Pine Gap

Just finished the first series. Really strong production values across the board, except the musical score which works well but is mainly underscoring background music rather than feature music. Script is intelligent while not being overly hard to follow, and there is a good balance between information the audience needs to retain for the story-details to make sense. The script is not overly dense with hard-to-follow information, but neither does it assume the audience have shut their brains down into unthinking mode thereby needing every little detail explained over and over.

Cast are well chosen for the main part, some characters develop a lot more slowly over time, but are done with some intelligence by the director and producers. There is sometimes a little too much emphasis on side-ways glances and surreptitious looks and reactions, done sometimes to distract, sometimes to raise suspicion, sometimes to direct our attention (all normal), but does sometimes lack a little subtlety in the directorial execution. My assumption this is done for the sake of an international audience.

Plot is engaging, has enough intrigue to build interest, contains a complexity that is allowed to unfold over time that requires a little patience (which gets rewarded), maintains a pace that doesn't quite keep you on the edge of the seat, but nor does it set out or pretend to try and be people swinging from exploding buildings or planes at 20,000 feet.

Finally, a comment to the few reviewers claiming "anti-american" script, I would recommend watching more than the first opening scenes. This is a story, entertainment, all based around espionage and intrigue. Chinese are keeping secrets, Aussies are keeping secrets, the Yanks are keeping secrets, heck - everyone is keeping secrets from everyone. The plot revolves around exploring 4 concepts - Money, Ideology, Coercion and Ego. It's not even CLOSE to being anti-American, but it also does not paint America as the untainted hero to the world. Surprise surprise, NSA, CIA etc have done some questionable things at different times in history. Whoopdy frikkin' doo. Welcome to Earth.

I'm not sure where the criticism comes from on this series. The comments critical about realism forget that this isn't a documentary. If that's your criteria then good luck with any series. It's a well crafted intrigue with solid characters with a great mix of an overarching major plot points with excellent subplots. Episode 5 and 6 are a fabulous wrap up that leaves you guessing until the final minutes.

I am not usually a fan of plot-driven series but this one is solidly directed with a good cast. The result, thanks to some good scriptwriting, is also entertaining primarily because it also manages to be character driven. The characters seem like real people for the most part, caught up in the ugly political maelstroms of the time.

Pine Gap is frightening because the show actually emphasizes that no one's hands are clean, that America, China and Australia are all players in a drama that will likely see the decline of the US and Europe, and the emergence of China as a world power. But one wrong move could easily make all our previous conflagrations look like minor skirmishes.

I have only seen the first two episodes, so this review is about a work in progress. I felt that the geopolitical context was timely and relevant for anyone living in or near one of the "five eyes" countries. The storyline is good, if somewhat predictable with regards to the Chinese bogeyman, but the tensions between American and Aussies are culturally accurate, if at times a little crude. The romantic sub-plot is too obvious and somewhat contrived, but I guess that's par for the course if the series takes a couple of unexpected turns (not likely so far, but who knows?). If you enjoyed Berlin Station, you may like this one as a remote controlled / drone version along the same kind of spy series. Not perfect, but still very watchable. And there are some spectacular views of the Australian outback.

Pine Gap is a compelling, well written and sharply produced mini series that deserves a view from everyone into spy thrillers and procedurals/mysteries. With strong production values, this is one of ABC (Australia's) better recent series. Pine Gap is not without its flaws - it nearly lost me early on with some painfully ham-fisted terminology goofs and technical misrepresentations of technologies central to the plot. The show manages to transcend these transgressions with its strong performances, tight pacing and otherwise tantalisingly layered plot and characters, and learns to mostly back away from the dangers of inaccurate specificity in later episodes... After binging the series in 2 sittings, I found myself wanting more...