Writers: Simon Burke & Tim Vaughan & Michael J. Bassett
Director: Michael J. Bassett
Previously on “Strike Back”:
“Strike Back” is the show that made Cinemax’s original programming worth noticing again. And since its debut, “Strike Back” has paved the way for “Hunted’ and “Banshee” to follow in its footsteps as Cinemax keeps adding action series to the mix.
But “Strike Back” is still the gold standard for TV action. Yes, it’s a little ridiculous. But it’s also ridiculously entertaining.
Picking up a few months after season 2 (or season 3 if you count the original UK incarnation of “Chris Ryan’s Strike Back”), Sgt. Michael Stonebridge (Philip Winchester) and Sgt. Damien Scott (Sullivan Stapleton) are on holiday in California and tearing down the highways while having a good time. I didn’t think that I’d ever laugh at another “that’s my daughter!” joke, but I did in the opening minutes when Scott got “friendly” with an American girl. Scott tends to get a sex scene in almost every episode, so expect to see that a lot this year.
Back in Beirut, we get a tense opening scene as Major Rachel Dalton (Rhona Mitra) witnesses the murder of Sergeant Liam Baxter (Liam Garrigan), one of the Section 20 members under her command. Baxter’s been around on the series since the second season, but I honestly didn’t feel anything about his death because he was never developed as a character. Sergeant Julia Richmond (Michelle Lukes) or even Dalton herself would have gotten more of an emotional response because they’ve both had more screentime than Baxter. Not that Richmond couldn’t use some more character development herself.
As for Dalton, keeping her separated from Section 20 gives Mitra a chance to play up her action skills, as she does in a great sequence when a hit squad thinks they’ve caught Dalton unaware in the shower. Dalton’s anger also shines through when she tortures a man whom she believes is beyond the betrayal that blew her cover and cost Baxter his life.
The only lead that Dalton turns up is Sebastian Gray (Martin Clunes), an ex-British operative who was thought dead. And Gray expertly gives Dalton the slip in his short appearance here.
Back in the states, Richmond tracks down Scott and Stonebridge (how?!) and picks them up in a helicopter as a hapless California Highway Patrolman tries to write them up for speeding. Neither man questions the need to avenge Baxter, but Scott seems surprised when Stonebridge bitterly remarks that they should be slamming tequila shots instead of parachuting into Columbia. There’s also an interesting turn by Scott, who seems to be increasingly dissatisfied with playing whac-a-mole with every new terrorist threat that pops up.
Once they’re in the jungles of Columbia, “Strike Back” goes back to its strength; which is the interplay between Scott and Stonebridge. They are really funny together, especially during Stonebridge’s parachute mishap and Scott’s hilarious fear of the Candiru fish.
Along the way, Scott and Stonebridge meet a new ally named Kim Martinez (Milauna Jackson), a former DEA agent pursuing her own private war against the drug cartel led by Miguel “The Jaguar” Gomez (Raoul Trujillo). But Section 20’s target is Leo Kamali (Zubin Varla), the man who personally killed Baxter who also happens to be the number 2 figure in a terrorist organization led by Al-Zuhari, whom we haven’t met yet.
But we have met Kamali’s girlfriend, Rebecca Levi (Lyne Renée) during the previous season. She was the Mossad agent whom Scott fell for as he tried to convince her to walk away from her dangerous life. Instead of getting out, Scott finds Rebecca in Kamali’s quarters and he briefly fights her before they recognize each other.
I have the next episode on a DVD screener, but I don’t like getting too far ahead of this series. So this is just a guess, but I think that Kamali may be working with the British MI-6 without Section 20’s knowledge. Kamali attempts to explain himself before his mouth is taped, but he is a surprisingly cooperative prisoner during the subsequent shoot outs and chase scenes.
It’s looking like Kim will be around for awhile, as she and Stonebridge seem to share a mutual attraction. Kim also gets a solo fight in the episode when she’s caught planting explosives outside of The Jaguar’s compound. Not a bad way to start off Kim’s stint on the show.
The action in the back half of this episode was amazingly well staged, including Stonebridge’s hijack of a heavily armed boat and the subsequent boat chase. It was legitimately exciting to watch and the cliffhanger was very effective. Obviously our two leads (and Kim) aren’t going to die so easily. But Rebecca and Kamali could potentially get killed at any time and the series will continue without missing a beat.
It’s refreshing that “Strike Back” is still pulling out new tricks in its third season to keep things from getting stale. The series is made with such skill that I could appreciate it on that level alone. Fortunately, it’s not just a good show, it’s great. There are no complaints here. “Strike Back” is near the top of its game.
