Duster – Baltimore Changes Everything

By: Kelly Kearney

If the gritty, stylish vibe of the 1970s is your era and buddy-cop dramas with slow-burn intensity are your idea of great television, then Duster, the new crime thriller from J.J. Abrams and LaToya Morgan, is the show you’ve been waiting for. Drawing from the rich aesthetics of the decade—complete with groovy fashion, muscle cars, and enough misogynoir to choke on – “Duster” reimagines the action-crime genre with a socially conscious edge and a few laughs to go along with the ride. More than just a throwback, the series tackles weighty themes of race, gender, and systemic bias, centering the story around a Black woman navigating the white, male-dominated world of law enforcement during a volatile chapter of American history. With gripping storytelling, high-octane sequences, and unflinching social commentary, Duster doesn’t just pay homage to the past—it challenges it.

Baltimore-Bred and Phoenix-Bound

We begin with Nina Hayes (Rachel Hilson), a smart, confident and at times a comedic young woman with a steely resolve who notices everything. Nina, a Baltimore-born, freshly minted FBI agent, has just graduated from Quantico in the year 1972. From the opening moments of the premiere episode, Nina narrates her own journey: the trials that led her from Baltimore to the bureau, the conviction that fuels her work, and the hard-edged pragmatism she’s developed as a survival tool in a world that doesn’t want her to succeed. In a world of “nos” and “can’ts,” Nina only focuses on her accomplishments and what they can add to the job as an investigator. As a Black woman trying to build a career within an institution steeped in white male culture, we see that she is caught in a constant tug-of-war—torn between being the silent, dutiful “model recruit” and the smart, tenacious agent she knows she is, even as her colleagues refuse to acknowledge her potential.

As she interviews for an assignment following her graduation, the meeting is painful to watch: filled with thinly veiled racism, condescension, and outright sexist dismissal. Her superiors downplay her achievements, reducing her success to nothing more than a political move—suggesting that J. Edgar Hoover simply wanted to appease liberal critics by recruiting Black agents. In reality, the infamously problematic Director thought recruiting Black agents into the bureau could be used to infiltrate civil rights groups labeled as “radical.” Despite their thinly disguised disdain for Hoover forcing their hands, Nina is granted her requested post in Phoenix—a city with a simmering case involving crime kingpin Ezra Saxton (Keith David). It is a case that has long gone cold and been relegated to the FBI’s back burner, but for Nina, it’s a case she is determined to solve.

Why Nina is so invested in the Phoenix assignment isn’t immediately clear, but her determination is palpable; it acts as a shield to the targeted insults she charmingly deflects. Luckily for her, the bureau has no one else willing—or interested—in pursuing the Arizona case, so they reluctantly hand it over to her. “Be careful what you wish for,” one agent mutters, a line that sets the tone for the challenges she faces as she digs into a case that’s more personal than anyone suspects.

While Nina is an expert at dealing with the toxic opinions from her often less dedicated colleagues she does find camaraderie with the soft-spoken and friendly Navajo agent Awan Bitsui (Asivak Koostachin). The two hit it off from the moment Nina lands in the desert state. They both face similar microaggressions from their colleagues and boss, Director Nathan Abbott (Greg Grunberg), and share sympathies with office secretary Jessica-Lorraine (Sofia Vassilieva), who navigates sexist remarks like, “girl Friday” and praise for her excellent coffee-making skills. While Abbott isn’t too awful, his Agent Grant (Dan Tracy) makes up for it when he is introduced to Nina and never misses a chance to remind her she doesn’t fit in with their white male office dynamics.

After a day met with mockery and worse, threats of a plane ticket back to Baltimore, Nina’s confident mask slips and she calls her mother–her biggest supporter and cheerleader. She worries she isn’t cut out for the job, but her mom keeps it real by reminding her to trust her instincts because she sees things that others do not. If the Saxton case is gathering dust from the same old eyes looking into it–eyes who seem less than motivated to solve it, then maybe it’s time for a new approach? Nina thinks outside of the box, which plays in her favor after she ignores a warning to get away from Saxton’s driver– Jim Ellis (Josh Holloway) who would make for a good informant.

Road Dust and Cinnamon Chips

While Nina sets up her office to dig through the mountain of evidence the FBI has on Saxton, we’re introduced to Ellis and his racing-red Plymouth Duster, kicking up dirt and tearing down desert roads. As he skids to a stop at a roadside payphone, it’s clear that Jim is a man of action—which is exactly why he is the mob’s favorite contract driver.

When Jim answers the call, he receives his latest assignment: pick up a mysterious bag from a local fast-food taco joint and deliver it to Saxton’s safe house. Along for the ride is his spirited niece, Luna (Adrianna Aluna Martinez), who can’t resist interrupting the mission to order her favorite cinnamon chips. It’s in this moment that we get a taste of what Jim is like in his off hours and what that Duster of his can really do. He loves Luna and he really loves what that muscle car can do. After securing the bag and the young girl’s snack, a high-speed chase ensues and maybe it is something in her DNA, but Luna is all smiles while Jim makes his enemies eat his dust. After expertly outrunning a crew of Saxton’s enemies who failed to intercept the delivery, Jim finds out what’s in the bag and it isn’t tacos and hot sauce, it’s a human heart.

On delivery to the safe house, we understand the urgency of this pick up. In the center of the room is a makeshift operating table, where a team of doctors are performing an emergency heart transplant on Saxton’s son, Royce (Benjamin Charles Watson). As soon as Jim steps through the door, the lead doctor barks at him to put on gloves and help manually pump the patient’s heart. Jim complies without hesitation—but can’t help but point out how weird his job is sometimes. It is anything but ordinary, and what it lacks in paperwork and time clocks, it more than makes up for in danger. That’s why being a family man doesnt mix with driving a Duster for the mob, and that becomes even more evident with Luna, whom he clearly adores. As the opening minutes unfold, we learn a crucial detail: blood reminds him of his dead brother and Luna isn’t Jim’s niece—she’s his daughter. He has agreed to pose as her uncle to protect her and her truck-driving mother, Izzy (Camille Guaty), from the violent world he’s entangled in. He will do whatever it takes to ensure his ex and their daughter don’t suffer for the choices he makes.

A mob runner with a big heart and a 1,000 watt smile means Jim is instantly likable. He exudes effortless charm, commands every room he enters, and leaves an impression on the women he meets. He is Saxton’s favorite hire, his daughter, Genesis’ (Sydney Elisabeth), favorite puzzle to solve, and even Izzy finds it hard to stay mad at him when he returns Luna 2 hours late.  It’s that smooth smile and confident attitude that makes it hard to see Jim as anything but a good guy just trying to make a living at what he knows best–fast cars and loose laws. It’s the law part that puts him in a head on collision with Nina, who sees him as the perfect set of eyes to aim on Saxton’s organization.

Working the Case

Nina learns that every raid to catch Saxton trafficking weapons and drugs has come up empty—which is why Abbott and Grant call it a cursed case. After hours of combing through paperwork and property records, Nina takes a peek at Genesis’ bank statements for her bar, the Azour Lounge. While reviewing the financial records, she hears about a car chase involving Saxton’s driver—the one behind the wheel of the red Duster doing mob runs. She and Agent Awan trace their lead to a fast-food joint where Jim picked up the heart. Even though the worker (Phillip Labes) on duty gives them the runaround—lying about what was in the bag and denying any knowledge of Jim—he accidentally lets Luna’s name slip. That’s the clue Nina needed to connect Jim Ellis to the incident.

As Nina and Agent Awan have collected more evidence than any previous agent assigned to the case, back at the office, a jaded Agent Grant is less than impressed. He warns Nina to stay away from Jim Ellis, insisting the driver is fiercely loyal to Saxton and won’t give up anything useful. They’ve been down that road before, he says, and that Duster doesn’t talk. Jim’s been working for Saxton since he was sixteen—practically part of the family. If Nina wants answers, she’ll have to look elsewhere.

But Nina believes Jim could be the key to cracking the case wide open. Ignoring the senior agent’s advice, she tracks Jim down outside Azour Lounge. Sitting in the passenger seat of his car, she flashes her badge and Jim quickly realizes they’ve never met before. Wasting no time, Nina brings up Luna, trying to use the little girl as leverage—reminding Jim how hard it’ll be to maintain a relationship with her from behind bars. She offers him a deal: dropped charges related to organ trafficking if he agrees to become an FBI informant. He gets to stay out of prison, and Nina gets the respect at work she–and all women of the era, hoped for. In her mind, it’s a win-win.

But Jim doesn’t see it that way. He’s loyal to Saxton; always has been, and rather than choose between prison and betrayal, Jim decides to run—from Phoenix to Mexico. He’d rather drive for a cartel boss named Mad Raoul than turn his back on the only family he’s known. And that’s exactly what he does. After stopping by his father Wade Ellis’ (Corbin Bernsen) house to explain what’s happening and where he’s headed, he grabs his passport and prepares to do one last job before fleeing across the border.

He seals his loyalty to Mad Raoul with a blood oath and carries out his final task: setting up a union man named Bob Temple (Kevin Chamberlin) who’s been causing trouble for Saxton. Jim, along with his accomplice Cassidy (Tara Holt), drugs Temple and snaps compromising blackmail photos, but their plan is interrupted by Cassidy’s jealous boyfriend, Cal (Devan Chandler Long), and they’re forced to flee.

With the blackmail photos in Saxton’s hands, Jim plays it cool, never hinting at his meeting with the Feds or his escape plan. Still, despite being treated like family, Jim harbors a lingering mistrust of his boss—and back at the FBI office, Nina may have discovered why.

Explosive Evidence Puts Jim and Nina Into Overdrive

After digging into the files from the Saxton case, Nina and Awan uncover something explosive: Jim’s brother, Joey—a war veteran who also worked for Saxton—died in a van explosion ruled an accident. But something about that cause of death doesn’t sit right. When news spreads that Nina offered Jim a deal—which he turned down—Agent Grant accuses her of insubordination. Despite uncovering more in two days than the previous agent did in years (an agent who, it turns out, is now missing), Nina is called into Abbott’s office. Though the director seems sympathetic, he tells her the decision is out of his hands: she’s being transferred out of Phoenix and reassigned to rural Montana.

As Nina packs up her desk, Agent Awan changes everything. He uncovers surveillance footage of the van explosion,and something seems off. When she rewinds and pauses the tape, Nina spots it—a spark beneath the van, evidence of a charge placed underneath. The explosion wasn’t an accident, it was a hit. Now, Nina has leverage that goes beyond the threat of prison. If Jim doesn’t know the truth about Joey’s death, this video might be enough to get him to flip. She had better act fast— as Jim’s stepmother Charlotte (Gail O’Grady), who overheard his conversation about fleeing to Mexico, calls Nina and tells her he’s on the move.

That night, Jim is scheduled to meet with Saxton, but Nina intercepts him, video in hand. At first, he doesn’t believe her, but when she points out the flash under the van in the footage, he can’t deny what he’s seeing. Then she drops another bomb: her father, Virgil, used to work for Saxton too. After the war, he owned a small corner store and did odd jobs for the mob to stay afloat. When he tried to retire, Saxton had him killed—just like he did Joey. Now Nina and Jim share a common enemy and heartbreak. Both lost family to the same man. Both were used. Both lied to. Furious and betrayed, Jim agrees to sign the contract and become an informant, but across the dark parking lot, a dirty cop–Sergeant Groomes (Donal Logue) watches the entire exchange. We know Groomes works for Saxton—earlier, Jim handed him an envelope of cash, payment to keep him on the payroll. Now that Jim’s been made as an informant, things are about to get dangerous—and that’s not even accounting for the broken blood oath to Mad Raoul.

When Nina returns to the office and drops the signed contract on Abbott’s desk, he smiles. Whatever Grant may think of her, Abbott clearly believes in her—and this contract, something no other agent could secure, proves he was right. Montana is going to have to find Another agent,  because Baltimore is staying in Phoenix  kicking up dust with Jim Ellis to solve this case.