The good news is, even in a marketplace flooded with content, that strategy may work, given the extraordinary caliber of the cast in its first drama, “ Berlin Station.” The little-known premium cable channel is trying to become less obscure by using an old strategy: It’s cooking up original series it hopes will create the kind of buzz that will prompt viewers to seek out the network. Berlin is a beautiful canvas to paint the drama on and the contrast between the sterile Communist buildings and the historical ones nicely mirror the various station agents and their differing emotional landscapes.Īlthough not as exciting an episode as last week, I still feel Berlin Station has been revived since its pilot and am very excited to see the direction the show heads in, particularly due to us getting a glimpse of the future within the pilot’s opening scene.The fact that a drama about espionage is premiering on Epix is more likely to prompt the question: “What is Epix?” than it is to inspire excitement. This week did also not fail to deliver on wonderful cinematography and editing which are two of the aspects I most enjoy about Berlin Station. It is becoming apparent that the staff have little trust in each other and I would not be surprised if they are prepared to throw each other under the bus to ensure their professional safety in the future. It’s the first episode so far in which Shaw hasn’t been the centre of the plot which is driving me to believe that as the show progresses the animosity will shift from Shaw to the individual agents within the Berlin office. The cast yet again proves to be superbly talented, with Jenkins’ Frost growing more and more insecure about his future with the CIA as his wife expresses she would like to leave Berlin and murmurs suggesting he has a shot at become Deputy Director of the CIA. As a foreign CIA entity comes into the Berlin station, it quickly becomes apparent that each agent is more concerned with protecting themselves and their own secrets than each other. Review: This week’s episode makes it even clearer that every agent is out for themselves. The episode ends with Hector eavesdropping on a conversation between Steven and Daniel where the Chief asks his newest employee why he’s really in Berlin. His animosity for the bureaucratic aspects of the job continue to grow and he ends up tapping Daniel Miller’s (Richard Armitage) mobile. As a previous employee of the Berlin station, now assigned to Saudi Arabia, returns to Germany, Hector DeJean (Rhys Ifans) finds out that his asset, and lover, is on trial for sodomy after being deported back to Saudi. When asked about it, Bora doesn’t mention the conversation and insists it was a simple visit, prompting Valerie to worry. She overhears Iosava asking for a donation €20,000 to bring Syrian refugees into Germany. Unbeknownst to him, Valerie watches a meeting between her asset Bora and suspected terrorist Alexandre Iosava. As her colleagues try to keep their secret, Valerie Edwards (Michelle Forbes) begins to worry that one of her assets is keeping a secret of his own. As the agents go through the offices, station Chief Steven Frost (Richard Jenkins) and his Deputy Robert Kirsch (Leland Orser) begin to worry that Langley’s involvement will reveal a secret they’ve been keeping under wraps. Recap: This week, the Berlin station is interrupted by a team sent from Langley in light of the latest Shaw leak, which implicates CIA deputy director Jemma Moore (April Grace). Let me know what you think about Epix’s new CIA thriller in the comments below or on social media. Check out my reviews for the first and second episode of Berlin Station and make sure to check out the full review below if you’re not daunted by spoilers. The next episode, entitled ‘By Way Of Deception’ will be released on November 6th. ‘Riverrun Dry’ premiered on Epix on October 30th. ‘Riverrun Dry’ also cemented the positions of many characters, proving their allegiances and upping the stakes surrounding their secrets. This week’s episode continued to prove the talents of the supporting cast. Due to it’s short run as a season, Berlin Station‘s pace is quick and the episodes are continuous, deterring from other procedurals who introduce a new ‘case’ or ‘issue’ every week. TL DR: As the show moves forward, the characters and issues we’ve already been introduced to seem to progress as well, creating a strong foundation for the show. The series is set to debut ten episodes in its first season and every week I will watch, review and recap the episodes. Be warned for spoilers ahead but make sure to check out my TL DR before the review for a quick spoiler free review of what I thought about this week’s episode. Set in the German capital, Berlin Station follows a team of CIA operatives as they try to stop state secrets from being exposed by international hacktivist Thomas Shaw while still keeping secrets of their own under wraps.
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