Affaires d'Etats

With so much over-hyped mediocrity about we often here claims that programmes get better with every episode - but in this case it really is true! Absolutely riveting stuff this. Tightly scripted, lots of characters with ambiguous motives, very little is cut and dried, but with still enough "boo hiss" baddies to satisfy. It's not very often we get to see a political thriller where anything could happen, to any of the leading characters, at any time and this helps to build on, and at least maintain, the tension and sense of threat throughout.

Only into the third episode, but this is already a classic. I really hope it doesn't peter out or cop out towards its conclusion. But I have a funny feeling it won't disappoint. The only reason this didn't get a 10 from me is because I've not seen it all yet.

I have to admit I was very, very hopeful when I added "The State Within" to the top of my netflix queue. Stellar cast, BBC production. But sometimes you never know. However I must admit I was extremely surprised at how much I enjoyed the series.

It's six hours long and you have to pay attention because it has some great twists and turns and moments that will make you gasp out loud. As you watched the spectacle unfold you couldn't help but see the parallels to today's political climate and it just makes you...sad. Jason Isaacs was brilliant -- he's a far more talented actor then I had ever imagined. Of course, all I have to compare him to is Harry Potter, but I had no idea he had such presence, such ability, such range. The ending catches you completely off-guard. Whew.

I watched the first episode last night and it is certainly gripping. There seem to be a lot of story lines weaving around the central story. There are high production values and with the mixture of UK and US stars I expect this will gain and audience on both sides of the pond. There is International terrorism a la 9/11, diplomacy, internment, gay spies, CIA, MI6. I am not going to précis the story as it is as yet unfolding. Sharon Gless (Secretary of Defense Lynne Warner), was interviewed on Radio 4 this morning and according to her you will not get the full story until the final episode. She likened it to "The Sixth Sense". Stand by for more gripping episodes.

This thriller can be described as "24" without the action but with the same wonderful twists and turns. Not until the fourth episode you get some sense what the story is about. Of course the plot seems far fetched. But if you look at Bush and his policy it suddenly is closer to home than you imagine. It is also obvious that this series is some sort of protest or at least criticism against US policy regarding terrorists and the death penalty. (The attention this sub plot got was gripping drama at best. Excellent performance by Lennie James!) We get some insight what a British ambassador does and needs to do in order to maintain his position. Jason Isaacs who is most famous for portraying villains is wonderful and amazing as the main character. Tough,diplomatic,a man of action and not afraid to show his compassion and emotion. He really shows it all. What more do you want. Good performances,intriguing plot and solid entertainment! I hope we will see more of shows like this in the future.

Going into this six-part series, I have to admit that my interest at first was mostly prurient, thanks to a couple of well-placed clips on YouTube (and I'll let you guess which ones.) Rare is the occasion that my partner and I will put up with an entire series over the span of two nights, but we got so involved that we actually did it: Parts 1-3 one night; 4-6 on the following evening.

And was it worth it! From the moment a British jetliner on the way back to London explodes over Washington, DC, THE STATE WITHIN literally grabs you by the throat and won't stop shaking you until the final episode.

Now, fans of series like 24, CSI and THE UNIT should take note here: this is way out of the comfort zone of the 'casual' viewer. To their credit, writers Lizzie Mickery and Daniel Percival are not about to spoon-feed you one single detail, so mentally you'd better be 'on your toes' at all times and keeping up with all the espionage, double-dealing and a large and exceptional cast, because this train's not stopping to wait for anybody. Plus the kinetic directing styles of Michael Offer in the first three episodes and writer Percival taking the helm for the remainder, ensure that it stays moving and engaging, even when there's not a lot of things blowing up or people getting dispatched in the nastiest ways possible.

The ensemble cast, led in an unusually heroic turn by Jason Isaacs is great, as everyone brings something to the table. If you are familiar with British and Canadian television, a few faces will definitely be familiar to you, especially FOREVER KNIGHT'S Nigel Bennett playing one of his most hissable brand of baddies, and Lennie James in a surprisingly sympathetic role as a death-row inmate. Ben Daniels and Noam Jenkins are standouts as two men who are essentially on opposite sides of the same coin (and so much more.)

And definitely worth noting is Sharon Gless' performance as the steely Secretary of Defense who seems to be pulling all the strings and manipulating all the players in this nightmarish scenario, but wait! No one and nothing is as it seems in this piece, and though it feels like the first two episodes kind of leave you swinging in the wind, your patience will be richly rewarded as by Part Three, the pieces begin to fall into place. And if the story threads of WMD's, covert military operations, backroom deals and cold-blooded murder sounds a little too familiar, you better believe that it's intentional.

In fact, it's a mark of Mickery and Percival's creative skills, that when I started watching the news shortly after finishing Part 6, I felt like I was still watching the movie!

I recommend THE STATE WITHIN with extreme bias on my part. I love "thinking man's thrillers", and this is one of the best I've seen in a long time. American writers and producers should watch this and learn something....