लिएज़ॉन

The show starts out OK, and looks to be promising. But the further the story goes, the more lame/unbelievable the writing is becoming.

Over the course of the series we get to know the characters and a bit about their backstory. Vincent Cassel and Eva Green work well together and should have had the back of better writers.

The technology involved is as always not really good read up about by the writers. They make it seem too simple, especially since it also involves a Cyber security agency which would certainly have noticed some leads, as it's impossible to leave no traces, especially IF someone on the inside would be part of it (I'm not saying that it is in this show).

But the ending is just lame writing, especially considering how certain people behave during the series. It really puts a big domper on the whole series as you really think, is this what I have spend almost 6 hours watching for? The whole last episode is just a culmination of bad writing. And that's really sad, as it could have been a great show, but the ending really ruins it (and some parts in the middle also drag too much).

There seems no escaping the fact that this show is being wrecked by a script which is at times just woeful.

As an example, throughout the show we see some pretty sophisticated IT infrastructure and deployments, and yet on the Brit side, the guy basically in charge of the governments IT platform demonstrates less understanding than you would expect from an undergrad - and who says things that are just plain wrong on so many levels. Not good.

Then there's the hospital scene where the PA announces "Can any doctors go to room # (can't remember the room #) - I mean - it's a hospital, hospitals are full of doctors... do they need a brain surgeon or an oncologist?

Despite the frequent gaffes like these the actual story is a good one - and with some very sharp script writing it could have been an excellent one. Shame.

On the other hand, Liaison is almost saved by having a great cast, great locations, and some snappy cinematography, all of which convey a slick production - so it's actually a real shame that the script is so bad at times, because that just wrenches you out of absorption. And it's not just a dialogue problem, there's also an awkwardness to some of the plot exposition that has left me more than little confused at times.

So the real quandary here is how could something with so many promising and professional elements have been so badly mismanaged in the script development department?

I don't always agree with professional critics, but this has gotten stunning bad reviews for good reason. Even the lead actors refused to do scheduled promotion for this mess, this clearly wanting to distance themselves.

To be frank, this production is just awful. The series has a feel of a committee project where every possible trope and cliché is pumped into the script.

Like most of us I am forgiving and willing to suspend disbelief in an action series, event for a cringingly bad dialogue and plot. But the action here consists of innumerable foot chases and absurd shootouts that demonstrate no one here is credibly an "operative."

There is neither anything stimulating, nor is also not a single smart movement in the entire script. Not one.

Worse yet, Eva Green and. Vincent Cassel are deeply ill-used, frankly abused in this mess.

So far the story is quite intriguing. Yes, it is a typical spy thriller, but if well done I think spy thrillers can be very entertaining even if they follow cliches and tropes (Jack Ryan does this very well). So far this series is a mix between "Jack Ryan" and "Slow Horses".

Vincent Cassel and Eva Green are great actors and they can make this a worthwhile watch even if the story is quite predictable so far and does rely on the typical cadence of spy thrillers.

If you watch it, I recommend not using the "English" audio setting as they decided to dub the French, Arab and Russian dialogue in this setting and it's horrible. If you select the "French (France)" audio setting you get English dialogue in English, French in french, Arab in Arab and Russian in Russian - just makes the international atmosphere much more authentic instead of dubbing everything to English.

I enjoyed this TV thriller. Fast moving and adventurous. I normally take a long time browsing through various streaming apos then reading reviews and end up watching nothing trying to find something to watch. I'm not an expert on production script lighting etc just want to be entertained. I binge watched this over a couple of evenings and really liked it. It kept me wondering what would happen next. Yes there are some plot holes but the characters and story kept me hooked. Eva Green plays her part well and Vincent Cassellbl hebis so hot. I thought there was real chemistry between these two. Good to see a fellow Scot Peter Mullan who played his character well. Good stuff. Give it a shot.