One
last episode, one last appearance of Mr. Vladimir. If yesterday’s installment led up to the act,
today’s shows what follows. I’ll go so
far as to say Verloc makes an attempt, although in the interest of spoiler
prevention I won’t tell you if he’s successful.
Regardless, the episode highlights the ramifications for the public, the
police, the embassy, the anarchist community, Verloc’s family, and of course
Verloc himself.
I’ve
seen other stories dealing with this subject, but I don’t usually see it viewed
through a Victorian lens. Most of the
undercover-agent stuff I know is either modern or Cold-War-era, and most
terrorism plots I’ve encountered are modern.
It’s interesting to get a Victorian perspective on the issue, especially
since the original novel was written shortly after that period and Joseph
Conrad would have lived through it.
I have
to say, this is a pretty good episode for Mr. Vladimir. In the fallout of Verloc’s attempt, Mr.
Vladimir central aim is to deflect any and all suspicion of his involvement in
it (you’ve gotta respect a man who owns his actions.) There’s a really good scene where he’s made
to defend his beliefs, and he explains why he’s so ends-justify-the-means with
regard to anarchism. While it certainly
doesn’t excuse what he does, it helps
you understand why he thinks his
actions are called for. The ardor of his
feelings definitely comes through; the normally-subdued man is practically
shaking with pent-up rage. PC is
excellent here.
With
that, another PC project comes to an end…
Accent Watch
RP,
though I’m not entirely sure why. Mr.
Vladimir is clearly meant to be a foreign national. I suppose it’s possible that he came to England at a very young age, but from the
way he describes his experiences, it doesn’t seem like it. Beats me.
Recommend?
In
General
– Possibly. Some might find it overly
Masterpiece-Theatre-y, but it’s a decent yarn.
Plus, like I said, it’s neat to see the subject of terrorism addressed
in a work so far removed from today’s cultural climate.
PC-wise – I think so. PC does a nice job conveying Mr. Vladimir’s
quiet menace, and he has a few meaty scenes.
If nothing else, I’d recommend episode 3 for the scene I described
above.
Warnings
Some
dark subject matter and grisly images (by early-90s Masterpiece standards – it’s
not like we’re talking Saw or
anything.)
No comments:
Post a Comment