Other Doctor Lives: Wired: Episode 2 (2008)

Tody, I’m staying home for Rita Moreno.

I’d say this miniseries has picked up steam quite a bit since the first episode. Things are coming together more and the tension is ramping up. Conclusion next time – I’ll be interested to see how it all shakes out.

Louise is confronted by the consequences/dangers of the type of association Philip is trying to cultivate with her – she’s pulled equally in different directions by Philip’s threats if she doesn’t cooperate, her desire not to get further mixed up in anything dodgy, her fear of going to the police, and the temptation of a big payout. Crawford continues to investigate, but his interest in Louise is both professional and personal, which muddies the waters. Manesh and Philip clash over strategy as the preliminary elements to pull off their scheme start coming into place.

For starters, Crawford is getting up to all kinds of Bad Idea Jeans stuff over here. He was undercover when he met Louise in the first episode, and his attempts to pursue the investigation, maintain his cover, and look out for Louise’s well-being all at the same time are basically a mess. Both he and Louise cross some big boundaries in this episode, and it’s not a good look for either of them.

On the whole, I think this episode feels tighter and more fluid than the first one. I’m not sure to what extent it’s a tangible improvement versus just me getting into the swing of things more. But the minutae of the financial stuff feels easier to follow today – not that it was prohibitively difficult before, but I did have to work to keep track of what was going down, whereas here, it’s relatively straightforward. We’re also seeing more connections between the different sides of the plot, which goes a long way toward helping it feel more cohesive.

Louise continues to be my favorite thing about the story. I like her because she’s very simultaneously unequipped to handle her situation and impressively competent in a pinch. Clearly, she’s in way over her head, and in trying to deal with that, she’s making some spectacularly bad decisions and refusing those who could genuinely help her. I don’t really fault her for it, given the immensity of what she’s going through (this episode particularly puts her through the wringer,) and it’s believable that she would handle things badly plenty of the time. However, in the most crucial moments, she shows herself to be very capable, able to think on her feet to protect herself in dangerous situations. There are a few instances here where she really has to dig deep, and she comes through every time.

I appreciate that. Louise isn’t a superwoman or a damsel. She’s flawed but resourceful, messy but determined. Jodie Whittaker works nicely within that balance, such that, whether Louise is screwing up royally or pulling off an important move in a clinch, it’s believable either way. I look forward to seeing how things turn out for her.

Other Doctor Lives: Wired: Episode 1 (2008)

Side note: while we’re social distancing, I thought I’d take a page from Kevin Bacon and include a daily line about the different people #IStayHomeFor. Today, I’m staying home for my grandparents.

Now that Doctor Who is over for the season (and now that we’re all spending so much time at home,) I’ve decided to resume my enjoyable practice of watching other works from actors who’ve played the Doctor, a la my Capaldi Fall and Countdown to Thirteen series. Rather than go all in on any one actor with a particular feature dedicated to them, I’m putting everything (reviews involving either Jodie Whittaker, Peter Capaldi, Matt Smith, David Tennant, Christopher Eccleston, or an earlier Doctor) under the header Other Doctor Lives. Today, we’re kicking off a three-part miniseries starring Jodie Whittaker (premise spoilers.)

Louise is excited when she gets an important promotion at the bank where she works, but she soon learns that the step up comes with major strings attached. It was orchestrated by Phillip, her friend/coworker’s shady new beau, and he views his hand in Louise’s promotion as an expectation that she’ll assist him in some dodgy dealings he has planned, high-tech theft from one of the bank’s wealthiest clients. Working in concert with Phillip is Manesh, whose cousin, like Louise, is similarly situated at a major bank and serves as the lynchpin of the operation. Meanwhile, Crawford, a dogged detective, has been pursuing rumblings of major bank fraud in the works, and his investigation leads him to cross paths with Louise.

I’d say the miniseries gets off to a slow start, even if I’m not sure if that’s entirely the right description. However, it’s how it feels to me. Although the different parts of the plot are all interconnected, they start off very separately, and the episode jumps back and forth between them a lot early on. It’s a little hard to get much of a foothold on any of them that way. It’s not until things start coming together more – when Louise, Phillip, and Crawford all converge as Phillip’s club – that the pace really picks up.

Once it does, though, it’s pretty enjoyable. “Bank fraud thriller” isn’t a genre I naturally gravitate toward, the sort of premise that generally only catches my interest if someone I like is in it. That said, the episode does well to keep a lot of its focus on the characters rather than the intricacies of what’s going on. Louise, as the protagonist, naturally gets fleshed out a lot, and she see how she’s struggling financially, how past indiscretions make her a target for someone like Phillip, and how, as much as she might want to go to the police, she’s also afraid – of what both Phillip and the police might do in response. I’m also interested in Manesh and his cousin Ben. Even though Ben is the one with the intel and the knowhow, Manesh is the one pushing their involvement, using his cousin’s value to his own advantage.

Strong cast all around, which was a definite motivator for me in watching it. In addition to Whittaker, we have Toby Stephens (who played Mr. Rochester in a miniseries of Jane Eyre) as Crawford, the always-good Riz Ahmed as Manesh, and Whittaker’s recent Who costar Sacha Dhawan as Ben. There’s also an appearance from Gary Lewis – I knew I recognized him, and although I’d thought it was from something more recent (Game of Thrones? A oneshot role on Doctor Who?), it turns out he was the dad in Billy Elliot.

Whittaker does a fine job as Louise. She’s a character with multiple sides to her, someone with a slightly checkered past who’s tried to clean up her act since then (especially for the sake of her young daughter.) She’s very quickly in over her head with some dangerous people, but at the same time, she’s not incapable. She proves herself to be quick-thinking and resourceful, and she’s brave while simultaneously trying to do what she can to mitigate risk.

So far, Louise is what has me most sold on Wired, which I appreciate. Back during Countdown to Thirteen, I observed that it seemed like so many of Whittaker’s past roles are unremarkable and undemanding, punching below her weight class as an actress. I think she’s been doing a bang-up job as the Doctor, so it’s nice to see more projects in her filmography that recognize her talents.

Accent Watch

London.

Recommend?

In General – Maybe. Again, despite not really being my cup of tea, it’s fairly interesting, and the cast is great. I’ll reassess when I get to the end.

Jodie Whittaker – So far, yes. I’m really liking this character, and I’m interested to see where Whittaker takes her from here.

Warnings

Violence, language, sexual references, drinking, and thematic elements (including suicide.)