The Night Manager (TV Series) Episode #1.1 (2016) User Reviews

Reminiscent of old school spy thrillers

[SendiTolver · 8/10 · 9 July 2018]

Nice first episode that sets the mood and situation for the rest of the series. It is slow burning, but interesting and offers some quite tense moments. The show seems to concentrate more on good writing and acting than just offering high pace spy games. The pacing is slow, but it creates fantastic menacing feel that something awful is about to happen. Tom Hiddleston managed to create interesting and enigmatic character Jonathan Pine, ex-soldier who works as the night manager in luxury hotel. Although we only see glimpses of Hugh Laurie in the first episode, he seems to become fantastic bad guy.

'The Night Manager' is not the usual modern action packed thrill ride, but more like quality drama series in the vein of old school quality spy thrillers. I, definitely can wait for more.

Stolid old school

[tenshi_ippikiookami · 7/10 · 23 April 2016]

This first episode of "The Night Manager" puts all the pieces in place for an old-school kind of thriller, with spies, betrayals and bad, very bad guys.

Jonathan Pine, an ex-soldier, works as a night manager in a hotel in Cairo. There he gets entangled in an arms smuggling deal and trying to help a woman named Sophie, a guest of the hotel.

"The Night Manager" is unapologetically old school, and very proud of it. From the visuals, to the acting, to the story-line, it seems to come from a different era, just with a beautiful patina of modernity painted over it. That doesn't mean it is boring, as the story is interesting and the pace good enough. The acting, though, is the most important part, as Tom Hiddleston's job is top-notch, and he does a great job embodying Pine. Hugh Laurie, just in the sidelines in this first episode, does a good job too as a menacing figure.

It may not be the most original series ever, but it is good and very enjoyable.

What Are You Prepared To Do About It????

[wandernn1-81-683274 · 5/10 · 26 August 2020]

So.. we have a night manager of a hotel in Cairo?? He gets invited to sit down with Sophie Alekan, who asks him to make a copy of a batch of documents, which appear to be a huge list of arms being sold. He sees a name Freddie Hamid in the document, and he asks his friend in the kitchen if he knows Hamid. At this exact moment this is the time when they announce Mubarik resigns. And the kitchen and country erupt in celebration.

So this Night Manager, Jon Pine, tracks down this Freddie Hamid and learns that Hamid is on a Yacht with rich man Richard Roper. Pine takes the document copy to a friend of his at the British Embassy. Needless to say, this huge list of armaments being sold/ transferred is quite alarming to the Embassy friend. And the document package makes its way to London. And in London, they begin a look into this Richard Roper.

Back in Cairo. Pine gets called up by Alekan. She tells Pine, Roper has been warned and called off the deal. So it was leaked that Pine sold out her list she'd given him for safekeeping. Now her life is in Danger. Pine hides her away in another hotel room JUST IN TIME, because almost instantly Freddie Hamid shows up looking for her. Haha, funny how Hamid announces who he is talking to on his phone when he gets a call.

-1 Star for announcing who he is talking to in front of Pine...conveniently dumb

So Pine sets it up for Alekan to go to a safe spot to hide. when they arrive there, Alekan comes on to Pine STRONG. I guess Pine is one sexy sexy man!! And of course, Pine sleeps with her. This of course greatly increases the chance she's going to end up dead. I'm sure of it.

So back to this Angela Burr. She is London official looking into Roper.

Pine talks to his Embassy contact, and tells him he wants to hide Alekan in London, but the Embassy guy tells Pine if he does this he makes her a target for Roper and Hamid, and no one in London will 'lift a finger' to stop them from getting to her. He tells Alekan that he can't help her by getting her out to London. So Alekan returns to the Hotel.

Angela Burr , after receiving pushback in London about the case, contacts the embassy friend who sent her the papers, and gets Pine's name. She calls Pine, to warn him that Alekan's life is in danger and he needs to get her somewhere safe immediate. He rushes to her room to do this, and finds her DEAD. Gee, didn't see that coming!!!

Pine tells the Police that he suspects Freddie Hamid in Alekans murder. The Cop tells Pine, nope, was a burgler. I guess Pine says forget this nonsense and he gets himself a transfer to a Hotel in Switzerland. How privileged it must be to be a NIGHT MANAGER. Haha, he finds out that RICHARD ROPER is coming to stay at the hotel, his new digs. As the NIGHT MANAGER, he greets Roper at the door. Roper is of course a big time VIP.

Now when showing Roper to his room, Pine seems quite taken with Roper's GF. And Roper is looking for a package he was expecting. Pine denies seeing it, even when he just moments before Roper's arrival was holding it in his hands. Pine goes back and writes down information from the contents of the package. Then has a kitchen guy deliver it to Roper's room. Pine also collects some of Roper's trash. He collects cards from Roper's phones that were thrown away.

Later, Pine calls London to speak to Angela Burr. The next night at the new Hotel, Pine witnesses a meeting wiht Roper and other VIPS. Then Pine meets with Burr, and Burr ends this episode by asking Pine what he is Prepared to Do About Roper and the killing of Alekan??

+1 Star for the ending, which was good. 5/10

I say! What what! One Lump, or Two?

[randreww · 2/10 · 22 February 2016]

I am totally stunned as to just how bad this is! I simply do not know how this got past pilot test showings & on to the public's TV screens.

I haven't seen anything quite as pastiche as this since I watched all of 2 minutes of witty frenetic dialogue of Steven Moffat's pet science fiction show of matching realism!

The Beeb are an embarrassment to well cultured people in all honesty. They are a highly paid organisation with stuffy executives, cheap programs, stifling environments & formulaic methods of creating out-dated servile dramas. And here is another product of such circumstances.

The Night Manager - The very title reeks of bourgeois lassitude. The lead character is everything you'd come to expect; Young, slender, dull, sailor's haircut, yellow tie, walks with a cucumber up his posterior, & speaks as though he has just finished his masters at Cambridge. You know.. typical ex-Iraq soldier!!

Everyone else also speaks in this god awful imperious way with unctuous mannerisms for good measure. And yet all the writing is austere & restrained so their target audience (The Royal Family) can understand it without having to put the decaf away.

The cast is as you'd expect - all white except for a few exceptions who don't have much screen time in typical BBC fashion. In fact, "fashion" is what stands out the most. Everything is sterile, premeditated, & pristine. From the convenient elucidation, bleached sets, to the rulebook editing & crystal clear crisp quiet ambiance for the flat dialogue between our right honourable friends. We can't have all those grannies missing a single word can we! What what!

The music is some of the most insipid trite ensemble stock production I have ever heard. Everything is tame, slow, non-threatening, shockingly old-fashioned & forgettable. I think I could even hear some stuffy rasp coughs of the Lords in the background, seeing this was recorded in Parliament? Heaven forbid we acknowledge the times we live in & ramify key phrases with electronic undertones!! I mean.. we must remember that Ólafur Arnalds (who composed the Broadchurch Score) was & still IS repeatedly scorned & rejected any recognition by the BBC's Classical FM & the rest of the dusty old rooms at the Beeb where sebaceous executives arrogate their bonuses straight from the "Soundtrack & Mixing" budget.

The entire episode is full of plot holes. The shows' premise is based on "Style over Substance". They try desperately to make it sultry & sexy, but it is so forced, so contrived & in bad taste that it just comes off as creepy & awkward. The hesitation for realism seeps in to the supposed "Strong Language"! Which consists of "Bloody Hell" on rare occasion! Oh my giddy aunt! Careful! You'll give my dear mother a heart attack!

Even Hugh Laurie has nothing to work with. I feel as though I must apologise to the Americans for such a come down after the perspicacious gritty narrative of House M.D. Everything is predictable, pretentious, & about as sophisticated as dandruff.

This looks, feels & sounds YEARS behind everything else due to a fear of creative freedom & the chains of tradition impinging every aspect of the white-conservative establishment. Oh God save the Queen! Oh God bless Mr David Cameron! No one knows the politics of WAR quite like us good old British what?

This will no doubt make a certain group of people feel proud to be British. - The same group of crumpet scoffing maladroit prigs & tea stirring reprobates that made it no doubt. It's an insult to the people fighting night & day to stay alive & goes far beyond 'racist'. This shows us up to be out of touch with 'humanity'.

The 2 stars are for the 2 actors who everyone tuned in for in the first place. Otherwise avoid.

Poor man's James Bond

[johncarr-46677 · 2/10 · 16 March 2016]

My suspicions were aroused by the inclusion of a Vulcan bomber and a Eurofighter on the arms list. The Vulcan is a museum piece and the Eurofighter would never get onto the black market yet the 'plot' revolves round this joke list being authentic and leaked.

The hand-me-down version of Judie Dench's M working in a hovel with a cut price version of Richard Ayoade could only have been included for comic effect.

This show only works for laughs as a James Bond parody. In episode 2 I was looking forward to seeing Laurie reprising some of the flawed genius of House but he had nothing to work with. It's a shame the BBC only ever casts him in comedy roles.

Hiddleston's tie and hair cut rescues it 2 stars.