Furious will go down as one of the definitive explorations of the depraved culture that nurtured predators like Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Epstein’s death in prison in 2019, attributed to a suspicious suicide, denied closure to the survivors of his decades-long sex trafficking racket. Furious captures the seething anger over obstructed justice but does something else too: it shatters perceptions of the ideal victim, presenting instead women who are dark, manipulative, violent and yet wholly worthy of empathy.The Hulu series, available in India on JioHotstar, aired the last of eight episodes on Monday. Created by Elizabeth Merriweather and co-written by her, Furious is baggily based on Bob Rafelson’s stylish erotic thriller Black Widow (1987).Black Widow revolves around Catherine, a serial killer who targets wealthy marks, and Alex, the US government official who hunts her down. Catherine is also the name of the young woman in Furious who is luring and then killing off rich, older men. The contempt for women like Catherine, which paradoxically makes her task easier, is captured in the pithy line, one of many memorable pieces of dialogue: “I don’t even remember this girl.”Catherine (Lola Petticrew) is seeking vengeance not only for the terrible things done to her but also for the murder of her friend Isabel. Catherine’s ultimate target is Jay Easton (Peter McRobbie), who shares his initials and more with Jeffrey Epstein. Jay’s daughter Emma (Hope Davis) becomes an important player in the investigation.Federal Bureau of Investigation agent Alice (Emmy Rossum), who continues to be affected by a previous abusive relationship, instantly recognises Catherine when she first starts to make sense of the murders. Here is someone who is the perverse mirror image of Alice, willing to go where Alice isn’t allowed to. Power is in watching someone die, Catherine says, and Alice finds it hard to disagree.Emmy Rossum and Quincy Tyler Bernstine in Furious (2026).Both the hunter and the hunted are navigating worlds dominated by men and their rules. And both find allies in unusual places.Catherine has a sympathiser in Alden (Steve Way), who has muscular dystrophy and gives Catherine the cover she requires. Alice reacts badly to her ex-boyfriend Marshall (Jake Lacy), but is calmer around her colleague Danny (Scoot McNairy). Danny is among the few agents who supports Alice, if reluctantly.Another woman alongside Catherine and Alice commands attention. Nora (Quincy Tyler Bernstine) is the head of the FBI’s Sex Crimes unit, glowering in her basement office at everything she has seen and has been unable to fix. Nora knows more about Isabel’s death than she’s letting on, adding a skein of suspense to a twist-heavy narrative.The series properly kicks into gear in its third episode. The initial tone – provocative, ambivalent, grimly comical – deepens into a gripping, sobering exploration of a spectrum of abuse that goes beyond sex trafficking. Victims of violence are the most violent, a character says. Furious brings out the truth in this statement in dazzling but also harrowing ways.Furious (2026).The intimate camerawork and unpredictable beats ensure a constant mood of thrumming tension. When the women are pushed to the wall – by nasty men or their backers, corrupt bosses or simply ignorant male colleagues – they lash out through words and deeds. Furious lives up its title in the blistering exchanges between men who are used to putting women in their place and women who can’t be bothered with social niceties any longer.The themes of gaslighting, unreliable narrators and the past haunting the present gaslighting give Furious a Gothic edge. The cracks that result from a history of violence are most strongly felt in Catherine.The trauma of having been trafficked as a teenager has tipped Catherine over the edge. Her memory is imperfect and her temper is explosive, even as her actions are precise. Catherine is tender with Alden – it’s impossible not to be, given Steve Way’s warm performance – but ruthless when it comes to her mission.In setting up Alice as a counterpoint to Catherine, Furious sometimes puts Alice in uncomfortable situations. A late-episode revelation about Alice, which is meant to seal her identification with Catherine, doesn’t go down as smoothly as everything else about this curly-haired, frazzled agent.Nora is the show’s loosest canon, firing away at will and beyond caring when she misses. Quincy Tyler Bernstine matches Lola Petticrew and Emmy Rossum in turning out a brilliant performance that is mercurial, cynical and mordantly funny.Furious wanders a considerable distance from Black Widow. The 1980s film’s gender politics is re-written and re-oriented for the age of MeToo, amidst continuing revelations of the ways in which women are sexualised and demeaned.From posh apartments to abuse shelters, recognisable forms of exploitation follow the women. They give no quarter and refuse to conform to what is expected of them. They are furious, and act accordingly.