Red Election

Not sure why some other reviewers simply dismiss this show, one that does make sense, but I'll admit it's not for everyone (I agree with one reviewer, maybe the sceptics ARE Americans, because this was 10 times better than any American spy thriller IMO); Is everything realistic? Are all the actors Oscar worthy? Was its writing team stellar? These questions are legitimate ones, but it's all too far to dismiss them as amateurs or that the show was dumb. Shows in Europe and the UK have a high standard when it comes to green-lighting shows, and so your better come with actual ammunition to prove this show wasn't worth a watch. I'm not sure about the sceptics, but that's not why I watch things.

The fact is the story was there, and it absolutely kept me on my toes Wondering what might the truth be. The opening line referring to powerful men putting themselves against truth actually tied the show up in a neat bow, and in my opinion justified the sometimes messy, but complex plot. The truth was certainly being messed with, to the protagonists AND the audience. Both were left fighting to figure out the truth, and wondering who might be messing with it.

Ignore the 1 stars, it's all too easy to dismiss something when you're only after a rush from amateur roasting.

Would highly recommend.

I really enjoyed this show, for once the secret service isn't depicted as full of sexy genius super heroes, they are all flawed human beings that make mistakes and then get on with it. I like the female lead, Beatrice, but the Danish one was so annoying I wanted to punch her. Some viewers were put off by the fact the main character was female but frankly, it added to the relationship between her and her Scottish contact who was clearly infatuated with her. Beatrice was strong but she screwed up, so did all the others. I loved Spooks, and I loved Stephen Dillane in GoT so I was interested in seeing him in another role after Stannis. I hope there's a Season 2, I'll be watching!

Don't believe the dismissive reviews already posted. Red Election is great fun - a Spooks-like spy drama based around European geopolitics, Russian expansionism, Scottish separatism and good old- fashioned Cold War espionage. The cast are great. It's tightly paced and completely binge-worthy! Bring on season 2!

My feeling is you watched the first episode with a predetermined mindset/agenda you came out of it thinking that the it was a 'girlpower special' because the two main characters are women and they do dominate the screen time. But if you actually view the series you will find that *all* of the *main* characters in the drama are flawed. They are not two dimensional, there is depth there. That to me is the mark of good TV/film.

God help Britain if its security was in the hands of the inept clowns who make up the secret service in this show. The "tension" and storyline relies on the bad guys continually and unbelievably evading the Keystone Cop-esque security forces. Appalling stuff.