I normally am not a big fan of the "Deep State Conspiracy" genre. Usually they are cartoonish, unlikely, and too clever by half. But I've seen two of these now, both Australian, "The Code" and this remarkable achievement, "Secret City".
It runs for two seasons, at least so far, with each season being a complete story arc on its own, but featuring many of the same characters. And what characters! You will never doubt the reality of these people: None are cartoons, all are complicated people playing for huge stakes, some incredibly brave, some horribly venal, all driven by a variety of personal and professional realities that serve to limit their choices, often fatally.
There are no Snidely Whiplashes or Dudley Do-Rights. Their motivations are complex and usually hidden, but they are driven to make decisions where they may not have any good options, no morally obvious route. Appropriately for the genre, you spend each season trying to figure out whom you can trust and whom you should hate. And you'll often be wrong.
Each season moves like bullet train, so strap in. You will never find your attention flagging. When you come out at the other end, you will appreciate that you finally have a firm grasp of just what the hell is going on. There are no loose ends, but then, there are no ends at all. Every victory is really a holding action until another crew of villains and heroes come along and pick up the pieces as they try to mold events to further their agendas.
If this all sounds vague, that's on purpose. There is so much going on in each episode that it's impossible to summarize. Murders, assassinations, plots, coups, a little appropriate non-gratuitous sex, it's all there. You won't be bored. The acting is consistently fantastic, the actors perfectly cast, the direction fast-paced but clear.
It's simply the best of this genre I've seen, and I'll bet you will agree. It's the closest thing to perfection you've seen in a long time.
It runs for two seasons, at least so far, with each season being a complete story arc on its own, but featuring many of the same characters. And what characters! You will never doubt the reality of these people: None are cartoons, all are complicated people playing for huge stakes, some incredibly brave, some horribly venal, all driven by a variety of personal and professional realities that serve to limit their choices, often fatally.
There are no Snidely Whiplashes or Dudley Do-Rights. Their motivations are complex and usually hidden, but they are driven to make decisions where they may not have any good options, no morally obvious route. Appropriately for the genre, you spend each season trying to figure out whom you can trust and whom you should hate. And you'll often be wrong.
Each season moves like bullet train, so strap in. You will never find your attention flagging. When you come out at the other end, you will appreciate that you finally have a firm grasp of just what the hell is going on. There are no loose ends, but then, there are no ends at all. Every victory is really a holding action until another crew of villains and heroes come along and pick up the pieces as they try to mold events to further their agendas.
If this all sounds vague, that's on purpose. There is so much going on in each episode that it's impossible to summarize. Murders, assassinations, plots, coups, a little appropriate non-gratuitous sex, it's all there. You won't be bored. The acting is consistently fantastic, the actors perfectly cast, the direction fast-paced but clear.
It's simply the best of this genre I've seen, and I'll bet you will agree. It's the closest thing to perfection you've seen in a long time.