The Code

Like many Australians I have been let down by the calibre of television in this country. Never did I think I would award 10 stars to an Australian show. That was under I started "The Code". I didn't expect much from this show, in fact I thought a "Samson & Delilah" esque plot would evolve from the synopsis. How wrong I was.

There are several plot lines running concurrently. One is set in the bush in a remote town where Alex (a VERY unrecognisable Lucy Lawless) has set up shop as a bleeding heart teacher. Two of her students take her car for a joyride. Cut to Canberra where we get a glimpse into the surprisingly thrilling world of Australian politics. My personal favourite is watching the complex relationship between brothers Ned & Jessie unfold, Ned being an internet journalist who uncovers the story of the missing teens & Jessie being a brilliant but troubled computer geek. This is all tied together beautifully with the Australian version of the NSA on the trail of our would be heroes. Gripping stuff.

This is every bit as slick & well developed as its Hollywood counterparts, in particular Homeland (before it went weird). Give it a go, you will not be disappointed.

This is ABC TV's most ambitious political tense thriller about a Government cover up involving two teenagers (Aaron Grath; Clarence Boyd & Madeleine Madden; Sheyna Smith) in a car accident that collided with a truck- one dies set in the fictitious country town of Lindara ( filmed in Broken Hill). Journalist Ned Banks ( Dan Spielman) comes across this story when he is given a file by a Government worker Sophie Walsh (Chelsie Preston-Crayford) who he gets his brother Jesse (Ashley Zuckerman) who has autism but smart to hack into the computer to retrieve the full video the teens left on their phone. The Code is full of A grade talented actors like Lucy Lawless (Alex Wisham) a school teacher in Lindara who contacted Ned and Aaron Pedersen plays Lindara's police officer Tim Simons, Steve Rogers & Dan Wylie play AFP officers, Aden Young and David Wenham play powerful Government officials desperate to keep the accident a secret.

Both seasons are worthy of your time if you like quality drama that unfolds over several episodes.

The writing, acting, and production are top quality, with no 'as if' moments. As someone else has mentioned, the first season does borrow from 'Edge of Darkness' but it is used for inspiration and not a copy - the story develops in a different direction.

The brother with Asperger's/autism is a great part that any actor would have loved to play. His part is written into the story and is NOT the story - inclusiveness for the sake of it really pi**ses me off, so I was impressed with how his character developed as part of the story.

The BBC are crap at developing stories that include diversity and always seem to thrust it down your throat, so I liked how this production (not BBC) portrayed the autistic character. I write that to encourage you to watch this show as I am usually put off by any 'inclusiveness' being central to the story. 'The Bridge' (Nordic version) did it better, but this is comparable and I write that as a compliment.

Watch and enjoy.

This is definitely one of the best TV series that Australia has put out in so long, it gets you sitting on the edge of your seat, There no other series like it that I have ever watched and best of all it suits just about anyone. I think there is something for everyone, but I wouldn't let young kids watch it. There is action, mystery, thriller comedy and drama all wrapped up in one big bundle of awesome watching....You never know what is going to happen next. I do however just wish that the seasons went longer., its not as if our country is poor or lacking in exceptionally good actors. All the acting and actors in this series are top class, The story line is believable, and unpredictable and it encompasses the way the world really is, touching on subjects that are perhaps politically "sensitive", making it really good entertainment. I give it a 10 with no hesitation.

It took me several episodes to get intrigued enough to continue watching this Australian TV series based on political control within the Australian government which is reminiscent of the Dick Chaney "Whitehouse" cover up years regarding WMDs.

The first few episodes were extremely slow due to plot development, but forgivable as it is probably indicative of what life is really like Down Under in Canberra and the outbacks of Australia. It was not until I saw episode 3 when I decided to invest more time in this better than average production.

The plot is strong enough to gain interest early in the episodes, but started to wain in the latter parts of the series.

The show was well cast and many of the actors gave strong performances including the leads Spielman and Zukerman . However, having said this, I felt that Zukerman's character, Jessie, was over the top irritating. Zukerman did an admirable job in developing his character early on in the series, but one has to wonder if he had to chronically snort chili peppers during each scene in order to personify this character who was mildly autistic (constant tearing, with chronic red eyes and runny nose). His performance became progressively grating and contrived, which made it difficult to watch the scenes he was in without wanting to slap him over the head. I understand Zukerman won the Australian best actor TV award for this role, so perhaps I was the only one that felt this way.

I gave this show a 7 because it has merit early on and is well worth seeing until you get bored or just tired.