X Company

I anticipated watching "X Company". It would be quite a change to see a TV show about Canadian spies instead of American ones, I thought. While I have a few reservations, I will continue to follow it.

The story begins in 1942. Canada had declared war to Germany, Italy and Japan before the United States. In order to gather intelligence, the Canadian government sets up a secret training camp near Lake Ontario or outside of the city of Whitby to be more exact. This is where a group of Canadian, British and American recruits get trained before being sent behind enemy lines to spy, kill and sabotage on the European front.

Like any drama about WWII made before it, "X Company" contains the "must-haves" (or clichés) of the genre: harsh German officers, conscientious German officers, an idealistic genius, a troubled genius and the brutish guy. Even though the pilot doesn't elaborate much on most of the leading characters' back story, I expect further episodes to delve a little deeper. After all, every seconds of the pilot was smartly spent making us witness the spies' first mission.

Morever, it was good to know that Americans, who didn't have any intelligence service back then, relied on Canadians to train their first modern spies. Add to that the cast's capability to make you feel their character's fear during a mission. However, I have one minor reservation. While the pilot is set in France, I was irked to see French-speaking characters, be they Canadian or French, talk among themselves in English with an affected Francophone accent. This is weird coming from a Canadian TV series with a budget high enough to cast non-Canadian actors and film action sequences!

Despite a few flaws one can expect from a network TV series, "X Company" has the intensity of an espionage thriller combined with an appreciable dose of historical veracity.

This show is a brilliant highlight of Canadian TV. There are many people who are quick to point out historical inaccuracies - there are some in every crowd who insist on making it less fun for the rest of us - but this show is emotional, fast-paced, and fairly accurate for a show that is only loosely based on a real life spy camp in WWII.

The acting is brilliant. Warren Brown (Luther) is a gift to Canadian TV as tough guy Neil Mackay, Jack Laskey intrigues as synesthesiac Alfred Graves, and Evelyne Brochu (of Orphan Black fame) shines as front-running woman Aurora Luft. Up-and-coming Torontonian Connor Price is brilliant as young Harry, and Dustin Milligan is great as Tom (although this last character took a bit of time to grow).

The few episodes following the pilot were a bit slow, but the last few episodes of Season 1 were brilliant. Dramatic, exciting, and emotionally-driven. Worth sticking around for.

This show displays great acting talent and features some brilliant writers. But most importantly, it's a way for Canadians to learn more about the country's history in the Second World War, which is often overlooked.

I'm hooked.

It's fantastic to see a new TV drama that puts our current geopolitical struggle into historic perspective; in X Company the audience get to witness how ordinary people rose to the challenge against such overwhelming military adversity to win victory. While we can always rely on our soldiers and intelligence officers, recently our leaders seem somehow weak and more inclined to appease, reflecting a willingness to overlook our enemies ruthlessness and utter hatred for our way of life with bizarre, conflated statements often ignoring the elephant in the room which in turn worries a great many people.

To the show, I love the cinematography, shooting locations have been chosen with great care with matching attention going into the period costume recreating a completely believable period during World War 2. The cast is completely unknown to me apart from Warren Brown, the English detective in 'Luther' (what a show that is!). Hugh Dillon seems up to the task before him though. However, X Company is let down by the script which at times can come across as pedantic, hopefully, this can be addressed by season two.

Another element that inspired me to write this mini-review is how the producers have avoided that particularly American pitfall; pumping themselves up at the expense of their allies. You'll notice in British, Australian and Canadian TV shows covering war they don't get caught in the trap of boosting their own national reputation at the expense of the allies which reflects very well on them and poorly on American producers.

All in all a quality Canadian historical drama which should appeal to both WW2 buffs and viewers looking for something outside of generic cop shows and the dreadful reality TV swamping our TV sets at the moment.

I having grown up in Canada have been so used to poor acting and poorly filmed shows. I remember how happy we were finally getting cable so we didn't have to watch CBC. BUT as of late things have been picking up; e.g.. Flashpoint, Vikings and now X-Company. Good acting,entertaining, and 8 out of ten special effects. There is one special effect that was quite blatantly off but I appreciate that more than some crappy CGI effect. I know dh-t21 didn't like it but his review was less than informative and juvenile. (Maybe upset that it is mentioned the US doesn't enter the war until later :) Anyway the characters thus far are deep and well-portrayed. Lots of emotion in this first episode and some good British actors who add realism.

I hope that the season continues and all 8(?) episodes are broadcast and not replaced by something else.

As a World War II and Holocaust Historian, I am quick to point out flaws when I find them. While this series does have its flaws, it is an absolutely gripping series. It is something that an individual who knows nothing about the war or espionage can sit down and be on the edge of their seats as they watch. Each of the five "spies" has something we can all relate to our admire, which makes watching this series even greater. I hope this series continues to get millions of views as I would love to see this continue for many seasons if possible! My greatest fear is that they will finish with season two, or even worse, not have the funds to complete the second season.