British BODYGUARD

Article first published as TV Review: BODYGUARD on Seat42F.

Netflix recently added another British drama to its mix. A modern political thriller, BODYGUARD follows a military veteran assigned to protect a Home Secretary whose views he despises. Is this a commentary on hyper-partisanship, or a message of how we can all get along? You’ll have to watch and find out.

The first episode spends a long time introducing Sergeant David Budd (Richard Madden, Game of Thrones). We first meet him traveling on a train with his children, and we learn who he is by how he handles a suicide bomber, at odds with how law enforcement would like to resolve things. Then the show moves on to what will likely be the main plotline of the series.

I have some issues with this opening. For one, it definitely gets the audience behind Budd. That’s not necessarily a bad thing for a protagonist, but considering there seem to be two very central characters to the series, it would be nice if there was some better balance. Viewers will likely take Budd’s side in any future conflict purely because we get to see him being a hero first. Not to mention, the portrayal of other police officers on the scene is mostly playing with stereotypes and tropes, rather than reasonable, seasoned people doing their job well. By the time a second character enters who seems a little like Budd, the damage is done.

After this, we find out that Budd’s marriage has fallen apart, though even that comes off as not exactly his fault. Which is where he is when assigned to BODYGUARD The Right Honourable Julia Montague (Keeley Hawes, The Durrells in Corfu). Budd has to tamp down the things that make up his identity in order to just be the job. There’s some good drama in that, even if who he is might just be a larger than life hero.

For her part, Hawes makes Montague likeable. Her policies are quickly revealed to be extreme and at odds with Budd’s beliefs, but otherwise, despite a nasty first scene, Montague is sympathetic enough. BODYGUARD does a fine job showing the pressure she is under and the tough decisions she has to make.

Or does it? As mentioned, Budd is who we’re rooting for, so where there’s conflict, Montague is operating at a deficit. Other characters introduced have very negative opinions on Montague, too, so things just keep stacking up against her. It’s quite a testament to Hawes that she can diffuse that hate, at least for the first episode. I do wonder how things will progress with the deck this stacked.

I am being a bit negative, but mostly because I think BODYGUARD has the bones of a very good series in it. If the pilot were adjusted slightly, it could start on more sure footing, which I suspect the other five hours will have. Will audiences stick with it long enough to find out, or will they turn it off early, as I was tempted to do? I’m glad I finished the first episode out and look forward to watching the rest, but it’s a bit concerning.

As far as direction, acting, and production design, BODYGUARD is excellent. As with most dramas these days, it skews dark, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing for the world it is portraying. There’s also a timeliness to it that feels important in the current political climate. It’s good to raise issues, whether they are resolved or not, and get people thinking about what freedom is worth. Putting a face on opposing viewpoints is also beneficial.

So in conclusion, the BODYGUARD is very good, almost great. Check it out on Netflix, where the entire first season is available now.

"Time" For Better DOCTOR WHO

Article first published as TV Review: 'Doctor Who' - "Time Heist" on Blogcritics.

You may not have seen the latest Doctor Who episode, “Time Heist,” before it aired for the first time this weekend, but it sure feels like it’s a repeat! The plot is quite similar to other shows or films. The Doctor (Peter Capaldi) and Clara (Jenna Coleman) answer a mysterious phone call to the TARDIS, then wake up in a room with two other individuals, clueless about how they got there and why they’ve gathered. Before they’ve begun to digest their situation, though, law enforcement is upon them and they have no choice but to complete a mission given to them: break into the most secure bank in the universe.

It isn’t completely unbelievable that The Doctor and Clara would go along with the scenario, but it’s also not the most sensible thing, either. They both love adventure, and are liable to jump headlong into the unknown. They hear their own voices saying that their memories have been wiped at their own, freely-made choice, with the worms that erased the past hours or days sitting right in front of them. Being pursued, perhaps the only way to move is keep going forward. Yet, I question how not-suspicious the duo are in their participation.

If one can set that aside, “Time Heist” is not a bad episode, at least not for the action fans. It’s certainly fast-paced and quite a lot happens. It features our heroes running through tunnels pursued by dangerous enemies. There are mysteries and strange looking creatures. Viewers are transported to an alien world that feels very different from earth. These are all good things to have in a Doctor Who episode.

I also like the guest stars in “Time Heist” who play different variations on the human being. Psi (Jonathan Bailey, Broadchurch, Leonardo) has computer hardware embedded in his skull, allowing him to access his brain like a machine. However, he misses what’s been erased and wishes he could recover it. Saibra (Pippa Bennett-Warner, The Smoke) has a genetic mutation that makes her look like whomever she touches, making it impossible for anyone to get too close to her, as people don’t tend to trust someone who is staring back at them with their own eyes. This Scarecrow and Tin Woodsman, along for the adventure to get their brain and heart back, respectively, are interesting characters in their own right, and open up all kinds of ripe possibilities for the future of mankind, which I hope Doctor Who explores further someday, rather than just dropping the passing references to them it usually does.

The Teller (Ross Mullan, Bear Behaving Badly) is less well developed, but is a pretty cool looking alien.

But the way “Time Heist” skates over all of these things feels too quick. It’s like the writers only care about getting to the end of the hour with adrenaline still rushing, rather than exploring the potential of the story. From The Doctor’s callous reaction to Saibra and Psi’s deaths, an echo of his behavior in other recent episodes, but still not mulled over enough, to the incomplete explanation of how The Doctor and the central antagonist (Keeley Hawes, The Bank Job, Ashes to Ashes) set the whole thing up, something about the hour just doesn’t feel quite right. It’s an incomplete portrait, sketched in, but never fully realized.

“Time Heist” is not the worst episode of Doctor Who Season Eight so far; that distinction belongs to “Robot of Sherwood.” But it is the second-worst in my opinion, and with two such mediocre, uneven entries this early into the season, the year is not shaping up to be among Doctor Who‘s best. Hopefully, future weeks will salvage this and give us more stories along the lines of last week’s brilliant “Listen,” rather than another one like this, which isn’t bad, but isn’t great either.

Doctor Who airs Saturdays at 9 p.m. ET on BBC America.