Television Show Review: Spy

Spy: Series One created by Simeon Goulden (Hat Trick Productions, 2011.)

Starring Darren Boyd, Jude Wright, and Robert Lindsay.

Same Old Story

You’ve assuredly heard the story before. Man gets divorced, wife hates him, and son has the sarcastic and sardonic wit of a 45 year-old. He works a dead end job at a computer store, all the while unaware that he is a failure. Or, maybe you haven’t heard the story.

Created by writer Simeon Goulden, Spy is a new brand of television. It was created explicitly to be aired on the BBC digital-only channel, Sky 1. The resulting Hulu release in America is the American response to the innovation. 

Silly Spy Spoof

The basic premise of the television series is that of a silly spy spoof. Tim (Darren Boyd) is a single father that has a semi-evil and brilliant son named Marcus (Jude Wright). Tim is fairly boring, and has a penchant for Sudoku puzzles. 

Tim, an under-achieving divorcee, accidentally stumbles into a job with MI5 after going to the job center. Now with the ability to hold a gun and be a part of Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Tim is suddenly insidiously  cool. What’s more, his boss (Robert Lindsay), completely unhinged from reality, reminds the viewer of the guy from the Dos Equis commercials.

Misfortune and Absurdity

Tim’s best friend, Chris (Matthew Baynton) is the only one in the “outside world” who knows of Tim’s accidental fortune in taking a job at MI-5. So, sadly, Tim is unable to tell his son Marcus of his cool job. He has to deal with his son at home, who constantly judges Tim for his poor intellect, lack of financial fortune, and lack of quality employ.  

For further misfortune, Tim has to meet up with Marcus, his former wife Judith (Dolly Wells), and her new partner Philip (Tom Goodman-Hill), who is the headmaster of the school Marcus attends, for frequent counseling sessions. Philip, for some strange reason, absolutely loves hugging Tim in a far-too-close-for-comfort sort of a way. The therapist, Paula (Rosie Cavaliero) has also developed a major crush on Tim in stalker-like fashion.

With total absurdity, the show doesn’t disappoint. Lindsay is absolutely hilarious as the boss, and Jude Wright plays a great demonic mastermind of a son. The whole show is a delight to watch, which only shows that absurd British wit will always entertain. The good news is BCC has renewed Spy for a second series, as well as a Christmas special.  I recommend you check Spy out very soon.

Verdict: 4.5 out of 5
What do you think? Do you enjoy the series? Why? Share your thoughts below.
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Posted by: Andrew Jacobson

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Book Review: Waiting for Sunrise

Waiting for Sunrise: A Novel by William Boyd (New York: Harper Collins, 2012. 353 pp)

William Boyd (b. 1952) is a Scottish novelist and screenwriter. In 1983, he was selected as one of Britain’s top twenty young British novelists. Though his novels, An Ice-Cream War, Brazzaville Beach, and The Blue Afternoon, have been shortlisted for many major prizes, he has not garnered much acclaim. On April 11, 2012 Boyd announced he is writing the next James Bond novel, set in the year 1969.

Three Parts Make a Whole

If you’ve ever seen the period-based television show, Downton Abbey, you know how riveting and intentional drama can be. Often enveloped by the lives of those in the fictitious drama, I was delighted to find a First World War period novel. Caught up in the throws of World War I, we see a protagonist go through self-enlightenment, while we wait for the sun to rise in his life.

Waiting for Sunrise is part period piece, part psychological journey, and part war/spy novel. Experimentally written, the switches in topic, tone, and even narrative mode don’t deter from the readability of the novel, but rather enhance it.

The protagonist, Lysander Rief, is warned in the early pages of the book about the dangers of the Austrian capital, Vienna. Even though the city seems like a safe place to explore, below the surface is a giant river of temptation for Lysander.

“‘This place—this Pension Kriwanek—is just like Vienna. You have the world of Frau K on top. So nice and so pleasant, everybody smiling politely, nobody farting or picking their nose. But below the surface the river is flowing, dark and strong.’‘What river?’‘The river of sex’” (27).

Transferring Jobs

Lysander is in danger of going under. As an English actor, he traveled to Vienna to seek treatment from a psychologist named Bensimon. While in the waiting room, he meets two people, one of which, Hettie Bull, becomes his newest lover. He also meets Alwyn Munro, who is a military official at the British consulate. By meeting Alwyn as well as talking with Dr. Bensimon, Lysander becomes interested in the spy world.

In his talks with his therapist, Lysander learns of a theory called “parallelism”, furthering his interest in being a ruthless and ingenious spy hunter.

“‘Let’s say that the world is in essence neutral—flat, empty, bereft of meaning and significance.  It’s us, our imaginations, that make it vivid, fill it with colour, feeling, purpose and emotion. Once we understand this we can shape our world in any way we want. In theory...I hesitate to say this, and I vary rarely make this leap, but I have a feeling Parallelism will cure you, Mr Rief, I really do” (49).

Parallelism, perhaps the largest theme in the novel, closely ties into Lysander’s addictions. As Bensimon suggests, the individual has the ability to change their world for the better, if they so choose. Lysander has the chance to change his addictions, to better his life, and to move away from a life of frivolity and meaningless sex. Through parallelism, Lysander has a chance to make his life work. However, Lysander doesn’t change his addictions, but rather his employ.

Many Realities

What ends up happening in the novel is a collage of espionage and global war, sex and temptation. When World War I breaks out, Rief, instead of fulfilling his theatric aspirations, is called by Munro to transform himself into a spy. Lysander is sent on a mole hunt that takes him all around the world, eventually landing him in London. 

Meanwhile, Lysander falls in love with yet another woman, further entrenching him in the river of sex mentioned in the first few pages of the novel. The theory of parallelism runs rampant in the novel, transforming Lysander into a spy, yet his addiction to and problems with sex still somehow remain. Parallelism isn’t a thorough reality for Rief.

If you’ve ever seen the television series Downton Abbey and would like to read a book that is eerily similar to the First World War depiction therein, William Boyd’s Waiting for Sunrise is about as close as one can get. William Boyd has been asked to write the next James Bond thriller, so that gives you a good idea of the spy narrative within. Even though there’s a lot going on, Waiting for Sunrise combines complicated, intellectual intrigue and adventure to make something worth reading. 

Verdict: 3.5 out of 5
What do you think? Did you read Waiting for Sunrise, and like it? Or were you confused? Have you read Boyd's other novels? Share your thoughts below.
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Posted by: Andrew Jacobson

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Film Review: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy directed by Tomas Alfredson (Focus Features, R, 128 minutes)

Starring Gary Oldman and Colin Firth.

Based on the Same Name 

Based on the 1974 novel of the same name by John le Carre, a former operations agent for the British agency of MI6, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy joins the long list of Oscar-nominated movies for 2011 based on bestselling novels that are perhaps better than the films of which they are based. The first in what is a trilogy of spy novels; the film depicts English spy George Smiley (Gary Oldman) as he is pitted against a Soviet mole inside the MI6.

Silence as Suspense 

MI6 Headquarters, London

After a forced, disgraced retirement from MI6, George Smiley is thrust back into service to oust a mole from within the ranks of his former employer. Unsure of his new re-appointment, and obviously still bitter about his forced retirement, Gary Oldman is silent for almost thirty minutes at the beginning of the film. Much like in the novel, silence on the part George Smiley is persistent, and director Tomas Alfredson uses the silence as a means to both intrigue and frustrate the viewer. Silence adds to the suspense of the movie, as those like myself unfamiliar with what actual espionage would be like, expect exotic locations and huge explosions. The silence shows that no exotic location is needed, no huge action sequence, but rather intriguing puzzles that confound the viewer.

Cast with superstar British actors, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy introduces them one at a time. “Tinker” is the codename for Percy Alleline (Toby Jones), “Tailor” is Bill Haydon (Colin Firth), “Soldier” is Roy Bland (Ciaran Hinds), and “Spy” would be the unknown mole in MI6 that “Beggarman”, or George Smiley, is trying to find throughout the film.

Paranoia 

Not only does the silence add to the suspense of the movie, but the constant feeling of dread and paranoia certainly adds a feeling of weariness to the overall tension of the film. Sequestered meetings with ubiquitous brown tweed suits in closed rooms and quiet, dark conversations in shadowy corners of London add to an atmosphere of suspense and great pondering on the part of the audience.

While the movie doesn’t pander to the stereotypes of current thrillers, I posit that such a position makes Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy absolutely superb. Without the excessive explosions or exotic locations, this movie offers a cigarette-filled rendering of things past. With clues to ponder against the background of the poker-faced and quiet George Smiley, words pierce just as hard as bullets would in a lesser film. If you love suspense and intrigue, this movie is for you. However, if you don’t like thinking through things and have a hard time piecing clues together on your own, I would wait until DVD.

Verdict: 4.5 out of 5

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Posted by: Andrew Jacobson

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Book Review: Carte Blanche

Carte Blanche: The New James Bond Novel by Jeffery Deaver (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2011. 432 pp)

Born outside Chicago, Jeffery Deaver earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri and a law degree from Fordham University. Prior to becoming a bestselling author, Deaver was a journalist, folksinger and attorney. Having written thirty books, Deaver has won numerous awards. For The Bodies Left Behind, he won Novel of the Year from the International Thriller Writers Association; The Cold Moon was named Book of the Year by the Mystery Writers Association of Japan and the Grand Prix Award. Additionally, he has received the Steel Dagger and Short Story Dagger from the British Crime Writers’ Association and the Nero Wolfe Award.

Old History and New Beginnings

When James Bond first stepped onto the pop-culture stage, the Cold War was in full effect. Ian Flemming created the character in 1953, and 007 stopped a speeding Serbian train loaded with hazardous chemicals. No tricky gadgets, no iphone app. Bond was a man’s man and a predecessor to MacGyver, without the cheesy mullet.

However, as the Cold War drew to an end, James Bond’s enemies fell from view. With no clear enemy in sight, the Bond series fell into disrepair. But, with the dawn of the insurmountable enemy that is global terrorism, James Bond came upon the scene again. Jeffrey Deaver, an American, tells a new tale of the technically supreme James Bond.

Homage

Perhaps in homage to the 1953 James Bond, Deaver starts the novel by having James Bond stop a train with hazardous chemicals on board.  

“His hand on the dead-man throttle, the driver of the Serbian Rail diesel felt the thrill he always did on this particular stretch of railway, heading north from Belgrade and approaching Novi Sad...his imagination told him the noise was the metal containers of the deadly chemical in car number three, jostling against one another, at risk of spewing forth their poison. Nonsense, he told himself and concentrated on keeping the speed steady. Then, for no reason at all, except that it made him feel better, he tugged at the air horn” (3-4).

With trains hauling deadly chemicals, this novel starts the way every other bond tome begins. Not until later in the novel do we meet the new James Bond.

The Villain

Severan Hydt (Severan seems to always be a name indicative of evil – Harry Potter’s Severan Snape certainly alludes to this fact as well) is not your typical villain – he’s concerned about the environment, and also has a penchant for photographing dead bodies. Hydt is also responsible for spreading fear by threatening to inflict the Gehenna attacks, an unknown event that will place thousands of British lives in danger. The trick is that this threat is unknown; Bond and MI5 are trying to find both the details and the location of the attack.

“Estimated initial casualties in the thousands, British interests adversely affected, funds transfers as discussed” (156).

As the novel unfolds, the message becomes clearer,

“Confirm incident friday night, 20th, estimated initial casualties in the thousands” (366).

Using a typical spy cover as an arms dealer, Bond is able to infiltrate Hydt’s base of operations in South Africa in order to ascertain more about the scenario. While undercover, he forms a relationship with a policewoman named Bheka Jordaan in order to try to investigate the work of Hydt.

Knighthood

James Bond is a knight – simply driven by the knight’s code of right versus wrong and honor versus dishonor. He is willing to sacrifice himself, and to exercise his “carte blanche” when he needs to. “Carte blanche”, or the ability to operate outside of the law is something that Bond always struggles with in light of his knightly values. He always is curious:  “at what point do I become just like the enemy if I continue operating outside of the law?”

Fast Food

All in all, Carte Blanche is a good book. I’ll liken it to fast food; it’s amazing, and you know it. But, you really don’t want (or at the very least shouldn’t want) a quarter pounder with cheese every day. If you do, I strongly urge you to seek medical attention soon, as your heart may have already stopped several times. 


So, read it. Aside from the current global events that provide an intriguing setting for our hero, don’t expect any life changing revelations, or some moralistic platitudes. But, you can expect a novel that delivers James Bond, and with the lack of Double-Oh-Seven films lately, no one can really blame you. If some good, indulgent fast food interests you, read Carte Blanche.

Verdict: 3 out of 5

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Andrew Jacobson is the director of Choral Studies at Bellevue Christian School in Bellevue, WA. He holds an M.M. in Music Education from Boston University, as well as a B.M. in Music Education from the University of Washington. He loves wine, food, reading, music, and movies. You can reach him via email at arjacobson@gmail.com.

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