Duster Season 1 Episode 1 recap: Nina arrives at Phoenix and takes up the Ezra Saxton case, Jim Ellis plans to escape to Mexico

Max's crime thriller, Duster Season 1, dropped on Thursday, May 15, 2025. Created by J.J. Abrams and LaToya Morgan, this Josh Holloway and Rachel Hilson-starring series is set in the 1970s American Southwest. It delves into the lives of a newbie FBI agent, Nina Hayes, and a getaway driver, Jim Ellis, who work together to investigate a crime ring. If you love fast cars, crime thrillers, or enjoy a strong female lead plot, you are in for a treat.

The pilot episode of Duster focuses on how Agent Nina Hayes, the first Black woman of the FBI, takes up an assignment in Arizona, as most of her superiors refused to work with her. Nonetheless, her request was accepted since the department needed an officer for the Saxton mafia case in Arizona.

In Arizona, we meet Jim Ellis, Ezra Saxton's trusted and expert driver, who is assigned to bring in some deliveries for his boss. It's here that we see the titular lead of the series for the first time- Jim's 1970s Duster car. We also get to meet Luna, who calls Jim her uncle, but when he drops her off at her mother, Izzy (Camille Guaty), it seems like Jim and Izzy did share a complex past, and Luna might be his daughter.

Spoilers ahead!

Duster Season 1 Episode 1 recap: Nina arrives at Phoenix and takes up the Ezra Saxton case

Agent Nina Hayes looks quite hopeful as she arrives in Phoenix, Arizona. She gets a lukewarm greeting from her colleagues in Arizona. While she hits it off with Navajo Agent Awan instantly, Agent Grant isn't quite elated about the newest addition. Nonetheless, Agent Hayes is quite determined to solve the case to prove herself to her superiors. It feels like she took on the impossible task. Impossible, why? As per the previous records, it is quite difficult to set a case against Ezra Saxton- he's a well-known, notorious crime boss.

Duster Season 1 Episode 1 recap: Jim Ellis plans to escape to Mexico

Agent Hayes' investigation leads her to track down Jim Ellis, Saxton's driver. However, Agent Grant warns her that Jim is Saxton's trusted employee, and he will not go against his boss.

After the successful delivery, Jim is put into another mission- to get rid of the union man Bob Temple. However, before he and his waitress friend Cassidy could complete the mission, Agent Hayes interrupts. Agent Hayes meets Jim for the first time in Jim's Duster. She tries her best to flip Jim's loyalty and help her gather evidence against Ezra Saxton. However, Jim turns down the offer, as he trusts his boss and is not ready to put Saxton's business in danger.

To escape the situation, Jim strikes a deal with Mad Raul, a dangerous crime syndicate operating south of the border. Jim signs a contract with his blood to seal the deal. He then plans to alert the Saxtons about the FBI and their ongoing investigation. Jim goes to his father's house to collect his passport and informs him about his plan to move to Mexico. His stepmother, Charlotte, who didn't quite like him, informed the FBI about his escape plan.

Duster Season 1 Episode 1 recap: How did Jim's brother Joey die?

Agent Nina Hayes, after the initial setback (Jim's refusal to turn against his crime boss), starts digging deeper into the case. Agent Hayes found a dog tag in Jim's car, which belonged to Jim's brother Joey, thus she decided to bank on this small piece of evidence to continue her mission, especially after the tip from Jim's stepmother.

During the investigation, she finds out that Ezra might be connected to Jim's brother's death. She finds out CCTV footage of the car blast that killed Joey, which shows the explosion began outside the vehicle. Agent Hayes reveals that she lost her father in a similar incident. Interestingly, Nina's father used to work for the Saxtons in Philadelphia and was trying to escape before his sudden demise. Even though Jim was skeptical about Agent Hayes, he agreed to be an informer.

On the other hand, Agent Grant lodged an official complaint against Agent Nina Hayes for not abiding by the superior's orders, and thus, she gets her transfer papers to an isolated town. But now that she has successfully planted an informer (Jim) in Ezra Saxton's gang, what's next for her?

To know more about what happens next, watch Duster Season 1 Episode 2 on Max on Thursday, May 22, 2025, at 9 pm ET.

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Also read: Duster release schedule: When do new episodes of the Max series drop?

Tune in to Soap Central for more updates on Duster Season 1.

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