HaMidrasha

Hard-hitting, uncompromising, (sometimes) cold-hearted, pragmatic.. And this is a dramatic series, remember -- not a docu-drama.

The Israelis have the best intelligence service (Mossad) on the planet - we all know that. But, how do you get into it? Well, this series shows you what the new recruits have to go through: you might have to evade the local police who are unwittingly firing at government trainees with live ammo; you might have to spy on your classmates whilst the class carries out a routine surveillance on Mr & Mrs Nobody (selected randomly from the phone book); you might have to initiate an affair with your child's teacher, who is particularly vulnerable at the moment -- all this to score points with Mossad's higher echelon, just to prove {you got what it takes}. Mossad has cameras and bugs planted everywhere, too, to watch, just in case you try to fake the success. It's a bit mind-boggling.

But, for those of you who watched Russia House, or MI-5, this is the familiar 'weary load' of those who want to break into the Intelligence Business. Betrayal, heartbreak, cold-hearted 'cuts' from the team - it's a little like an NFL training camp. Superbly-acted and written, as good as any comparable British series I have ever seen. Season-1 on Netflix now (hopefully, Season-2 will follow soon).

In the first season of this Israeli drama we see a group of recruits being put through their paces as they vie to join the Mossad, the Israeli Intelligence Agency. They must pass a succession of tests; any failure, for whatever reason, will lead to that trainee being immediately dropped. The recruits are a mixed group; one is an expert on reading people's body language; two American brothers; and another is hoping that by joining she will learn how her husband died while on a Mossad operation overseas; the rest are similarly varied. The course is led by Yona Harari; an experienced agent who doesn't appear to be too bothered by rules; unlike his ex-wife who is the Psychologist monitoring the course.

The second season sees Yona with another group of trainees; officially they are taking part in a training exercise on Kiev, in reality Yona is running an unofficial operation that will see them dealing with a group of Israeli criminals and facing ISIS terrorists who would like nothing more than killing a group of Israelis; especially Mossad agents.

If you are looking for something gritty like 'Fauda' you may be disappointed. This does have its thrilling moments but there isn't the consistent level of extremely high tension... and deliberately so. There are comic moments; some action, even deaths of main characters; and quite a lot of character led drama; notably between Yona and ex-wife Avigail. The two seasons have a very different feel; the first is all about their training programme and seeing who will get eliminated while the second is about one specific mission. In both questions are raised about the motives of characters who should be trusted. The characters are a good mix and the way they are introduced means that by the time dangers arise we care about what happens to them. The cast is solid making the characters believable even in some of the more unlikely situations. I don't imagine many viewers will believe this gives a realistic insight into the Mossad; it clearly doesn't intend to be; it is a lot of fun though. Overall I'd recommend this viewers looking for a somewhat lighter spy series; if we get a third season I'd continue to watch.

These comments are based on watching the series in Hebrew with English subtitles.

I watched Season 1 on Netflix and was hooked from the word 'go'. These would-be candidates for Mossad get sent out into perilous 'training' situations-and they either sink or swim. Soon, it appears that Yoni, the headmaster, has his own shadowy agenda, as the recruits drop out one by one. At the end of Season 1, Yona has proven that he is a force to be reckoned with, but may be lacking in integrity.

Season 2 opens in the Ukraine with 3 eager new Mossad recruits being led by the indomitable Yona. They're not sure what he's up to, and neither are his bosses. Two former Mossad agents, on the run with some purloined cash, get wasted by a mysterious assassin. The pretty 'Abi', Yoni's nominal supervisor, shows up to rein him in-unsuccessfully, I might add. Soon, she falls into danger from the local gang of Arabs operating on Ukraine soil. Betrayals from above & the ranks emerge also, placing the Mossad group in grave danger.

This series is the AV equivalent of a great page-turning whodunit that you can't put down, even when your wife commands you to get busy & cut the lawn. So, cook the popcorn, crack open a case of your favourite beverage, put your feet up and savour this masterpiece.

I started watching this after watching other Israeli shows such as Fauda and Tehran. Upon watching the first season, I did find it a little corny and humorous, but still enjoyed it non the less. The second season, as someone else also mentioned is totally different, and in turn the entire ambience, style of writing, realism is totally different. It's much more realistic, gritty and mature. It's really important that you watch the first season in order to understand the characters of season 2, but when you do get to season 2, you'll be very glad that you persisted through the lesser superior season 1.

Interesting set of characters. I love that there is at least 1 person much older than the rest. Mostly in Hebrew subtitles, (I'm an English based viewer). Some things said in English, occasional dialog).

Great juxtaposition of people doing well and occasionally flubbing instructions. Lots of nuances into the main character's backgrounds--which keeps you watching. One criticism, the American brothers seemed too juvenile--almost cartoonish. Why would the government even bother with people like these.

I'm not well versed in the spy business, but I did expect Mossad to be harder on the trainees. Maybe that's the mystique. Still very riveting and interesting. Looking forward to more episodes.