Hanna Season 1: 7 Brilliant Details You Probably Missed

Shortly after Hanna meets Rudi for the first time, Erik warns him to watch what he says around her because she can speak German. Since a German man teaching his daughter to speak German is apparently unheard of, Rudi assumes that Hanna's been "hothoused."

Those unfamiliar with the term may assume that "hothousing" refers to Hanna's training. This is true in context, but hothousing is actually an education style that aims to help children exceed typical rates of development. Children who receive this type of intensive education are believed to perform better in later years, even when they come from backgrounds typically associated with poor academic performance. Hothousing is somewhat controversial, and it's the source of this controversy that makes its reference in Amazon's Hanna so insightful.

Criticism of hothousing stems from the belief that it can lead to resistance later on. Those who feel pressured to perform beyond their years will eventually grow resentful, becoming disconnected from the parents who imposed this difficult lifestyle on them. One 1987 article suggests that this is especially likely when the child "does not know why all that is expected of him or her is important."

This is precisely what happens to Hanna. By the end of the very same episode in which her hothousing is mentioned, Hanna starts to resist her training. She defies orders, and plays loud music during a nocturnal heist despite the need to remain inconspicuous. As her defiant behavior intensifies over the next few episodes, she repeatedly makes it clear that the source of her frustration is Erik's refusal to explain why she must do what he asks.

In short, she does exactly what critics of hothousing would expect her to do. Rudi essentially predicts Hanna's entire character arc for the next four episodes, all with one seemingly insignificant line about her training.