OK so first the good parts. The acting is OK, the sets are nice, the pacing is good, no forced gratuitous sex scenes, a interesting conspiracy theme and good action and variance in characters.
Now to the bad parts - the parts I would call "americanitis" or simply basic "hollywood stupidity", The plot holes, damsel in distress or just "good guy not using brain".
Sadly this starts as early as the first two episodes.
The main plot line is the female American soldier, lost in Mali and on the blacklist of the evil corporation. Early on she meets her future helper and uses his mobile phone to get the message of her being alive out into the world - good! thats fine for the initial setup. But from now on she struggles to get any message of her being alive out into the world, despite having multiple times access to SMARTPHONES via helpers or even just in her hands throughout the series. Just a quick video, and an email...and viola! "evil government conspiracy proved" tata!!!! Instead we see her being video taped like your average terrorist victim, and then some "unforseen" incident happens by which this video tape never reaches the intended person.
Then the classic "good guy stupidity" syndrome. Having your enemy at your mercy, but instead of killing him (like any normal person) just let him live to give the series ONE more episode in which he can try hunt you down.
and ooooh my god how predictable some of the bad guys are....seriously you cannot call this "twist" anymore because it's so clichéd... the placed assassin playing on his/her looks - who didn't see that coming a thousand miles away.
Not to speak of the husband ..as others already pointed out. Who's only point is to provide some soggy emotional connection, besides being a total unrelatable person by ignoring all the evidence for his wife being alive. The cliché hacker nerd/ conspiracy theorist. And the super naive, brain dead, egocentric hero girlfriend who's only point in the series is to provide reasons for one of the heros to get permanently stalled in his plot progression to drag out the series.
The problem with American TV series I guess is "quantity" over "quality". Have a good idea but use unbelievable stupidity to drag it out and make the good idea, first less good and then wreck it for the second half of the 13 to 14 episodes.
So if you watch it for the action and sets and scenery and you can turn your brain off to these obvious issues it's OK fun. Popcorn entertainment.
************ Update *************** the more episodes I watch the less stars I have to give to this series for pure stupidity of characters. - No don't kill the mercenary who is after you, just nurse him back and be the spec ops with a sole who can't kill a fly - Good guy try to prevent the hidden illigitimately disgraced person the chance to kill the evil senator (luckily that didn't work out ..phew! I was almost at the point to turn off!) - Oh yeah and NO never ever ask the french drug dealer with 50 smartphones in his car to use one to take a video to send via mobile internet to Al Gazira to reveal you are alive and have a Evil Cooperations Operative in custody that tried to kill you......
GOD F* DA* IT! WHY WHY WHY do American TV series always start out good, with a great idea but then suffer from this INCREDIBLE STUPIDITY OF CHARACTERS...WHY!? Are most Americans really that retarded and deprived of any human common sense and the ability to put 1+1 together? I doubt that.
Pay your writers more to have better ideas! Pay your actor stars less! thats the way to success.
Now to the bad parts - the parts I would call "americanitis" or simply basic "hollywood stupidity", The plot holes, damsel in distress or just "good guy not using brain".
Sadly this starts as early as the first two episodes.
The main plot line is the female American soldier, lost in Mali and on the blacklist of the evil corporation. Early on she meets her future helper and uses his mobile phone to get the message of her being alive out into the world - good! thats fine for the initial setup. But from now on she struggles to get any message of her being alive out into the world, despite having multiple times access to SMARTPHONES via helpers or even just in her hands throughout the series. Just a quick video, and an email...and viola! "evil government conspiracy proved" tata!!!! Instead we see her being video taped like your average terrorist victim, and then some "unforseen" incident happens by which this video tape never reaches the intended person.
Then the classic "good guy stupidity" syndrome. Having your enemy at your mercy, but instead of killing him (like any normal person) just let him live to give the series ONE more episode in which he can try hunt you down.
and ooooh my god how predictable some of the bad guys are....seriously you cannot call this "twist" anymore because it's so clichéd... the placed assassin playing on his/her looks - who didn't see that coming a thousand miles away.
Not to speak of the husband ..as others already pointed out. Who's only point is to provide some soggy emotional connection, besides being a total unrelatable person by ignoring all the evidence for his wife being alive. The cliché hacker nerd/ conspiracy theorist. And the super naive, brain dead, egocentric hero girlfriend who's only point in the series is to provide reasons for one of the heros to get permanently stalled in his plot progression to drag out the series.
The problem with American TV series I guess is "quantity" over "quality". Have a good idea but use unbelievable stupidity to drag it out and make the good idea, first less good and then wreck it for the second half of the 13 to 14 episodes.
So if you watch it for the action and sets and scenery and you can turn your brain off to these obvious issues it's OK fun. Popcorn entertainment.
************ Update *************** the more episodes I watch the less stars I have to give to this series for pure stupidity of characters. - No don't kill the mercenary who is after you, just nurse him back and be the spec ops with a sole who can't kill a fly - Good guy try to prevent the hidden illigitimately disgraced person the chance to kill the evil senator (luckily that didn't work out ..phew! I was almost at the point to turn off!) - Oh yeah and NO never ever ask the french drug dealer with 50 smartphones in his car to use one to take a video to send via mobile internet to Al Gazira to reveal you are alive and have a Evil Cooperations Operative in custody that tried to kill you......
GOD F* DA* IT! WHY WHY WHY do American TV series always start out good, with a great idea but then suffer from this INCREDIBLE STUPIDITY OF CHARACTERS...WHY!? Are most Americans really that retarded and deprived of any human common sense and the ability to put 1+1 together? I doubt that.
Pay your writers more to have better ideas! Pay your actor stars less! thats the way to success.
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