The Romeo Section

As soon as I saw who had created this new series, Chris Haddock of Da Vinci's Inquest and Intelligence, I was pretty sure I would like it. Having watched the first episode, I wasn't disappointed. His signature is complex characters and plots with interwoven stories. Nothing is ever immediately obvious.

Though occasionally raw, this show isn't action packed, depending more on psychology and intrigue. Haddock creates the thinking person's mysteries. The Romeo Section is about spies with a special talent: Romeo Section of the title is a covert intelligence operation that uses seduction as its tool for spying. The Romeos and Juliets are recruited for their ability to get information by getting romantically/sexually involved with their intelligence targets. (Yes, there are some fairly explicit sex scenes. Just so you know.)

I will definitely keep watching this show. From my experience with Haddock's other productions, I expect it to get more and more complex as the various stories ravel and unravel and the tension climbs.

Much of the HUMINT (that is human intelligence not signal/cyber/military/etc.) nowadays resembles what is actually depicted here. Even if 'boosted' a bit for flair the script seems far more anchored in reality than American agency themed dazzling action pop shows. The story will be fascinating to viewers partly for the stark difference, in many ways the show seems to be looking back at the superb "Tinker, Taylor, Soldier, Spy" of 1979 rather than trying to copy the pyrotechnics of a "Mission Impossible" modern franchise.

The acting is overall competent and delivers professionally scenes that are believable with a good interaction and no low points. Photography is sometimes excessively bleak but is consistent and sometimes inspired. I would desaturate a bit less, but hey... it has a defined taste at least. Editing and directing are up to the tasks at hand.

The series has no technical major flaws and even if the very beginning promised a bit faster plot, in the second year it has found its own pace which is slow and safe while constantly entertaining.

The Romeo Section has only one thing cutting it short of its achievable 8/10: "Rufus" played by Juan Riedinger. Even if he's not a terrible actor his mediocre performance coupled with a boring character and unimpressive, predictable story line is a real disservice to the whole. The need for that part of the story to be good for the total narrative to work is real, so it should have been better written and casted properly.

Stumbled across The Romeo Section by accident and am so glad I did.

Unlike so much pap on TV these days you have to think when you watch this show. The method of showing scattered vignettes of the various characters and the development of the protagonist had me from the beginning. I like not knowing what is going to happen. This process is not developed in some deceptive way, which is often the case in other shows where red herrings are thrown in because the writers don't know how to create tension, but by the gradual revelation of the characters various dynamics and their very human foibles and interactions. I particularly enjoyed the last three episodes as everything starts coming together. I found myself being moved by the various characters, even if I didn't like them as people or what they stood for.

I always liked Chris Haddock's previous shows- detailed, complex and gritty worlds with interesting and very human characters. The grim world of the cops, criminals, victims and citizens he creates also have humor and honor and the main players are relatable.

Not in the Romeo section

A story with ambiguity and conflicted heroes and villians can be complelly and entertaining. This is just a somewhat incoherent mess.

While I agree that this coukd be an interesting view of the murky world of espionage, the mingling of international security with local police operations is not presebted in a very logical manner.

There are too many players and some focus, fleshing out of characters and some editing would help. The stupid subplot about a movie financed by drug money seems to be a thinly disguised critique of evil Western capitalism - it is a waste of time especially because the viewer has to suffer through the truly horrible acting by Fei Ren, whose voice and odd pronunciations are torturously annoying.

McGee is a treacherous cretin; he seems to be a mole for the CCCP., his lectures and writings are contemptuous of the West. He pretends he's rooting out a cover up in Season 2- but his actual motives are likely to undermine his country. His fawning over the Chinese and hatred of Americans is another indicator of where his loyalty lies.

The idiocy of the two bosses who supposedly run him could be due to their creepy lust for the Professor Song (played by Jemmy Chen, marginally better than Fei Ren-but not by much).

Too many of the actors are stilted and non- credible. They sound like the actors who dub foreign language films into English for Netflix.

The plots are convoluted and incomplete. Worst of all, not one of the main characters are remotely sympathetic- just selfish, conniving, cowardly and foolish. Only Ian Tracy, Brian Markinson and sometimes Andrew Airlie are better than the middle school drama club performance so of their cast mates.

None of the major characters are sympathetic, in fact I want to punch most of them in the face. I like to make some kind of emotional investment when watching a series- but I just don't like any of these people or their behavior.

It starts with a lot of mystery surrounding well, pretty much everything. But that's what's interesting. It's a spy thriller series after all. You slowly start to make your mind about every character and the pilot make a very good job of getting the viewer attach to the characters right away. You don't know much about them but the more it develop the deeper they get. In the end, I really wanted to know what will happen in the next episode and I think that's what's a good pilot is about. It's in the same genre as tinker tailor soldier spy in a modern setting and I would say, with more action and less dull moments. Looking forward to the next episode.