MI5 (Spooks)

[jeregenest]

This week I’ve been watching the first season of the BBC series MI5, as its known to us Yanks, in Britain it was called Spooks. Some good stuff, their tradecraft tends to be pretty good. They make some notable mistakes (the end of episode 2 is still kind of annoying, they writers basically went to violence when if they had the characters follow common sense the situation would never have developed). Sunday night robotnik came over and we watched three. After he left I watched the 4th, which has Anthony Head in it in a very nicely done performance, reminded me of LeCarre in some very good ways. peaseblossom has caught up, and we will probably go get episdoe 5 and 6 tonight. Rob says he’s got some of season 2 on tivo, so I may take advantage of that.

Its good stuff, not Sandbaggers quality, but probably as good as Spygame, if not better. Much better than 24 or Alias, much, much better. To be honest, while I’m enjoying playing catch the Sandbaggers references, I think it would be difficult for British tv-writers to do a good realistic-spy show that wasn’t LeCarre or Sandbaggers.

Though I just found out that the library got in my request for the dvd of John Le Carre's Tinker tailor soldier spy. So maybe I’ll go get that and watch it tonight (or some of it, its six hours long). Anyone interested in coming over and braving the snow?

Comments

[bruceb.livejournal.com]

I find the Tinker Tailor adaptation pretty engrossing, and end up watching most or all of it in a long session unless something really forces me away from the screen. You've been warned.

(It makes an interesting change in presentation, in its prologue. I'd like your thoughts about how it shifts the rest of the work. I like it and think it's sensible for TV, it just shifts stuff.)

[jeregenest.livejournal.com]

I've only seen it on Mystery way way back when I was a youngin, so I'm looking forward to watching it. I also have Smiley's People on reserve.