After a generally strong first season, The Tunnel is back in its sophomore year and is now liberated from the source material its first run was based on. This liberation would either turn The Tunnel into something extraordinary when it became able to tell its own tales, or it would run the show into the ground and demonstrate that the writers can't craft their own story. Thankfully for all involved, The Tunnel skips right past the latter within its opening few minutes, and it doesn't take long before this premiere is - by a great mile - already the best episode of the entire show.
First off, Episode One does an excellent job of reintroducing Karl and Elise in a way that allows both returning viewers and new viewers to feel satisfied. The show doesn't outright tell us how these characters are (that would be insulting to returning viewers) but it doesn't just carry on as if nothing has happened (which would confuse newcomers). Instead, we're given small sequences that perfectly represent the two protagonists and their personalities: this way, new viewers get to learn about the characters while returning viewers can smile at being reunited with two genuinely likable and compelling protagonists.
The episode then runs its course perfectly fine, with a handful of aesthetically pleasing shots (particularly notable is the repeated use of stunning wide angle long shots showing characters from side on) and a selection of great lines that tick every box on the list for a drama. But then the episode launches into its final act with a plane being hacked out of the sky, and it makes a very strong case for the greatest sequence of the show.
Wisely, the sequence focuses on the pilot rather than the passengers. The scene is played entirely for thrills rather than emotion and this works fantastically well; rather than shoehorning in a moral or emotional farewell to people we don't know, the sequence sets out solely to make viewers gasp in shock as the plane plummets to the sea. It's a simply dazzling sequence, and feels just as real as it should do. What a way to kickstart a new season.
Grade: A
First off, Episode One does an excellent job of reintroducing Karl and Elise in a way that allows both returning viewers and new viewers to feel satisfied. The show doesn't outright tell us how these characters are (that would be insulting to returning viewers) but it doesn't just carry on as if nothing has happened (which would confuse newcomers). Instead, we're given small sequences that perfectly represent the two protagonists and their personalities: this way, new viewers get to learn about the characters while returning viewers can smile at being reunited with two genuinely likable and compelling protagonists.
The episode then runs its course perfectly fine, with a handful of aesthetically pleasing shots (particularly notable is the repeated use of stunning wide angle long shots showing characters from side on) and a selection of great lines that tick every box on the list for a drama. But then the episode launches into its final act with a plane being hacked out of the sky, and it makes a very strong case for the greatest sequence of the show.
Wisely, the sequence focuses on the pilot rather than the passengers. The scene is played entirely for thrills rather than emotion and this works fantastically well; rather than shoehorning in a moral or emotional farewell to people we don't know, the sequence sets out solely to make viewers gasp in shock as the plane plummets to the sea. It's a simply dazzling sequence, and feels just as real as it should do. What a way to kickstart a new season.
Grade: A
