|
On Television |
 |
|
|
 BBC America's "Red Cap" cast on parade. From left, Gordon Kennedy, Douglas Hodge, Tamzin Outhwaite and James Thornton.. |
Brits do their part to help
Yanks' summer viewing
By DONNA J. PLESH
of TheColumnists.com
Leave it to our pals across the pond, the Brits, to
come along with two new
action/adventure dramas for viewers hungry for something new
to watch this summer.
First up is "Red Cap," premiering June 30 on BBC America.
It's about cases
handled by the British military's elite Special Investigation
Branch (SIB), which investigates crimes committed by, or against,
members of the British Army stationed throughout the world.
Our hero--rather our heroine--is new team member Sgt. Jo McDonagh,
played by Tamzin Outhwaite (who played the glamourous night club
owner Mel Owen on "EastEnders"). There's little glamour--and
little makeup--for Outhwaite in this role. Her Jo McDonagh is
determined to prove herself worthy of her promotion to the elite
unit which, not surprisingly, is pretty much an all-boys club.
Ten minutes into the premiere, McDonagh's physical mettle is
tested when she gets punched in the mouth by a burly soldier
she's searching for. Down but not out, she gives as good as she
gets, and manages to land a few punches before the soldier gets
away.
Filmed on location in the United Kingdom and Germany, the first
"Red Cap" case (the title comes from the color of the
beret the soldiers wear when in uniform) involves the death of
the wife of a British officer stationed in Germany. The woman
also happens to be the daughter of a high-ranking German general.
McDonagh's rather unorthodox investigative approach ruffles the
feathers of her fellow SIB team members as well as the unit's
German counterparts. One is quickly made aware that the Germans
and the Brits don't always see eye-to-eye when it comes to methods
of investigation involving citizens of both countries.
Matters aren't helped when the SIB investigation opens up a can
of worms including blackmail, secrets, and adulterous affairs.
As McDonagh tries to piece together the puzzle about the life
of the dead woman, she encounters problems with her fellow team
members, particularly her sometimes SIB partner Sgt. Roper (James
Thornton), who isn't pleased with her being in the unit. She
also has an often testy relationship with the unit's boss, Sgt.
Major Burns (Douglas Hodge) who doesn't seem to want her around--until
her investigation comes up with some solid clues in the case.
Well-written and well-acted, particularly by Outhwaite, "Red
Cap" is a must-see series. The program airs Mondays at 9
p.m. Eastern and Pacific on BBC America.
***************************************
Another fresh new series
from the UK is "MI-5," premiering July 22 on the A&E
Network. A top-notch cast, spy gadgets galore, and nearly non-stop
action are the hallmarks of this drama about the workings of
a small group of counter-terrorism agents.
The first episode of the eight-part series has the team trying
to find some missing bombs. When a car bomb goes off killing
a doctor and seriously injuring her daughter, the team's investigation
leads to a group of pro-life terrorists--the doctor killed in
the blast performed abortions--headed by an American woman whose
husband is on death row awaiting execution for klling another
doctor. The clock is ticking as the team realizes the terrorists
are planning a terror bombing campaign in honor of the man on
death row.
Peter Firth plays Harry Pearce, the head of operations. Matthew
Macfadyen ("Perfect Strangers") is senior case officer
Tom Quinn, heading the investigation; Keeley Hawes ("The
Cater Street Hangman," "Wives and Daughters")
is the junior officer on the team who winds up being the bait
for the terrorists; and David Oyelow is Danny Hunter, the genius
responsible for the team's high-tech gadgetry--cameras, bugging
devices, etc.; Jenny Agutter ("A Respectable Trade")
is cynical senior case officer Tessa Phillips. Turning up in
later episodes are Hugh Laurie ("Jeeves and Wooster")
as the head of MI-6 and Quinn's nemesis; and Nicola Walker ("Touching
Evil") as an intelligence analyst.
As in "Red Cap," good acting and writing keep the series
from being a run-of-the-mill "haven't we seen this before?"
series. My one gripe is the overly dramatic background music
which pretty much tips viewers that something big is going to
happen next. Ugh.
And about the title: MI-5's mandate is to protect Britain's national
security from internal threats. These are not the James Bond
agents--they are in the sister service, MI-6.
"MI-5" airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. Eastern and Pacific,
with an encore presentation the following Saturday at 11 p.m.
© 2003 by Donna J. Plesh. The photo is courtesy BBC America.
You
can comment on this column online. Please address your message
to either "The Editors" or Donna J. Plesh. To send
an email, click here: talkback@thecolumnists.com
| Home | About Us | Archives | Talkback | Shopping Mall |