The fireworks display
Mar. 22nd, 2016 07:58 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shallownessThe Night Manager episode 5
Another tense one, as Jonathan went to The Haven, which was the start of our really seeing how immoral, cruel and venal (and a ton of other words) Roper was for ourselves. And so, to some extent, did Jed, getting answers all episode and turning up with Corky to raise the stakes for Pine, who didn’t know that his attempt to contact the enforcers would work, really.
I loved that, in hindsight, it all revolved around a scene in the enforcement office where Angela’s team were doing an update: that they’d left someone in Istanbul just in case, that they knew what had happened to the boat, which ultimately was where the weapons Pine hoped he was leading them to were. And eek, the ending, returning to Cairo, where he can only wear shades for so long, to the hotel he used to work at and his back-up hamstrung and mistrusting his motives even if he can get in touch with them, having promised Jed to get her out and as she’s complicit in Corky’s death while Pine is responsible for it, and Roper having shown how very dangerous he is – deep breath - that’s an excellent set-up for going into the final episode.
I will get my one complaint out of the way, though, I don’t think we needed the flashback to Pine seeing Sophie’s body being covered in The Suite of Doom. I think they could have trusted the actor to deliver the impact of the moment and the audience for getting it.
Otherwise, Jed probably thinks Roper executed Corky – after her stone-cold lying – when it’s all murkier than that.
You could really tell see the budget onscreen in ‘the fireworks display’ which was absolutely horrifying. And necessary. But I thought they played Roper’s sang-froid, the impact of the noise and power on the suit of a buyer, although he showed no remorse over what all this would do to people, perfectly. Best of all was Pine’s reaction. Yes, there was horror in the close-ups, but I think he’d accepted that the village had been cleared and no-one was being hurt there and then (he was however motivated to do his best to stop what he thought were the goods from being delivered) but in playing his part of convincing Roper and the others, I think he got a little lost in it, and enjoyed the display to some extent.
Of course, then we found out that not everyone had escaped the onslaught of weapons.
Oh, minor quibble, if they were so close to the camp, how come no-one there noticed the loud weaponsfire or saw at least some of it as there were aircraft etc?
But the whole cover of the refugee camp and good press for the military camp and evil work said so much about Roper, and prepared us for the trick with the convoy – which I knew wouldn’t catch him because this was the penultimate episode.
Anyway, Rex’s promotion seemed to give a deadline. Angela’s American support was taken away from her, and yet she fought on, until the threat had to come home. The first visit to her home (by the Thames!? Let’s presume the house was in the family because I doubt she could afford it otherwise) and the visual of her, so heavily pregnant, in the nursery (they’re really making a lot out of her being the protagonist and her husband playing the role of ignorant, loving, supportive spouse holding the fort at home.) But between that and the River man coming calling, we knew – even if Angela never seemed to have considered it – that there’d be a second visit. I don’t think it’ll deter her ultimately, but it ratchets things up superlatively, because that’s all a lot of obstacles and problems.
Another tense one, as Jonathan went to The Haven, which was the start of our really seeing how immoral, cruel and venal (and a ton of other words) Roper was for ourselves. And so, to some extent, did Jed, getting answers all episode and turning up with Corky to raise the stakes for Pine, who didn’t know that his attempt to contact the enforcers would work, really.
I loved that, in hindsight, it all revolved around a scene in the enforcement office where Angela’s team were doing an update: that they’d left someone in Istanbul just in case, that they knew what had happened to the boat, which ultimately was where the weapons Pine hoped he was leading them to were. And eek, the ending, returning to Cairo, where he can only wear shades for so long, to the hotel he used to work at and his back-up hamstrung and mistrusting his motives even if he can get in touch with them, having promised Jed to get her out and as she’s complicit in Corky’s death while Pine is responsible for it, and Roper having shown how very dangerous he is – deep breath - that’s an excellent set-up for going into the final episode.
I will get my one complaint out of the way, though, I don’t think we needed the flashback to Pine seeing Sophie’s body being covered in The Suite of Doom. I think they could have trusted the actor to deliver the impact of the moment and the audience for getting it.
Otherwise, Jed probably thinks Roper executed Corky – after her stone-cold lying – when it’s all murkier than that.
You could really tell see the budget onscreen in ‘the fireworks display’ which was absolutely horrifying. And necessary. But I thought they played Roper’s sang-froid, the impact of the noise and power on the suit of a buyer, although he showed no remorse over what all this would do to people, perfectly. Best of all was Pine’s reaction. Yes, there was horror in the close-ups, but I think he’d accepted that the village had been cleared and no-one was being hurt there and then (he was however motivated to do his best to stop what he thought were the goods from being delivered) but in playing his part of convincing Roper and the others, I think he got a little lost in it, and enjoyed the display to some extent.
Of course, then we found out that not everyone had escaped the onslaught of weapons.
Oh, minor quibble, if they were so close to the camp, how come no-one there noticed the loud weaponsfire or saw at least some of it as there were aircraft etc?
But the whole cover of the refugee camp and good press for the military camp and evil work said so much about Roper, and prepared us for the trick with the convoy – which I knew wouldn’t catch him because this was the penultimate episode.
Anyway, Rex’s promotion seemed to give a deadline. Angela’s American support was taken away from her, and yet she fought on, until the threat had to come home. The first visit to her home (by the Thames!? Let’s presume the house was in the family because I doubt she could afford it otherwise) and the visual of her, so heavily pregnant, in the nursery (they’re really making a lot out of her being the protagonist and her husband playing the role of ignorant, loving, supportive spouse holding the fort at home.) But between that and the River man coming calling, we knew – even if Angela never seemed to have considered it – that there’d be a second visit. I don’t think it’ll deter her ultimately, but it ratchets things up superlatively, because that’s all a lot of obstacles and problems.
no subject
Date: 2016-03-22 01:17 pm (UTC)And the fireworks display was really terrible; great effects but it really showed what a brutal man Roper is behind the facade he displays to his buyers, his girlfriend and his son. I can't tell if Pine actually enjoyed the show, but I found his reaction at the end of the episode to be more telling of where his true loyalties lay. And yes! How is it possible that no one knew about the big bangs, whether from the nearby refugee shelters or even from the air. You really can't miss seeing planes blown up out of the sky even from miles away. That was a bit too hard to believe.
As for Angela's house, I had been expecting to see her come home to worse than what actually happened to her husband -- he got off lucky, I would have to say considering who was behind the burglary and attack.
(I have to be careful writing this because I ended up seeing this episode and the finale back to back, thanks to the internet leaks. Hopefully I gave nothing away here to spoil the ending for you, and I'm looking forward to reading your thoughts about the end!)
no subject
Date: 2016-03-23 08:46 am (UTC)I had been expecting to see her come home to worse than what actually happened to her husband -- he got off lucky, I would have to say considering who was behind the burglary and attack.
True enough! I think that here the actress's pregnancy added a lot to the vulnerability of the character.
I am so ensconced beneath a rock that I didn't know there'd been an internet leak and was just chuntering that I hoped the stuff in the trailer was from the beginning rather than the end of the last episode. I don't think I'll be able to see the finale live, but as soon as I can watch it, I will, and I doubt it'll leave me without anything to say :)
no subject
Date: 2016-03-24 01:16 am (UTC)I think Olivia Coleman's pregnancy made her character such an interesting person -- I wonder if we'd get just as good a performance had she not been pregnant or if the writers didn't incorporate her status into the story.