Netflix’s latest series, The Hunting Wives, has rapidly become one of those shows that audiences binge-watch in one go, only to face the long wait, often a year or more, for the next season.

**Spoiler alert for The Hunting Wives Season 1**

Enticing, complex, and brimming with secrets, it’s no surprise that viewers are captivated by the story of the demure New Englander Sophie O’Neill (portrayed by Brittany Snow) who relocates to East Texas and becomes ensnared in the life of Margo Banks (played by Malin Akerman).

While the series is built on the contrast between supposedly good Christian Southerners like Margo and Jed Banks (Dermot Mulroney) and non-religious liberals like Sophie and Graham (Evan Jonigkeit), the core theme is the exploration of facades. To see evidence of this, just look at Callie (Jaime Ray Newman) and Sheriff Jonny (Branton Box).

Whenever a series is loaded with sex scenes or startling moments, it’s almost certain it will become a trending topic on social media. Would Bridgerton have achieved the same viewership in Season 1 without its lead characters engaging in intimate scenes repeatedly across their grand country estate (cough, *castle*)? Probably not. This implies that once characters started sharing intimate moments in The Hunting Wives, it was destined to surface on TikTok. What fans might not have anticipated, however, is the variety of sexual scenes featured, including pegging. Yes, the show does explore that.

In Episode 7, titled “Shooting Star,” the traditionally stern and pragmatic Sheriff Jonny experiences the act of pegging with his wife, Callie, who makes him declare that he’s “the big fucking boss.” For those unfamiliar with pegging or who missed the scene, it involves a woman using a strap-on dildo to have anal intercourse with a man. During the brief but memorable scene, Callie — who has romantic moments with Margo throughout the series — also encourages her lawman husband to “lock her up,” alluding to Sophie being implicated in Abby’s (Madison Wolfe) murder.

On TikTok, viewers inevitably discussed that striking Episode 7 scene, for understandable reasons, as everyone is taken aback by how far the show ventures. My personal insight, however, is that it serves to dismantle misleading narratives about public personas and the concept of the “perfect couple” or the ideal nuclear family being mere illusions. To clarify, this isn’t about shaming kink; it’s a commentary on how insincere these couples are, particularly those that portray themselves as the hallmark of conservative Christian values.

If you don’t believe me, all you need to remember is that just a few episodes earlier, Callie and Jonny had another scene where they played right into messaging. In Episode 4, “Cheat Day,” Callie stops by his office under the guise of dropping off a freshly ironed shirt and tie, only to have him pull his pants down and bend over. No, not for sexy things, sadly, but so that she can inject him straight in the ass. The exact medication is unspecified, but we can only assume that since she calls it his “muscle juice,” it’s probably some type of anabolic steroid, most likely testosterone. Totally necessary considering he wants to “be the next Joe Arpaio,” she later says.

The pegging scene and the steroid shot both serve as commentary on the need for Jonny to feel like a man in order to do his job — which he does pretty poorly, by the way — and Callie’s insistence on being the helpful and seemingly subservient wife who is really the one pulling the strings. Honestly, it’s a point well made, albeit a graphically made one that left us (and the entire internet) without words for a few minutes. Things are not always as they seem.

Overall, the show is in no short supply of sex scenes and shocking moments — Episode 1, “Strange and Unfamiliar Places,” literally ends with Sophie watching a full nude Margo get it on with the 18-year-old son of Jill (Katie Lowes) and Reverand Clint (Jason Davis) — but this one absolutely sticks out. If this is what they pulled out for Season 1, can you even imagine what might be in store for Season 2?

The Hunting Wives Season 1 is now on Netflix.