Jeremiah did, in fact, have a Pigeon problem.
And now everything he worked so hard for has gone up in smoke, which is the best outcome for Anna and, honestly, humankind (that man was the worst!).
Anna Pigeon Season 1 Episode 10 was an ambitious finale that had a lot to do, but still delivered an exciting, delightful, Rambo-style hour that had me grinning. Jeremiah might have had a Pigeon problem, but she’s been pure fun for us!
Is it just me, or has Anna Pigeon Season 1 flown by? It feels like the season just began, and now we’re at the conclusion.
Fortunately for us, we can expect another season, which means we’ll get a sophomore season to really expand on the show, Anna’s lore, and hopefully, the other characters as well.
If there’s been one consistent critique of the series, it’s that it hasn’t delved into the secondary characters nearly as much.
We still don’t know much about them, and the actors’ natural chemistry onscreen sells most of the camaraderie the script doesn’t always cover.
As Anna continues to embrace the fact that she may have found her people, hopefully the next season can dig into what that means for her.
The opener did a great job of driving that point home. Anna went from someone who didn’t want any ties and resisted Piedmont to playing with the cat like a seasoned pro, then flipping out when Piedmont darted out the door.
And when it came down to it, everyone was there to help her look for him. Those cozy moments are so sweet and endearing, and I’d love to have more of them in the future.
As Anna continues to connect with those around her, it lets us do the same, too, and I definitely want more of Anna with the ranger crew.
Going into the finale, it felt like it had a lot to cover and not enough time to do it. After all, it felt like we barely scratched the surface of how scary Jeremiah is and how much power he holds, but then the finale eliminates him as a threat altogether.
Admittedly, I didn’t anticipate it, but I still enjoyed it!
Anna has been a thorn in Jeremiah’s side since she arrived, and that finally came to a head during this finale.
At the end of Anna Pigeon Season Episode 9, we learned that Jeremiah was poisoning the land and water as part of his plan to take it over.
He did warn Geoff that if Geoff didn’t sell him his land outright, he’d just take it, and the poisoning was his way of following through on that threat.
And if Jeremiah wasn’t already vile for doing that alone, seeing the effects on Geoff’s dog was enough to have anyone seeing red!
But through that SOS experience with Dawson, whom Jeremiah hired to lure Anna out and put a tracker on her, we learned Jeremiah wanted that land for the uranium it held.
Because, of course, the greedy billionaire wanted a chance to make more money.
When we spoke to Kim Coates about his character’s motivations, he circled back to Jeremiah believing in legacy. It’s clear that’s what motivates him, and it’s one of the only reasons he covered for JP, despite the kid murdering a woman.
A Paulson is still a Paulson (except, I guess, if you’re Bethany).
How far Jeremiah went to leave this lasting impression- infinite and timeless, a name that doesn’t die, a presence that looms- was extreme.
His efforts to destroy Anna during the hour were wild. He turned it into hunting season for her, and the scary thing was that we were orchestrating it and talking about it, knowing this clearly wasn’t the first time he’d done something like this.
Hunting the “little people” for sport seemed like a special event he did for funsies, and that says everything you need to know about Jeremiah Paulson.
He chose the perfect time, too. With the seasonal rangers heading out, Anna wanted to stay at the campsite throughout the winter. That is… a terrifying thought. I’m with Zoe. “What about the horror movies?”
But it meant Jeremiah could actually stand a chance of taking Anna out without issue, even though his many attempts on her life should’ve already deterred him from trying again.
The problem with powerful men is that they’re always arrogant enough to feel untouchable.
Anna is basically a seasoned pro at fighting for her life, no matter how much it stresses us all out.
Watching her traipse through the woods had me gritting my teeth, and then, as she stumbled across freaking BEAR TRAPS closing in on her, and Jeremiah’s minions with guns, the stress levels were going through the roof.
What keeps Anna Pigeon so fun is that she’s not some superhero or a woman with a thorough background in all of this. She’s not some militarily trained, secret spy, mercenary, or anything like that.
She’s an exasperated millennial woman with an art degree who drinks way too much wine and relies more on pure scrappiness and luck than anything else to get by. That’s freaking fun to watch! I’m biased, though.
She’s normal, and real, and messy, and plucky. And when she somehow survives the trouble that always seems to follow her, it’s a real win because it could easily go the other way.
As an action-genre fan, I loved Anna taking down and evading Jeremiah’s henchman; it was right up my alley. She’s not Reacher or even Tracker‘s Colter, but she doesn’t have to be, and I love that.
If anything, Anna Pigeon reminds me a bit of Joe Pickett: really kind-hearted, chill, and scrappy when she has to be, but not an invincible badass, and I love that.
That’s what made her ultimate face-off with Jeremiah satisfying. He thought he had her trapped. He underestimated Anna for a while, but like so many wounded-animal types, she’s most dangerous and unpredictable when she is.
Her killing him may add a bit to other psychological traumas, but it was satisfying all the same.
And now, Jeremiah has lost everything he fought for. They’ve taken his name down, and he’s a stain on the community. His name is one of infamy — he’s been erased. That’s a fate worse than death, and he’s still dead to boot.
Interestingly, Bethany emerges with legacy and carries it on. Now, what does she do with it? I don’t quite know. I still can’t fully figure Bethany out, and her taking over Jeremiah’s empire is worrying.
Is she the next big threat? What will she do now that she’s taking over Jeremiah’s legacy?
But I also loved how everyone has come to accept Anna for who she is and know her well. They rallied again, knowing that if she was missing like this, something had happened.
Another 24 hours without hearing from Anna Pigeon is enough to make anyone in a five-mile radius bite their nails. Caring about that woman is STRESSFUL.
Stanton finding her in the aftermath was great because they do have that special connection, and he’s great at saving her.
But boy did he show his cards with Jesse in other parts of the hour. The buddy-cop shtick between them is amusing, and it’s exactly what made the interview with Cooper Levy and Ronnie Rowe so fun in the first place.
Also, now we know the circumstances around Rowe being a horse whisperer.
It was great that they realized Anna’s horse returning spelled trouble, and I loved that the two men who care about her most right now could set their petty stuff aside to find her.
I also appreciate that Jesse seems to have learned his lesson.
He knows Annie needs to roam and figure things out, and he’s fully accepted that for what it is, without taking it personally, while still holding out hope that when she’s done, she’ll return to him.
Of course, Stanton is hoping for the same thing.
Don’t you love a love triangle?
Anna’s men are certainly entertaining, but if the season hasn’t done anything, it’s shown that they’ve learned to adapt to her, and I love that. They don’t judge… they just let her be, and that’s refreshing.
Even though he lost points for harassing Jesse over this pesky warrant, it was nice to see Stanton get a promotion in the end.
But the bigger reveal in all of this is that Jeremiah’s taunting about Anna being the person who killed her husband triggered some memories for her.
It wasn’t her who killed him. And now she remembers a woman in red putting the knife in her hand and slipping out undetected.
Was that none other than Charlotte Sullivan? From Rookie Blue and Mary Kills People to Chicago Fire, I’ve watched Sullivan in many things over the years, and the idea of her joining Anna Pigeon is exciting.
Of course, she’s posing as one of Molly’s patients, and that already has me stressed out. I am way too obsessed with the Pigeon sisters. Can we leave Molly alone, please?!
It seems she’s the person who either killed Zach or set Anna up for it, and now we’re left with a bigger mystery…
We spent all season piecing together bits and pieces around Zach’s death, and now this will extend into the next one, but if anyone can pull it off, it’s Anna Pigeon.
Sometimes, you don’t need all the answers at once! And they certainly raised new questions.
The hour ended nicely with Anna on her way out.
She’s spent so much time running away from everything, but this feels different — this feels like progress and growth, and that’s something we can work with!
Over to you, Anna Pigeon Fanatics! What are your thoughts on this finale?! What are your theories about the Lady in Red?
It’s been an absolute pleasure covering the series for you all! I hope you had as much fun as I did.