dwangcritter
Promised a lot and failed to deliver. First problem - too many characters. Second problem - too many sideline stories.Third problem. Clunky, slow paced script, that seemed to miss a meaningful edit. An adventure story, that had way too much Days of our lives, soap quality about it.Big problem- nothing resolved at the end, which is galling, especially as season 2 was canned. (not exactly a big surprise). Another thing that spoiled the series is the casting was not very good. The good guy lawyer looks far too young to have all the experience he was supposed to have.The female star looks too old to be in this sort of military action.The young activist was so bad, that I was fast forwarding his contributions after a while. The computer geek hacker stood out, as the best cast member. The transvestite in an Arab country seemed to be more of a soapbox statement by the writer, than anything else.It was just not believable. The romantic hookups all lacked chemistry.In the story, the writer seemed addicted to plot twists. There were so many that it became predictable and boring.You could have canned over half the scenes and missed nothing. Slow paced story, that promised a lot at the start, but went downhill very quickly. Don't wait for a re-run. It won't happen.
jerseyjoea
You can knit pick any show about details but this is entertainment and very good at that. It is a stretch to connect the dots to reality but you don't have to. Enjoy it for what it is, a quality show. All shows are somewhat flawed, Homeland, Breaking Bad, House of Cards, Etc. you can find faults if you look hard enough. I think the acting is very good as well as the storyline. Sit back, relax and enjoy.I think when you make your point you shouldn't have to streach it out to 10 lines, that's absurd. BLAH, BLAH, BLAH,BLAH, BLAH, BLAH,BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH,BLAH, BLAH, BLAH,BLAH, BLAH, BLAH,BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH,BLAH, BLAH, BLAH,BLAH, BLAH, BLAH,BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH,BLAH, BLAH, BLAH,BLAH, BLAH, BLAH,BLAH, BLAH, BLAH,
Tweekums
Shortly after a US Army unit destroy a terrorist cell in Mali Sgt. Odelle Ballard discovers encrypted files on a terrorist's computer that show that American company SOC has been funding the terrorists in order to provide a threat for them to counter… and earn vast amounts in the process. Shortly afterwards the unit is attacked by private military group OSELA leaving Ballard the sole survivor. With the evidence against SOC she soon meets a local boy, Aslam, who helps her as she struggles to get out of Africa while avoiding both OSELA operatives and local terrorists. Back in the states it is reported that the entire team was killed but rumours about Odelle's survival soon start circulating. In parallel stories former U.S. Attorney, Pete Decker discovers that corruption at his new employer; SOC, and activist Harrison Walters learns of a conspiracy when he and a friend hack into Sgt. Ballard's email account… as the plot thickens things get more and more dangerous for all involved.This thirteen part drama starts well with the exciting events in the Malian desert immediately grabbing the viewer's attention. This establishes the basic set up for the series as Odelle meets Aslan and goes on the run. We are quickly introduced to most of the other protagonists and see that they too will find themselves in real danger. The story moves at a fairly fast pace with plenty of tense moments… this is a good thing as story is rather far-fetched. In particular it is a little hard to believe that Odelle could survive all the encounters with various threats. I thought Anna Friel did a fine job in the role however even though she looks younger than she really is it is hard to believe that she is a combat soldier. The rest of the cast were also impressive enabling us to believe in their characters even when the situation got rather far-fetched. Most of the series plot strands are tied up by the end but some are left hanging and others appear to be being set up; clearly the creators were hoping for a second series but as it is apparently cancelled we'll just have to decide for ourselves what happens next. Overall a decent action/conspiracy thriller but if you are expecting another 'Homeland' you are likely to be disappointed.
