Swithin Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 In London last month I watched two (of five) episodes of London Spy, a new BBC gay-themed thriller. I believe it will be aired in the US soon. It's a fascinating series with well drawn gay characters. The brilliant and handsome young (gay) actor Ben Whishaw stars. Watch for it on BBC America in January. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06pmnwn http://www.bbcamerica.com/shows/london-spy 2 Link to post Share on other sites
jaragon Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 Ben is very good as Q Link to post Share on other sites
DougieB Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 I liked Ben in the film version of Bridehead Revisited. Is London Spy about actual spies or is the title somehow metaphorical? 1 Link to post Share on other sites
jaragon Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 It does look interesting... Link to post Share on other sites
Swithin Posted December 18, 2015 Author Share Posted December 18, 2015 I liked Ben in the film version of Bridehead Revisited. Is London Spy about actual spies or is the title somehow metaphorical? Actual spies. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
rayban Posted December 18, 2015 Share Posted December 18, 2015 I've only seen him in two films, but I like him very much. I saw him in an Off-Broadway play that examined homosexuality in the '50's and in the present day. He has such a riveting stage presence. I wish that I could've seen his Hamlet. Link to post Share on other sites
Swithin Posted December 20, 2015 Author Share Posted December 20, 2015 I've only seen him in two films, but I like him very much. I saw him in an Off-Broadway play that examined homosexuality in the '50's and in the present day. He has such a riveting stage presence. I wish that I could've seen his Hamlet. I saw him on stage in a revival of Jez Butterworth's Mojo a couple of years ago. Yes -- riveting presence! 1 Link to post Share on other sites
jaragon Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 Q and Bond meet cute Link to post Share on other sites
Swithin Posted December 20, 2015 Author Share Posted December 20, 2015 Q and Bond meet cute Adorable clip! Thanks. Link to post Share on other sites
DougieB Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 The first episode is Thursday, January 21 at 10:00 PM. (BBC America) Thanks, Swithin, for bringing this to our attention and I can't wait to see it. Link to post Share on other sites
rayban Posted January 22, 2016 Share Posted January 22, 2016 I watched the first episode last night on BBC America and, unexpectedly, I found it just a little too grim. Also, the character of the spy was clearly a troubled individual so Ben Whishaw's "love" seemed clueless to me. Speaking for myself, I would've definitely kept my distance from this guy. Link to post Share on other sites
DougieB Posted January 24, 2016 Share Posted January 24, 2016 I watched the first episode last night on BBC America and, unexpectedly, I found it just a little too grim. Also, the character of the spy was clearly a troubled individual so Ben Whishaw's "love" seemed clueless to me. Speaking for myself, I would've definitely kept my distance from this guy. The first episode took place over time (8 months I think Jim Broadbent said) so what seems to have started as fascination and physical attraction had time to evolve into something more compelling, though Danny himself was questioning how it could have happened by the end. I understand what you're saying because the character of Alex was an almost perfect cipher. His eyes seemed to give away everything but actually gave away nothing, which allowed Danny to project all sorts of things. The aspect of the show I responded to most was the "mentor" relationship between the younger and older gay men, something which seems to have been more common in my own youth than it is now. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
rayban Posted January 24, 2016 Share Posted January 24, 2016 The first episode took place over time (8 months I think Jim Broadbent said) so what seems to have started as fascination and physical attraction had time to evolve into something more compelling, though Danny himself was questioning how it could have happened by the end. I understand what you're saying because the character of Alex was an almost perfect cipher. His eyes seemed to give away everything but actually gave away nothing, which allowed Danny to project all sorts of things. The aspect of the show I responded to most was the "mentor" relationship between the younger and older gay men, something which seems to have been more common in my own youth than it is now.I I really enjoyed the Jim Broadbent character - so if a menitoring relationship develops that proves helpful to Danny, I might be able to find my way into this series. Also, do you remember that horrible story that Danny told about his downward slide and how the Jim Broadbent character was able to save him? Do you think that Danny has a need to hurt himself again? Thus, his hard-to-understand relationship with the Alex character. Link to post Share on other sites
rayban Posted January 29, 2016 Share Posted January 29, 2016 Interesting episode tonight, but so grim. All the actors were superb, though. Link to post Share on other sites
DougieB Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 Interesting episode tonight, but so grim. All the actors were superb, though. And it stayed pretty grim through the final episode, didn't it? I'm still digesting it. I'm not quite sure how I feel about the final outcome of the Scottie storyline; (Spoiler!) giving him a previous history of depression was maybe too obvious a way to set up such a sad resolution, which semed to harken back to the olden days when gay characters had to off themselves. But, on the other hand, who wouldn't be depressed in that line of work? Plus I love Jim Broadbent as an actor, so I felt the loss on that level too. Anyway, even though the story defied logic so many times, logic was still at its center and it was fascinating to watch it play out. One thing I was unclear on was whether or not Alex could still be rescued or was his failure of the test of his own devising his final chance? I know we're left with the idea that nothing can be done, but still it ended with the hopeful little band of two, so who knows? Overall, I liked how integral the gay element was and, at the same time, how peripheral to the events of the story. That's the way it should be. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
rayban Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 And it stayed pretty grim through the final episode, didn't it? I'm still digesting it. I'm not quite sure how I feel about the final outcome of the Scottie storyline; (Spoiler!) giving him a previous history of depression was maybe too obvious a way to set up such a sad resolution, which semed to harken back to the olden days when gay characters had to off themselves. But, on the other hand, who wouldn't be depressed in that line of work? Plus I love Jim Broadbent as an actor, so I felt the loss on that level too. Anyway, even though the story defied logic so many times, logic was still at its center and it was fascinating to watch it play out. One thing I was unclear on was whether or not Alex could still be rescued or was his failure of the test of his own devising his final chance? I know we're left with the idea that nothing can be done, but still it ended with the hopeful little band of two, so who knows? Overall, I liked how integral the gay element was and, at the same time, how peripheral to the events of the story. That's the way it should be. I missed last week's episode so I am at a disadvantage. But the overall grimness really bothered me. Link to post Share on other sites
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