Babylon

With a nod to political satires such as HOUSE OF CARDS (1991) and THE THICK OF IT (2005-8), BABYLON offers an energetic satire of the Metropolitan Police and its relationship to the contemporary media. The connection with THE THICK OF IT is no coincidence; the co-writer of BABYLON, Jesse Armstrong, worked on episodes of the earlier series. In BABYLON there are two plots unfolding simultaneously: Commissioner Miller (James Nesbitt) has to deal with a series of shootings in the Uxbridge area, while finding the best way to present the police's response to the incident in the media with the help of his communications director Liz Garvey (Brit Marling). Meanwhile TSG Officer Robbie (Adam Deacon), together with his colleagues, have been selected as subjects for another television reality series on the workings of the police. Director Danny Boyle shows how both plots are linked by the preference for style over substance; it doesn't matter what you do, so long as it's presented effectively on television or through other media. The officers tend to fall into two stereotypes; they are either thuggish, incompetent or both. Although presenting a co-ordinated image, they appear incapable of making any coherent decisions, let alone formulating any effective policing strategy. Commissioner Miller seems more concerned with maintaining good relationships with Mayor Boris Johnson (whose voice has been effectively impersonated by Jon Culshaw) rather than improving his staff performance. At the level of communications, Liz tries her best to present something approximating to "the truth" about the shooting through the media, but finds herself constrained by her co-workers. Most of these satiric targets are predictable (the Metropolitan Police seems to have a perpetual problem with its operations, as well as its media presentation), but the direction is lively and the performances full-blooded, to say the least. There is definitely potential here for further episodes in serial form.

Very well put together spoof fly on the wall drama along the lines of 2012 and W1A and just as good. You can see bits of Peep Show shining through from the same team. Funny, well acted and with a story line that builds throughout the seven episodes.

Seriously, don't be out of by the few negative reviews and you'll see what I mean after a couple of episodes.

This is not for everyone. But nothing worthwhile ever is. If you have no sense of humour, if you live in Britain and feel threatened by the portrayal of the Metropolitan Police as a bunch of ignorant, prejudiced Neanderthals, if you are American and have no sense of irony then this is not for you. As a Brit who's made Los Angeles his home, I loved it. It rings horribly true. But then, I don't read the Daily Telegraph. Brit Marling is worth her weight in gold. Casting got it right and direction only endorsed it. She plays the perfect foil to the wonderfully stereotypical Brits. The best satire is grounded in the truth. I was heavily involved in the music business in 1984 when This Is Spinal Tap was released and it was frighteningly accurate. I feel the same way about Babylon and that should be cause for concern for every citizen of Britain. How well this will translate into a series remains to be seen but for the moment, I'm glad I can enjoy the joke from a distance.

ADDENDUM

Since I wrote my original review of the pilot, the series has come and gone. I've watched the first three episodes and want to change nothing I wrote. It's wonderful satire which will be fully appreciated only by those who have lived in England but its real genius lies in its tone. It's found the perfect balance. Nothing that happens is implausible, the tension is visceral and the emotions utterly grounded. But it's funny. Not laugh out loud funny but smart funny. Put a smile on your face when you remember it funny. Unless you still live in England or you are or were a policeman.

Bitingly funny and relentlessly profane take on public relations and police work in London. As someone who thinks The Wire is the best TV series ever made, I was very happy to find something with a similar, dirty yet hilarious tone. Like in The Wire, we follow both the people at the top and a couple of different groups of cops in the streets. There is no educational angle on what life is like for the criminals, though, or how institutions are affected by a serious social problem like the black market drug trade.

Our very self-righteous heroine is an American PR social media guru brought in to help the police reform their image. It's an uphill battle, and the street cops (think Herc, Carver, and Fuzzy Dunlop now) provide wonderful, reckless everyday examples of why. People used to stuffy British crime mysteries will not enjoy this show's sense of humor, which is irreverent and often comes from the gutter and the gallows. This is not your grandmother's Masterpiece Mystery. But if a quip from a lout that reminds you of how contemporary blue collar cops might really act makes you laugh then you're in the right place. Nesbitt is especially witty as the stern, snarling commissioner who snaps out sarcasm through gritted teeth to his smiley-faced softie aide. Danny Boyle has cooked up another something special. Definitely more like Trainspotting than, say, Millions, though. Dark.

Looking at this in the whole, we liked it. There are times when you are not sure if it is a drama, a mocumentary, a spoof of reality television, or what they are going for. Many of the characters in this show typify the characters we see in life. The person who shares WAY too much, the one who is not there because it would mean being responsible, and the ones who do the exact opposite of what they should be doing because they think it benefits them.

We all know the ones who leak info to the wrong people and undermine their bosses on purpose. We also all know the bosses who do anything to avoid responsibility if there could be any impact other than taking credit where credit is not due. We all know the people who speak and act completely without any kind of filters except their partners.

This is a perfect example of how corporate and government organizations run today with people more concerned about their personal agendas than the good of the company, or the good of society or simply what the right thing to do. A Padalekian philosophy of avoid anything that has repercussions and throw anyone under the bus instead of actually doing anything for yourself. If this one philosophy could be avoided, the entire world would be so much a better place and this movie is a wonderful example of how so many people simply try to avoid doing what they should do and instead focus on doing what they think will advance them or undermine others around them the most in the same pursuit.

A true and excellent example of Padalekianism at it's finest only lacking the ruthless mental abuse of the ones under the subject's control. Highly recommend it because it will keep you entertained between funny and mild suspense but don't go look to this for any extreme emotion, just good simple film making that makes you walk away thinking how ludicrous a world we live in because we see all of these people in our daily lives and hope we are separated by distance from them.