’t want Luna to know the truth about her uncle’s lifestyle, and there’s just enough ambiguity to wonder if Jim might be Luna’s father, not just her uncle. If that bomb drops later, it wouldn’t be shocking.

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Meanwhile, Jim’s home life is… complicated. When he visits his father, Wade (Corbin Bernsen), and stepmother Charlotte (Gail O’Grady), the reception is as hostile as it is hilarious. 

Charlotte doesn’t mince words — “get the fuck out of my house, cocksucker” — and she clearly blames Jim for every storm he’s ever driven into. And yet, when she realizes the feds are circling him, she picks up the phone. Not to warn him, but to tip off Nina. 

O’Grady’s got that gleam in her eye that says she’s going to be fun to watch and dangerous to underestimate.

Two Contracts and a Whole Lot of Trouble

Jim’s caught between more than just family. By the end of the episode, he’s signed two contracts — one with a Mexican crime boss named Mad Raoul and another with the FBI. 

The first requires blood. Literally. He slices open his finger to seal the deal. The second, with Agent Hayes, isn’t much less damning. He doesn’t agree to flip on Saxton — at least not openly — but he gives Hayes enough to stall her reassignment and kick this partnership into gear.

What makes it compelling is that Jim isn’t trying to help the FBI because he believes Saxton is guilty. Quite the opposite — he wants to prove Saxton didn’t kill Joey. The alternative is too painful to face. 

You don’t give your life to a man who murdered your brother. You don’t save his son with your bare hands in a living room heart transplant if that’s the truth. 

But then, Saxton casually mentions that killing a man would’ve been easier than framing him… and Jim’s face shifts. Doubt creeps in. Holloway plays the moment with just the right amount of internal fracture. It’s subtle, but devastating.

Dust, Deals, and Danger Ahead

The tension is mounting on all sides.

A local cop (Donal Logue!) was conveniently parked nearby when Jim signed his FBI cooperation form. Chad Grant keeps throwing shade at Nina’s every move, and that moment of triumph in the final act? It might be short-lived. 

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Jim may think he’s one step ahead, but he’s now indebted to a federal agency and a bloodthirsty crime syndicate. That’s not a love triangle — it’s a death wish.

And let’s be honest: the more the Duster kicks up dust, the better.

Final Thoughts

Will Duster be the next The Pitt? That’s a high bar. But what Duster delivers is a stylish, pulpy crime thriller that makes no apologies for being fun. 

It has edge, atmosphere, and a cast that’s clearly up for a ride through morally gray terrain. The Matchbox-style animated opening credits are an unexpected delight. The soundtrack slaps. The fashion is on point. 

And if Jim Ellis keeps flipping allegiances like this, he’ll be lucky to make it out of Duster Season 1 with all his fingers — blood oath or not.

So buckle up. The roads are rough, the music’s loud, and the Duster’s just getting started.

So, what do you think?

Do you trust Jim Ellis? Can someone drive for a crime family for years and still come out with a moral compass?

Is Nina making the right moves, or is she risking too much, too fast — especially with someone like Jim in the crosshairs?

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What do you think Saxton really did to Joey? And seriously… how many contracts can Jim sign before he crashes straight into one hell of a reckoning?

Share your thoughts below, and pass this article along to a fellow TV junkie. We’re doing our best to bring you coverage worth reading — we’re still here because you are. Thanks for keeping the engine running. 🚗💨

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