Libramedi Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant

Organnall Too much about the plot just didn't add up, the writing was bad, some of the scenes were cringey and awkward,

Casey Duggan It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Marva-nova Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

malcjohnson I was very surprised by this "pilot" for a potential series in that I actually enjoyed it.At first I feared that the character Nathan Hyde would just be a cold-blooded killer, but he was rather more sensitive than that and not at all as ruthless as I thought he would be.It took me back to the good old days of the 70s when we had shows like "The Avengers" and it had great promise. It was different everything else I've seen of late. It didn't rely on foul language and needless violence to get its message across.Nigel Harman who is anyway a gift actor starred as Nathan Hyde and his character bore a stark resemblance to Dennis from EastEnders, but from my wife's point of view that was a good thing. It was certainly Nigel's mannerisms coming across the screen rather than the character he once played.It was a little bit corny and unbelievable, but for myself and my wife it all added to the enjoyment of the programme. It was refreshing to see a programme that didn't take itself too seriously. It had elements of "The New Avengers" and even "James Bond," just take a look at that granite island in the ocean for instance.I was left thinking that Nigel Harman would make an ideal James Bond.There was more story to be told but unfortunately it seems that the series is not going to happen which is a disappointment.Although classed as 90 minutes long, it is really only about 78 minutes long if you remove all the adverts, but it's fast paced and witty and has attractive stars.Anna Madeley is well cast as Erica, the new recruit who lures Nathan out of hiding and Brian Cox is the boss of Minus 12, named Gabriel and has a sinister edge to his personality.I was left wondering what had gone on between Nathan and Gabriel and feel that this relationship could've been explored further.It was also an original idea. I haven't heard of a painting before that held the secret of eternal life! It might not have had the ratings it deserved, but for me it left a definite lasting impression. One of those few shows that do.There is a twist at the end that is worth seeing also. A nice little idea about putting an ad in the lonely hearts columns and a scene at a graveyard in the pouring rain.If you haven't already seen it, I suggest you do. You might be surprised like I was.

mark-saxby Well, the paper said it would be fun, but it was, frankly, rubbish.I'd agree Anna Madeley was the best thing in it, a very watchable woman (look out for her in the upcoming Mrs Beeton drama), but this was drivel (and I quite like fluff TV on the whole).The 'plot' didn't make much sense, they shoehorned in every recent, clichéd plot device and the continuity was laughable - In fact, not continuity in errors, but stupid plot development. After Erica had been sent to retrieve Nathan from his hideout, we see her arrive, for her first day at the secret hideout (Obviously a few Man From Uncle DVDs still in Blockbuster's bargain bin...). She's given a book in Serbo Croat to translate, but a second later she's filing AND she knows how the filing system works...God preserve us from a series, even if it would mean we'd see more of the lovely Ms Madeley...

chrislynch20 Watched this last night. Terrible concept, terrible execution. The creators need to go and watch Alias to learn how what a modern OTT spy drama should be like. One thing that really annoyed me was how much they made of his safe cracking abilities. There isn't a safe he can't get into and the only thing we see him do his come down a rope and step over one laser. Ridiculous. Also, the female character seemed to change job positions in The Establishment (btw, what a terrible name for a secret organisation). One minute she was a femme fatale, cold as ice bitch who brought him back in, then she appeared to be a translator (specialising in Croatian) on her first day at work and then she was his partner in the field. Crazy. I cannot stress enough how awful this was. Bad acting, script, direction, special effects (which can be done on a low budget - look at the fantastic Doctor Who on rival channel BBC1). I really hope that a full (or even partial) series does not follow.Avoid. Avoid. Avoid.

skidsy-2 This could have been so much better. The first half hour was wasted trying to link up the main characters around the lobster pot restaurant and a torn photo. Although it took half an hour to achieve it was sketchy and, to be honest, very poor. The plot line was fine but badly executed as was the casting. None of the villains were believable and the investment banker character was just badly written.What topped the whole thing for me was being too familiar with the locations used for the opening half hour around the Wirral coastline. After the helicopter stunt, the running through the fields, the hiding in the caravan and the getaway in the stolen car they ended up back on the coast about five minutes walk from where they started! The idea would be good for a series but it needs better scripts and better casting in the lessor roles to get away with it.