Chapter 4 of Wolverine: The Long Night opens with a hunter recalling his encounter with Logan in the woods. While Benjamin Percy’s writing stands out during the hunter’s storytelling, the editorial staff deserve credit for the development of this scene.
Logan (voiced by Richard Armitage) is hunting with a pack of wolves. As the hunter narrates, you can hear everything taking place in the moment. But what was most stunning in all of this is his brief interaction with Logan.
As the hunter looks on through his scope, the wind pattern changes and he’s suddenly upwind. All Wolverine fans are familiar with his keen sense of smell, so it’s no surprise that he instantly notices the hunter’s presence. What’s most impressive about this moment: as the hunter talks with Agent Tad Marshall (voiced by Ato Essandoh) you hear Logan sniff in the background, as he locates and stares down the hunter.
“Just like that, the man’s bloody face rises out of the carcass, and . . . he stared right at me.”
Now, whether your Wolverine is Hugh Jackman’s live-action version, the interpretation from X-Men: The Animated Series, or simply the one from the comics (that’s the one I saw here), you should be able to easily visualize this moment, and feel the chill running down the hunter’s spine.
Now, the episode doesn’t go downhill from there, but I found that to be the most captivating moment.
There’s also a flashback to a bar fight, where Logan defends a waitress, Mallory (voiced by Zoey Chao), who’s being harassed by the fisherman Logan had worked with and, frankly, he scared the @%^# out of them.
But, of course, they started a fight, and only walked away because the authorities got involved. This was another scene that felt was happening right in front of me (with Hugh Jackman as Logan this case). Though, I found the opening scene more impressive because I feel it’s a more difficult one to accomplish effectively. Regardless, both were done very well.
Several other things happened. For instance, Marshall’s first encounter with the Langrocks, where we discover the father cannot think more highly of his oldest son. Yet despises his youngest.
Also, Deputy Bobby Reid (voiced by Andrew Keenan-Bolger) is becoming more and more nervous. We found out in an earlier episode that he’s hiding something, and I think we’ll discover what that is soon.
Lastly, there’s a new “grizzly bear attack” victim, though she survived. Very curious where she leads Marshall and Agent Sally Pierce (voiced by Celia Keenan Bolger) next.