Berlin Station double bill
Dec. 28th, 2018 09:49 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shallownessBerlin Station 1,9 Thomas Shaw
More substantial stuff about Hector’s time in the black site at Morocco – its brightness contrasting with Berlin’s wintery grey. Danny’s motivation was raised again, as he had to face up to the fact that they hadn’t got Hector down to rights in the previous episode’s interrogation. We didn’t know who was shooting at them.
Robert might have had the pleasure of telling Valerie that Clay Willimas was at the station, but then learned a little more of what she’d been up to – she continued not to trust him, and found out he was meeting the Israelis by dint of tradecraft. I continue to enjoy her competence, because she does it all in wicked heels I wouldn’t touch.
We saw the making of Thomas Shaw, from Julian’s innocence breaking Hector, to the ship giving him the name, to the almost shocking recruitment from Robert and Valerie. It was shocking to see their slightly different looks, to see them in sunshine, kind of getting on, knowing all the while what was to come.
Danny’s ‘imperfect system’ spoke of no experience with black sites.
I thought the recruit of Faisal was a bit too much of retelling Hector’s biography, but it was the bits around it – the things Hector was asked to do at the station, finding out about the reporter, and reuniting with Julian – that justified it. Hector became all the more sympathetic, especially as he had no truck with kidnapping Patricia, (although I maintain he worked her with something like this at the very back of his mind) and his continued, well, tenderness towards Julian.
I was left anticipating Kelly handing over Steven’s envelope to Sandra, given everything between them. I don’t know that Robert (who still hasn’t grown on me and I doubt he’ll be the great chief of station Steven says he will). At this point I didn’t think he’d have the leverage to prove to Valerie that he’s using the Israelis.
The reveal that the Germans, or rather Hans and Esther, but they’re the Germans who count the most – Steven and Daniel’s counterparts - knew Shaw was Hector and were using him to bring down the station was a neat twist. But I did query their motivation and the pointlessness of the move – it would be a small, petty win for a short period.
The location Julian took Patricia to worked symbolically, but was also a visual gift because of the graffiti and helicopter shots potential.
Hans’s betrayal hit all the harder because Steven had been trying so hard to make a deal with him, based on personal friendship.
So, Daniel felt like he’d made the right decision in letting Hector go. A few wobbly accent bits and longeurs aside, this episode really was Rhys Ifans’s (with lots of two-handers) and he took it.
1.10 - All4 didn't give this episode's title.
I was glad to watch this as a double-bill to see how we got to what we’d seen before, which I never rewatched.
So, from the voiceover it looked like Danny had taken on Thomas Shaw’s mission…Patricia began a series of personal questions about what he was up to, his life choices and their impact.
I liked that Steven had used his time in solitary to think – the idea that they’d been harried into always reacting was key. As in the previous episode, Jenkins used his height subtly to enhance the confrontation in this case (I’m thinking of the pep talk/goodbye to Robert). That is, both times I would think ‘oh, he’s taller than I thought.’
Robert and Valerie continued scrambling.
Ha! Despite everything, perhaps because of Steven or their country, Sandra and Kelly were able to be pragmatic. I take it that loose-haired Sandra = SRS BSNS.
Clay was a piece of work, even shocking Hans (although I suspected then that Hans still wanted Daniel Miller for something, possibly for more than because he thought he could turn him i.e. his mysterious family past). And Esther did not like the idea that Daniel was to be killed.
I did work out that Robert’s arrest was a show, and at least they weren’t sure that Golda hadn’t fallen for it – the line about her fun stories was good.
Johnson turned out to be quite the loyal chap. He’s probably the one the station really couldn’t do without.
Gradually the station (and Kelly) came together with their intel.
Esther waking up to Daniel glowering down at her was creepy by normal standards.
Hector continued his version of quixoticness, going big to rescue Faisal.
I LOVED that Sandra, ‘the secretary’ was the one to get the evidence away. With Johnon.
Esther’s line to Hans about having fallen for his vision of the Americans/revenge was a good one to walk away on, even if you wondered he’d try and kill her off next – his ultimate assassination was brutal, but not undeserved and played as such.
And so, Danny got the win of the small smile, and took on the mantle of Thomas Shaw – presumably the voiceover was the message sent along with the evidence, although with the Thomas Shaw poster being covered up, it seemed that the only actions that had counted were those of Team Station.
A pretty good ending to about the right length of a story. Berlin Station hasn’t grabbed me emotionally as much as other spy stories that have been airing over the past few months, but it’s always been interesting. I am curious as to who returns (and how) for the next series – Steven and Hector seem too compromised, will Robert be chief, therefore, and has Esther been promoted to Hans’s post? Will Michelle Forbes want to return (I remember she doesn’t like recurring roles)? Will the writers come up with a compelling enough story? And when will More 4 show it?
More substantial stuff about Hector’s time in the black site at Morocco – its brightness contrasting with Berlin’s wintery grey. Danny’s motivation was raised again, as he had to face up to the fact that they hadn’t got Hector down to rights in the previous episode’s interrogation. We didn’t know who was shooting at them.
Robert might have had the pleasure of telling Valerie that Clay Willimas was at the station, but then learned a little more of what she’d been up to – she continued not to trust him, and found out he was meeting the Israelis by dint of tradecraft. I continue to enjoy her competence, because she does it all in wicked heels I wouldn’t touch.
We saw the making of Thomas Shaw, from Julian’s innocence breaking Hector, to the ship giving him the name, to the almost shocking recruitment from Robert and Valerie. It was shocking to see their slightly different looks, to see them in sunshine, kind of getting on, knowing all the while what was to come.
Danny’s ‘imperfect system’ spoke of no experience with black sites.
I thought the recruit of Faisal was a bit too much of retelling Hector’s biography, but it was the bits around it – the things Hector was asked to do at the station, finding out about the reporter, and reuniting with Julian – that justified it. Hector became all the more sympathetic, especially as he had no truck with kidnapping Patricia, (although I maintain he worked her with something like this at the very back of his mind) and his continued, well, tenderness towards Julian.
I was left anticipating Kelly handing over Steven’s envelope to Sandra, given everything between them. I don’t know that Robert (who still hasn’t grown on me and I doubt he’ll be the great chief of station Steven says he will). At this point I didn’t think he’d have the leverage to prove to Valerie that he’s using the Israelis.
The reveal that the Germans, or rather Hans and Esther, but they’re the Germans who count the most – Steven and Daniel’s counterparts - knew Shaw was Hector and were using him to bring down the station was a neat twist. But I did query their motivation and the pointlessness of the move – it would be a small, petty win for a short period.
The location Julian took Patricia to worked symbolically, but was also a visual gift because of the graffiti and helicopter shots potential.
Hans’s betrayal hit all the harder because Steven had been trying so hard to make a deal with him, based on personal friendship.
So, Daniel felt like he’d made the right decision in letting Hector go. A few wobbly accent bits and longeurs aside, this episode really was Rhys Ifans’s (with lots of two-handers) and he took it.
1.10 - All4 didn't give this episode's title.
I was glad to watch this as a double-bill to see how we got to what we’d seen before, which I never rewatched.
So, from the voiceover it looked like Danny had taken on Thomas Shaw’s mission…Patricia began a series of personal questions about what he was up to, his life choices and their impact.
I liked that Steven had used his time in solitary to think – the idea that they’d been harried into always reacting was key. As in the previous episode, Jenkins used his height subtly to enhance the confrontation in this case (I’m thinking of the pep talk/goodbye to Robert). That is, both times I would think ‘oh, he’s taller than I thought.’
Robert and Valerie continued scrambling.
Ha! Despite everything, perhaps because of Steven or their country, Sandra and Kelly were able to be pragmatic. I take it that loose-haired Sandra = SRS BSNS.
Clay was a piece of work, even shocking Hans (although I suspected then that Hans still wanted Daniel Miller for something, possibly for more than because he thought he could turn him i.e. his mysterious family past). And Esther did not like the idea that Daniel was to be killed.
I did work out that Robert’s arrest was a show, and at least they weren’t sure that Golda hadn’t fallen for it – the line about her fun stories was good.
Johnson turned out to be quite the loyal chap. He’s probably the one the station really couldn’t do without.
Gradually the station (and Kelly) came together with their intel.
Esther waking up to Daniel glowering down at her was creepy by normal standards.
Hector continued his version of quixoticness, going big to rescue Faisal.
I LOVED that Sandra, ‘the secretary’ was the one to get the evidence away. With Johnon.
Esther’s line to Hans about having fallen for his vision of the Americans/revenge was a good one to walk away on, even if you wondered he’d try and kill her off next – his ultimate assassination was brutal, but not undeserved and played as such.
And so, Danny got the win of the small smile, and took on the mantle of Thomas Shaw – presumably the voiceover was the message sent along with the evidence, although with the Thomas Shaw poster being covered up, it seemed that the only actions that had counted were those of Team Station.
A pretty good ending to about the right length of a story. Berlin Station hasn’t grabbed me emotionally as much as other spy stories that have been airing over the past few months, but it’s always been interesting. I am curious as to who returns (and how) for the next series – Steven and Hector seem too compromised, will Robert be chief, therefore, and has Esther been promoted to Hans’s post? Will Michelle Forbes want to return (I remember she doesn’t like recurring roles)? Will the writers come up with a compelling enough story? And when will More 4 show it?
