Atomic

So far it's been one of the shows where we are watching because it might improve rather than it is good. The storyline is slowly developing but I feel the acting is generally below par (with exception of Shazad - who is one positive here). I'm hoping the remainder of the series improves but presently it's not something I would recommend.

However, I'll return with a fuller review once it completes but you may want to wait for full series reviews to land before you take the plunge.

A drug smuggling driver and a mysterious English jihad mercenary soldier (perfect teaming of Alfie Allen and Shazad Latif) reluctantly become partners-in-crime along the Middle Eastern dessert drug mule run, and soon find themselves on the run from warlords, gangsters and secret service authorities. Every character has a mystery in this action packed thriller where after two episodes you wonder where it could go, which is a damn good way to get a viewer hooked and wanting more...

Atomic blasts onto screens with a double-episode premiere that's pure adrenaline-fueled fission, redefining nuclear thrillers for 2025. 8.5/10

From the desert ambush opener to Ep 2's rave-fueled chases, Alfie Allen (Game of Thrones' Theon Greyjoy) nails Max as a cocky smuggler unraveling under guilt, his swagger cracking in moral minefields. Shazad Latif (Star Trek: Discovery's Ash Tyler) mesmerizes as JJ, the scarred jihadist drifter, his quiet intensity and sly humor forging a bromance that crackles like enriched uranium. Samira Wiley's CIA brainiac Cassie adds steely smarts, though underused early on, while Avital Lvova's icy Oksana and Stuart Martin's raging Rab amp up the antagonism in flashes.

The BGM throbs with gritty engagement, pulling you into every dusty standoff and high-octane pursuit. Director Shariff Korver juggles globe-trotting chaos, Syrian flashbacks, and redemption arcs with flair, though dense plots risk overload. Climax reveals - like JJ's past bombshell - detonate superbly, capping Ep 2 on a nerve-jangling cliffhanger.

Drawn from Atomic Bazaar's real horrors, this cartoon-violent buddy saga probes salvation amid world-ending stakes.

Flaws? Messy, but addictive. Can't wait for Ep 3...