There’s something strange happening in the town of Whittock. After two episodes of YAGA though, I’m still waiting to find out exactly what.
Based on Kat Sandler’s play and inspired by the legend of Baba Yaga, the series follows private investigator Rapp (Noah Reid), who arrives in a small coastal town searching for Henry Park (Hudson Williams), the missing heir to a powerful fishery. His investigation crosses paths with local detective Carson (Clark Backo), while Carrie-Anne Moss plays Katherine, a university professor with her own connection to the mystery.
The setup has potential, especially because YAGA hints that something supernatural could be lurking underneath what initially appears to be a straightforward missing-person case. Nothing in the first two episodes fully crosses that line, but there’s enough strange behaviour, folklore and unsettling atmosphere to suggest there’s much more going on.
Hudson Williams playing both Henry and the mysterious Logan also creates one of the more intriguing questions. Why does Henry’s friend look exactly like him, and what does that have to do with his disappearance? Is it just a coincidence?
Unfortunately, I found the first two episodes pretty slow. Rapp isn’t exactly the world’s greatest investigator either. (Taking drugs at a party while you’re supposed to be searching for a missing billionaire’s son probably isn’t PI 101.) So, it plays into that old horror trope of characters making bad decisions to lead to conflict. Carson’s serious personality and quirks at least give their investigation a more offbeat dynamic due to their contrast with each other.
Still, this is clearly a mystery designed to reveal itself gradually. Two episodes mostly establish the characters and plant questions rather than provide answers.
YAGA hasn’t completely cast its spell on me yet, but its strange characters, dual identities and supernatural undertones leave enough unanswered that I can see the mystery becoming much more interesting once it finally starts showing its hand.
YAGA is playing at TIFF ’26. For more information, click here.
