Rubicon

I can see why many people would find this show hard to get into. The trailer for the show and the first episode appeared as though a deep, fast moving intelligence arena or encryption conspiracy was being presented. After the second and third episodes the energy appears gone and you're left wondering what the point is.

However, given the nature of the subject matter the above is probably a good thing. The patient are rewarded by the details of the stories taking shape slowly and connecting. The brilliant performances - and they are brilliant, because every single actor/ess is believable as a real character, probably so much so that the apparent dullness of daily life in the show put a lot of viewers off - quickly subdue the watcher into thinking that many characters are bit players. But given time, each one has more depth and cracks than are at first apparent. I believe this will turn into something very different - where every character is important and has a role to play. In a slow burning show like this, time is what is needed.

Having said that, I am only one or two episodes into being caught by the show. And it is still just a show. If the writers behind it cannot climax the tendrils of interests properly, it will fall heavily on its face. I would like to see this run, however, as it has the potential to not simply hit the tension-and-reset button between seasons, but be an engaging and truly thought provoking medium for many situations we find ourselves in.

After watching the 12th episode of this show, I found myself thinking just how good it is.

I have to admit that it started slowly, but what seem to have been random actions or scenes have been woven into a deeply intriguing plot.

I am a big fan of Breaking Bad and expected a lot from AMC on this one. I am not disappointed. This is one of my favorite shows and my favorite new show.

The acting is very good and the scenes are very believable. The interior shots of their workplace are a great backdrop.

There are a lot of characters, but each has its place in the plot. Each character is subtle but over time distinguishable from each other.

A truly excellent series, splendid characters and actors particularly Michael Cristofer as the wonderfully eccentric Truxton Spangler and Arliss Howard as Kale Ingram. It was television drama at its best, the sort that needs one to concentrate on the dialogue. For me they got the pace spot on.

Whilst initially I was disappointed that there was no second series, in retrospect it was right to bring the story to a close as it did. A second series would have undoubtedly lost its impetus and at least one vital character Certainly the best English language series of its kind so far this year.

This series, short-lived as it was, holds up well. I'm watching it for the third time (thanks to Amazon Prime Video). With its pace, its characters, its dialog, even its cinematography, it all comes together nicely.

Actors Christopher Evan Welch, James Badge Dale, Arliss Howard, Annie Parisse, Dallas Roberts (especially) are all excellent. Jessica Collins is hot (watch and see if you don't agree).

The plot is outlandish, but so what? Edward Snowden has made such outlandishness seem all too possible.

Not many such series are watchable over and over. This one has proved itself an evergreen.

Put it on your Watchlist; it's worth it.

I'm evaluating the whole series here, not just the first episode.

It's a darn good show - really darn good. Well worth watching in 2018, and also worth rewatching, which I plan to do in a few months once the show isn't so fresh in my mind anymore.

There have been many TV shows about spies and subterfuge (Homeland, The Americans) and terrorism (The Looming Tower, The Unit, 24, etc.). But this show filters America's "war on terror" through an intel analysis firm, where brilliant and bookish individuals sift through raw intel to give recommendations for America's NatSec apparatus. And that's only part of the show; the other part involves a creepy, wide-ranging conspiracy that's ever bit as exciting and scarily omniscient as the ones you'd find in those classic 70s conspiracy flicks like "The Parallax View" and "All the President's Men."

The writing is thoughtful and the dialogue is rich; there's so much of substance here, and the show doesn't need big explosions or shootouts or anything like that to sustain an intricate, fascinating plot and rewarding character arcs. Everyone is interesting, from James Badge Dale as the paranoid, hyper-focused analyst Will Travers to Miranda Richardson as widow Katherine Rhumor, who is trying to figure out why her rich husband suddenly took his own life.

Special commendation, though, has got to go to Arliss Howard as Will's supervisor Kale Ingram: the coolest, most fascinating, chilly and badass middle-aged gay character I think I've ever seen on an American TV show (refreshingly, Ingram's homosexuality is simply presented as is, with no frills or B.S., something shows in 2018 still struggle to do). And Michael Cristofer as the cigarette-smoking weirdo and head of API Truxton Spangler is another winner: every scene he's in positively crackles, and his true motivations will keep you guessing.

From the cinematography (you'll think you're watching a Hollywood movie half the time, it's so good) to the writing to the performances, this is a show to treasure and savor. Budding screenwriters simply must study this show's scripts, and the show overall is is one of the most wickedly smart things I've ever seen on American TV. Shame there's only the one season; it could've done a lot better if it came out today on a streaming platform.

Do yourself a favor and watch Rubicon, if only to see just how good TV can be.