Spooks Code 9 – Have we seen the end?

Admittedly this is a bit late, but I have been busy, and just got around to watching the last two episodes of this silly BBC3 action drama in the last few days.

If you have never seen Spooks Code 9, and a friend lends you the inevitable DVD release in the future (I don’t advise wasting your own money, let a friend buy it then borrow their copy) you might want to skip the first four episodes and just watch the last two. Don’t worry the story is pretty easy to figure out… it is a bit like Scooby Doo but without the dog, or the cool van, or the unmasking endings. Oh, and Daphne is now a blond with pumped up lips and Velma has dropped the glasses and well looks a bit sexier, but other then those changes it is just like Scooby Doo.

So as I was saying…

… If you borrow this series skip to the last two episodes. They were the best ones by far and episode five features Effy (Kaya Scodelario)  from Skins, and Uday (Philip Arditti) from House of Saddam (who also appears in episode 6). The main story line regards some silly plot by a lone terrorist to blow up a bank for environmental reasons, but the interesting action, and really the only reason one can think of to watch this show, comes from the continuation of the investigation into Hannah’s death. A story line which has been running throughout the series.

 

We watched Charlie and big-lipped Rachel ran a covert operation to enter into the often mentioned but never seen Guantonomo Bay-like Camp Windmere (I know it sounds like the Cumbrian Lake, but the writers of this series really didn’t work that hard – at least it had windmills). The operation, part of Charlie’s investigation into Hannah’s ‘assassination’, was so Charlie could talk to the elusive Dr Malik, who they believe was framed for the London 2012 bomb. As you could imagine it all went smoothly, and in typical Code 9 fashion within five minutes they got the information “two bombs… two bombs!!) that they were looking for, and smoothly headed for the exit.

Meanwhile back at the bank, the Scooby gang successfully kept it from blowing up, and everyone went home happy as pie… except of course for Effy, who was dragged away to prison, and the eco-terrorist, who was shot dead!

One question did arise in my mind though watching this episode; do the Scooby kids have a teleportation machine? Maybe it is my imagination, but they do seem to move in and about England at a very rapid pace!

Anyhow, swiftly moving along that takes us to the last episode of the series, and if critics have their way, the last episode ever. (Personally I think that would be a bit harsh, because if the series was given a bit of TLC I think it could be fixed and made into a credible and entertaining show… sadly though I don’t work for the BBC, who may be happy to just continue as they were.) Arguably the best episode of the series, not only did we get some background information on the nuclear bomb that exploded in London in 2012 but we got to see the Scooby gang use several “Bond” like gadgets… technology in 2012 is going to great! Too bad about the radiation though…

Episode six (still available on the BBC iPlayer) also had a “Bond-style baddie” in the form of Yates, who not only was a MI5 mole, but also discusses her plans to irradiate London in such a long-winded rant that it gives the Scooby gang time to catch her.

The episode ended with a clever cliff-hanger. As the digital timer on the nuclear bomb ticked down to zero, the credits rolled, so we will never know if they stopped the bomb from exploding or not. My guess though it that if the critics have their way, then all involved with Spooks Code 9 were turned to dust, but if BBC3 needs some programming then the kids stopped the bomb and will be back for series 2.

House of Saddam – Part Four

I think most people know how the story of Saddam Hussein’s reign over Iraq ends, but even the knowledge of what was going to happen didn’t make the final part of this excellent piece of television any less enjoyable.

Part four of House of Saddam  begins with George Dubya’s mug on the telly, telling the Iraqi people about how the US are there to save and liberate them. From there it takes us directly into the American search for Saddam, and his cronies.

Saddam has gone underground in Tikrit, his childhood home. His wife Samira is hiding in neighbouring Syria, and Saddam’s sons are on the run in Iraq – not for long though, the Americans quickly track them down and then blow them up.

Saddam proves a bit trickier to find. He is out in the middle of what can only be described as the Iraqi sticks, hanging low in a hut that is in worse condition then my garden shed, and roughly the same size. He seems happy enough though, and he is convinced that the Iraqi people will not betray him despite a $25 million bounty on his head… so convinced that he gets his assistants to make him a hidey hole in the ground, which as we all know is where he is later found. The US found their man! Saddam is then put on trial and found guilty of five counts of crimes against humanity – and there the story ends – but we all know that.

Despite the last episode being nothing more then a glorification of how easy it was for the US to capture Saddam, this was still a very interesting and well produced series, that is well worth another look if it is ever repeated… Even if the story was told strictly from a US perspective.

House of Saddam – Part Three

Episode three of House of Saddam began just after the American’s Desert Shield offensive during the reign of George Bush Sr. The UN weapons inspectors are in the country searching for weapons of mass destruction, but as we see early on, Saddam has buried them in the sand… and the UN as we all know had a bit of trouble finding any evidence of these WMD’s, but Saddam isn’t exactly being helpful either.

The pressure of the UN inspectors though is taking it’s toll on both the country, which is being starved by UN sanctions, and Saddam Hussein himself. In fact we see that the pressure is so great that Saddam for some bizarre reason has decided to write the Qur’an in his own blood.

Viewers also learn that Saddam has problems other then his mental state as well. His mentally unstable son Uday has completely slipped off the rails. He is doing drugs, raping waitresses, and throwing food and threats around like the maniac that he was. In fact his character is very reminiscent of Tony Soprano’s nephew Chris, in the Sopranos, which in a bizarre way, is a very similar series to this one.

Meanwhile, Saddam has other problems in his crumbling life. His daughters and their husbands have had enough of Saddam’s Iraq, and being led by his son in-law Hussein Kamel al-Majid, they defect to Jordon – and they do it on the day of Saddam’s Day of Daysfamily party. Hussein Kamel al-Majid’s plan is not only to defect, but also to give up all of Saddam’s secrets to the CIA for which he is hoping to be installed as Iraq’s new President. Unfortunately for Hussein, Saddam is a clever bloke, and gives up the information the UN are looking for, and more, before he gets a meeting with the CIA – and the icing on Saddam’s cake is he had all his weapons plans hidden on Hussein’s farm!

Hussein not having any leverage, and feeling defeated, is then encouraged by Saddam to return to Iraq. Saddam makes him assurances that he will not be harmed – Saddam just wants his girls back. Hussein believes Saddam, and not wanting to be left hiding in Jordon with no political power for the rest of his life takes his family back to Iraq, where they are met by Uday. The daughters are separated from their husbands and Hussein and Ali are forced to sign divorce papers ending their connection with Saddam. Saddam though keeps his word, and does not harm Hussein or his brother Ali, he just sends them into exile.

Unfortunately, Hussein’s cousin, Tariq, feels shamed by Hussein’s actions and takes his own revenge, Iraqi style – they shoot Hussein’s house to bits… they were fair about it though and armed the Kamel brothers before hand, but as you can imagine it didn’t end well for the Kamel’s.

During all this bother with defections are betrayals though, Saddam comes across another problem. One of his cronies finds a satellite phone, used by the CIA, tipping Saddam off to the fact that his countrymen are turning on him. Saddam being a clever bloke though, does some research and gathers up the traitors – and in this episode’s highlight, rings the CIA and explains “they are my guests now… it is unlikely you will be hearing from them again.”

A fantastic moment, from the best episode of the series so far, and even though I know how it all ends for the Butcher of Baghdad, I can’t wait for episode four next week!

<<<Click to catch up with House of Saddam on the BBC iPlayer>>>

House of Saddam – Part Two

The second episode of House of Saddam took us viewers to more familiar territory, the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and the American response.

The episode began with Saddam declaring victory over Iran but becoming increasingly upset over Kuwait’s increased production of oil which is driving the price down, and thus starving Iraq of extra income. We later see Saddam accuse Kuwait of pumping oil from within Iraqi borders using US technology, an action Saddam sees as theft. Of course we all know now how this ends, Saddam continues to apply pressure on Kuwait and the US flexes it’s muscles and goes and beats up Saddam and his army – they then call a seize fire, and withdraw… for reasons I never quite understood.

However, I am not gripped by House of Saddam because of it’s recent history lesson. I could learn all about that from Wikipedia or one of a thousand other sources. No I am more interested in the meat of the story then I am of the potatoes and gravy. I want to know what happened when the CNN boys were not looking, and lucky for us the producers have included enough to keep us watching.

This week we saw meaty morsels such as Uday’s loss of control and his change from #1 Son into the homicidal drunken maniac that he ultimately became. We saw Saddam’s long suffering wife bleach her hair blond to try and compete with Saddam’s mistress – an action that didn’t work, Saddam thought it looked cheap! And finally we saw Saddam dispatch his brother-in-law Adnan Hadami in a supposed helicopter ‘accident’.

It is these meaty bits of the story behind the story that makes this show interesting for me. And with two more episodes to go I am looking forward to seeing how much more Saddam can slip into his Godfather-esque illusion that power comes from striking fear!

House of Saddam – Part One

Everybody in any part of the world that carries CNN knows how Saddam’s story ends. George Bush goes in to Iraq, bashes Saddam’s country up a bit and then leaves. Years later, George W Bush goes in and Saddam Hussein’s country is no longer his country. Not so many of us know though how Saddam’s story began. Myself I know bits and pieces of his history, but really a lot is missing from my knowledge of a man who was perhaps the most brutal dictator of recent history.

Perhaps this was the thinking of the BBC and HBO who made this four part series together… perhaps not, but does it really matter.

The series begins at Saddam’s daughter’s 7th birthday party – a celebration he used to cover up his impending coup which made him president of Iraq. From there we watch partly fascinated, and partly horrified at the lengths this man would go to keep a firm grip on the country of his birth Iraq.

We see Saddam assassinate supposed plotters against his government. He just lines them up and shoots them dead. We watch as he kills his best friend (or so he says), and we wonder what kind of man he was, especially when he attends the man’s funeral.

Then we watch as Saddam goes to war with Iran, and then goes to war against his own people when an assassination plot fails to kill him.

Away from the fighting though we see Saddam the ladies man, as he seduces a blond married woman directly in front of her husband. He shows no shame, or does he even try to hide his lust for this woman, even the sake of her husband… no this woman is in Iraq, and the country and everything in it belongs to Saddam.

The show echos with shades of the Sopranos, but without the humorous bits or the psycho analyst. It has the tension of the Godfather and the horror of any number of documentaries about Adolph Hitler. It is a show that is both horrifying and fascinating, about a man who most have heard of, but few know all the facts, so we watch gripped by the horror that is Saddam Hussein.

By the conclusion of part one, I was in need of a rest… but I am still wondering and waiting to see where else into the heart of darkness this show can take me.