Gray

I wish American TV shows would stop with cliffhangers or sorts. Like just wrap up a series and then make a better reason if you get renewed. It's easy. Just follow the Scandinavian method of TV.

Great show. Which annoyed me by it's ending so I knocked off a star.

Because I have to write more in order to qualify I will say this. Patricia Clarkson is weirdly transcendent and you can't take your eyes off her. Rupert Everett freaked me out that he could possibly actually be like that, but I felt some of the other characters were sadly not delved into enough. Actually we don't get much back story which I think is another fault. Maybe I should take another star off. I'll think on that.

You'd think a show about a former spy coming in from the cold and helping hunt down a mole would be action packed. But you would be wrong. Over the course of the (first and likely only) season there was surprisingly little action in this series. And I don't just mean action in terms of fight scenes or car chases. I mean very little actually *happens* in this show. The lack of action is especially surprising given that there were several plot lines that could have been further explored or developed but that were needlessly left unresolved at the end of eight episodes. I'm not sure if this was meant as setup for a second season, but given how underwhelming the first season was, I can't imagine watching a second. On the plus side, the performances were strong and it's always nice to see Patricia Clarkson, Rupert Everett, and Lydia West. They just deserve better writing.

I really wanted this to be so much better. Was looking for an intelligent and exciting show to watch and thought I found it with Gray.

Made myself comfortable and pressed play on episode one... Thirty minutes later I gave up. Nothing interesting or exciting had happened. A secret organisation has lost 4 agents in a month and they pick up a former agent who has been retired for 20 years. All that drags on forever and not one moment did I feel drawn in or even slightly interested in any of the characters we get to see. No one is convincing in the role they play, nor does any of them make you curious to know more about them or their story. Talking about story, that's probably the biggest issue at hand; it's all so absurdly unrealistic that it made me feel like saying "stop insulting my intelligence" (and I'm definitely no genius).

I feel giving it 4 stars out of 10 is being pretty generous, but I guess I'm on that mood.

Off to find something better.

This has good potential and a good premise with a spy coming back from self imposed exile to find a mole but then it goes downhill fast.

The flawed characters all lie constantly and undermine each other. They are also just plain weird but I did love Tag's house and guest house.

It is hard to identify with Cornelia because we never see who she really is and she is just weird. The way she constantly touches people is just strange and the aging femme fatale angle is creepy.

If you like answers... Don't bother watching because the answers are not there. It isn't even a cliffhanger. Just dragging things out.

Its just not believable this waspy grandmother is the CIAs only option to root out a mole, and the lack of action is needed as it would be doubly unbelievable if the main character could do anything if any action or violence arose. Clarkson's narrow range on full and tedious display - the troubled neurotic she seems to push in every role she plays is just not believable as a rare and insightful operative . Dialogue is dull, little tension, weak secondary acting with with minimal subplot and a tedious been there done that main plot. The 6/10 reviews it seems to be getting say it all - Ive taught screenwriting at college - this is hard to watch and I gave up eventually.