The Night Manager (spoilers!)

He’s genuinly menacing in Hanna, bit of a daft film but once you set aside the plot inconsistities it’s a good romp

For me this is the best thing on the BBC since Luther.
It is a drama not a documentary so you need to go along with it and get over the idea that Hugh Laurie really is Lt. George from Black Adder, he is actually an actor. The fact that they add stuff for the geeks to spend hours pouring over in the way of arms shopping lists is great. It distracts them from getting over excited about theories on missing planes etc.

Still, Hugh’s girlfriend is stunningly beautiful. She’s keeping me interested in it. I could spend days just staring at her and I love her fair skin, such a lovely tone. I think I have a crush on her 😳

Best thing on the Sunday 9-00 pm slot since Downton finished. There I’ve said it!

(and yes Hugh’s GF is very easy on the eye!)

I’d completely missed this. On my mums recommendation, we watched the first 2 episodes in time for the 3rd last night. Absolutely bloody brilliant!

Roper’s lair is the lighthouse across the bay from Port de Pollensa. I always thought is was owned by the military. But looking on google maps it is off the second hairpin up to the viewpoint if any of you have cycled there. I will check it out in April 😀

Ahh – I was thinking it might have been Pollença but was struggling to place it 🙂

Just watched episode 3 – yep, really enjoying it. I think Rev is super-menacing, great bit of casting.

Really enjoying it.

Ref Roper’s Lair, this STW-banned link will tell you everything you need to know about “How much did BBC pay Tory embroiled in Kids Company scandal to use his ‘villain’s lair’?”, except of course how much they paid to film there.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3478510/How-did-BBC-pay-Tory-Kids-scandal-use-villain-s-lair-Party-donor-cashes-filming-Night-Manager.html

Apparently you can eat at the restaurant from episode 2 without having £30M or a flotilla of speed boats.

It is John Le Carre, not James Bond

This.

Tinker Tailor beats Goldeneye any day.

I bloody told you!

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/mar/06/tom-hiddleston-fuels-james-bond-rumours-huge-fan-007

Just watched 1 on iplayer – Stuart Broad’s a good actor too?!?

Enjoyed it – 2 on the commute home

Hypothesis1: Neil Morrisey’s character is “Halo”.

Hypothesis 2: Roper is working deep undercover for HMG.

… and sooner or later, Hiddleston’s character and the “hard man” bodyguard are going to have a “Now you’re a big man, but you’re out of condition…” moment.

Rev…and Laurie…playing hardmen?

They aren’t though they are business men.

Hoping to catch episode three tonight.

Hypothesis 2: Roper is working deep undercover for HMG.

That wouldn’t surprise me at all, I may even throw that in when watching it with Mrs J

I’m not getting this at all, seems like complete tosh..he nicks the only phone in the place and noone cares or even bothers to look for it, the super secret alarmed room that has the alarmed turned off at the same time everyday… 🙄 The 2 worst bodyguards ever..they let the kid get grabbed by armed intruders, but the fella picks the kid up to put him on his shoulders and they spring into action, Laurie’s mate who he’s “shared many a foxhole with” gets thrown to the wolves on the whisperings of a rumour started by a suspicious stranger! And if I’m a mega rich international arms dealer I’m having different female company every night…

^ Agree with most of what you say apart from

And if I’m a mega rich international arms dealer I’m having different female company every night…

I’d happily have her around every moment of every day and night…

I’m sure she’s a lovely lady, but for me she’d have to bring a mate…

Well, I am really enjoying it – despite the slight leaps of faith that you have to make to keep the storyline plausible.

In terms of plausibility it is a million times better than Deutschland 83 – although I still found that entertaining despite the toe-curlingly childish plot.

I really love Le Carre – he always seems to create characters with just the right amount of screwed-up-ness and manipulates them through their attempts to be ‘good’.

I’d recommend reading ‘The Looking Glass War’ if you want to be really dismayed by cynicism(!)

For a Sunday night it’s not bad viewing…

But Laurie’s role/acting is rubbish …. worst baddie ever !!

About as menacing as my Gran and no evidence of how his arms deals have been detrimental to the Uk or the wider world …. I mean, we know illegal arms deals aren’t great (legal are hardly brilliant) but we haven’t even seen a flippant comment about he couldn’t give a stuff to the suffering he creates…. He comes across as a likeable family man… all be it a powerful one, due to the money ??

but we haven’t even seen a flippant comment about he couldn’t give a stuff to the suffering he creates…. He comes a cross as a likeable family man

The comment about his meeting being screwed up due to the girl’s suicide wasn’t exactly “The Waltons” was it 🙂

Hmmm …. scary 😕

I don’t mind him not being scary…he can pay people to be scary for him…he just seems a bit stupid! Just to reiterate I mean the character and not Laurie..:)

I’d have thought one of the arts of being a successful evil person is to not appear outwardly evil?

😕

Maybe that’s the ethos for the programme..they’re trying to make an interesting spy thriller by making it look dull and uninteresting..

I’d have thought one of the arts of being a successful evil person is to not appear outwardly evil?

MWA HAH HAAAAAAA!

Yes. Yes. Yes.

More, please!

It is very good but the British secret service folk are ever so slightly infuriating.

Anyone else spot the author’s cameo?

About as menacing as my Gran

It’s kind of odd really but in my life, at two different wedding receptions, I’ve been sat next to two thoroughbred international arms dealers on one side and their gorgeous wives on the other. And on both occassions, they came across entirely as you would expect someone who made their money in a slightly dubious fashion; as perfectly decent, agreeable if not clearly massively wealthy people. That’s kind of the point. If you’re going to make your money this way, you don’t really want to stick out as the quintessential bond villan. It sort of blows your cover.

Anyone else spot the author’s cameo?

The injured party on the table next to them following Corgi’s handiwork? I hadn’t spotted that but now you mention it, doesn’t Le Carre make other cameo appearances in other films?

After being spoiled rotten with Scandi Dramas, we couldn’t even bear more than 15 minutes of this dross. British TV drama production really has hit a low point. We rarely watch any Brit Drama these days, with the odd exception like Happy Valley (Sally Wainwright is brilliant).

^ I think that’s a bit harsh.

Although I do think that they are in a wierd no-mans-land between the bond-esque opening sequence, baddies with speedboats/castles/private jets etc… and the muted Le Carre style of “everyman” agents in brown anoraks and sensible shoes. It does feel like the production team has got a bit carried away with itself.

The cyclist vs vans sequence had me cringing though – again, trying to oversell it, and it ended-up looking like a Benny Hill sketch.

After being spoiled rotten with Scandi Dramas, we couldn’t even bear more than 15 minutes of this dross.

However, note that it is directed by Susanne Bier, director of In A Better World, After The Wedding and other Scandi classics.

After being spoiled rotten with Scandi Dramas, we couldn’t even bear more than 15 minutes of this dross.

One’s a spy caper, so (even written by LC) isn’t going to be that realistic. The others are police thrillers which set out to be grim and ‘realistic’.

I hope the Puerto Pollensa philes have clocked where the villa is.

Just caught up with episode 4 last night, can’t see it ending well for Pine / Birch / Oak whatever his name is….

….but he did get a happy ending

Merh.

Enjoyed that. Greatly.

bit of a naff ending, but leaves the door open for series 2 if the Beeb can afford it