The Hour: Series 2, Episode 1 (2012)

 

Okay, so much to love about The Hour.  This saga of a 1950s BBC news program is smart, sensuous, and sumptuous.  Gorgeous visuals, great music, and some very fine acting.  And that’s just episode 1!  (Good thing PC is a regular for series 2; I’m eager to see more.)

 

Granted, there’s some series 1 plot stuff that I don’t get, but I’m following.  During the Cold War, the staff of The Hour endeavors to remain on top of the airwaves.  There’s Hector, the unreliable alcoholic presenter.  Bel, the tough and dedicated producer.  Lix, the journalist who’s fiercely protective of her work.  And Freddie, the dynamic journalist who’s returned after something big that resulted in his leaving last season.  Obvious past between him and Bel.

 

All of them are trying to make sense of Randall Brown, the new Head of News played by PC.  He’s the one who brought Freddie back (without Bel’s knowledge,) he and Lix know one another from way back (intimately, I assume,) and he makes it clear that Hector is on thin ice.  He seems to have OCD – his habit of “fiddling with things” gets a lot of screen attention, and multiple characters mention it.  Since attitudes toward mental illness weren’t exactly enlightened in the ‘50s, it’s impressive that he’s got where he is in the industry.

 

Basically, I love Randall already.  He’s smart and still, somehow brusque and tight-lipped at the same time.  You can constantly see his wheels turning, and even when the rest of him is immobile, his hands never stop fidgeting.  He has big plans for The Hour, he likes to speak in stories and aphorisms, and he runs a tight, compulsively-punctual ship.  I’m dying to know more about his history with Lix, and I can’t wait to see more of him in action.

 

Also, this cast is made of awesome.  There’s Dominic West, who I saw recently in The Devil’s Whore, and Anna Chancellor, who played Estelle on Fortysomething.  Romola Garai played an interesting Emma a few years ago.  And I just saw Ben Whishaw as the title character in Richard II – oh my goodness, riveting.  Couldn’t take my eyes off him; amazing. 

 

Accent Watch

 

Scottish.  Like the OCD, it’s an interesting detail.  I can’t imagine it was easy for a Scottish man to gain prominence in media when RP was the BBC standard.  Definitely speaks to his talents.

 

Recommend?

 

In General – I’m gonna go with, “oh my, yes.”  I’m already planning to go back and watch the first season after Capaldi Fall.  (If you need further incentive, I understand that series 1 features Burn Gorman (Owen from Torchwood) and Andrew Scott (Sherlock’s Moriarty.)

 

PC-wise – Definitely.  I can tell he’s just getting warmed up.

 

Warnings

 

Lots of drinking and smoking.  Sexual content, including implied sex.