Trigger Point (ITV1) | itv.com
Putin vs the West: At War (BBC Two) | iPlayer
Mr & Mrs Smith (Amazon Prime Video)
Here We Go (BBC One) | iPlayer
Is there such a thing as the McClure Effect? The first series of Trigger Point, ITV’s six-part bomb disposal thriller starring Vicky McClure, was the second most watched drama of 2022, only beaten by The Tourist on BBC One.
It’s not that the show, created by Daniel Brierley, was bad (though the opener was painfully overstuffed with jargon about “snips” and ”jammers”), but you suspect it’s McClure who’s drawing audiences and retaining them for the long haul. She’s developed into a stunning actor who’s also a brand, a human kitemark of quality: sure, audiences like and rate her, but they also trust her to deliver.
That said, no one comes to Trigger Point (part of the Jed Mercurio production stable) for delicately evolving plot arcs. In the second series opener, no-nonsense Lana Washington (McClure) is giving a talk about bomb security to London city financiers when, seen from the window, a massive blast goes off at a power station. Washington is soon on site, undaunted by “danger of death” signs, grappling with deadly timers and wires. Is she blown to bits before the first ad break? Ironic spoiler alert: no.
There’s more blood-soaked tension later, when the team deal with bombs crunching underfoot. It’s during this scene that (non-ironic spoilers ahead) Washington rather ludicrously kisses her ex (played by Mark Stanley), declaring she loves him. Elsewhere, a dodgy character gets offed, a new boss is patronising (“Great to see a woman in the job”), and drones make an appearance, just as they did in the recent second series of Vigil.
I end the episode deeply concerned for team member Danny (Eric Shango), whose imminent wedding has (ominously) been mentioned several times. Happy people with plans don’t tend to last long in Trigger Point. As it is, this opener feels similar to the first (maybe a shave slicker?). Trigger Point 2 will doubtless go on to be equal parts engrossing and absurd, but something (or someone) will keep us watching.
Last year, Norma Percy’s docuseries Putin vs the West covered the prelude to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Her two-part follow-up, Putin vs the West: At War (BBC Two), is the story of the invasion and ongoing aftermath, once again told by the world leaders, ambassadors and ministers who have lived through it.
As before, there’s an impressive array of talking heads, including Volodymyr Zelenskiy, UN secretary-general António Guterres, CIA director Bill Burns, myriad more Ukraine, Russian, American, Chinese and European leaders and officials, and (sigh) our mob, among them the prime ministers of the period: Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak. (Yes, that’s three and, yes, it’s a lot, but let’s move on for now.)
Amid the pain and the courage (“I said: ‘I’m not going anywhere. This is what we were elected for: this day,’” recalls Zelenskiy), there are huge moments (such as Russia invading Ukraine as the UN security council sits to discuss stopping it, learning about it via their phones). While nations rally, some are stymied by genuine fears of a third world war and power/grain shortages, even as Ukraine points out that global security is at stake. While Putin is shown strutting along Kremlin red carpets, Zelenskiy is never out of his signature green combats: not for the first time, you sense he views himself as a walking billboard reminder of the devastation of the war.
Again, Percy produces a sobering, valuable docuseries, revealing the people behind the decisions. However, Johnson, a staunch Ukraine ally, can’t resist soundbite one-upmanship and Churchillian grandstanding (“I reply with some Anglo-Saxon expletives about Putin”). Later, talking of being “dead-batted” in talks with Chinese president Xi Jinping, he observes: “More dead bats than a Wuhan cave.” (Yes, he went there.)
Meanwhile, Truss, foreign secretary at the time of the invasion, mangles her way through some sub-Iron Lady anecdote about ordering Russian ambassador Andrei Kelin from her office (remembered differently by Kelin as her leaving). Only British politicos use the series for what feels like personal brand-building, and it’s excruciating.
Mr & Mrs Smith (Amazon Prime Video) is a glossy eight-part US spy dramedy, created by comedian/ rapper/ actor and Atlanta creator Donald Glover and Francesca Sloane. It’s based on the 2005 film starring Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, during which they infamously got together. Phoebe Waller-Bridge was to co-star but left because of (ooh!) “creative differences”. Maya Erskine, of brilliant US middle school comedy Pen15, joins Glover to play newly enlisted spy operatives posing as married couple “John and Jane Smith”.
Yes, I know, another remake (how much small-screen regurgitation can we take?), but Erskine sparks well with Glover, as they move into a salubrious Manhattan brownstone and embark on missions (kidnapping, bugging, killing) in lush locations, all interwoven with their relationship issues. There’s a different mission each episode and the show is studded with value-adding guest spots (John Turturro, Paul Dano, Michaela Coel, Sharon Horgan and more).
It’s heaps better than the overstylised film, though Erskine does get to tuck a weapon against her thigh a la Jolie. There’s even a whiff of Slow Horses in the way Glover and Erskine’s misfit vibe and petty backbiting cut through the postcard-worthy locations and high-octane chases. Eventually, MAMS loses momentum and starts looping through samey set pieces, becoming repetitive and padded. But for a fair while it’s entertaining.
Over to BBC One for the second series of Here We Go, Tom Basden’s comedy about a normal British family called the Jessops. On the minus side, the uber-suburban plots relayed by the son, Sam (Jude Collie), and his choppy video footage (in the opener: blocked ears; drinking games; falling into water) feel derivative and outdated, like a sitcom-aggregate of My Family and Gavin and Stacey.
At the same time, you can see how it quietly amassed a loyal fanbase. Here We Go has a great cast (including Katherine Parkinson, Alison Steadman, Ghosts’ Jim Howick and Basden), who work like demons with the material. The result is unassuming, defiantly untrendy old-school comedy. There are little shivers of sweetness in the way it bumbles along.
Star ratings (out of five)
Trigger Point ★★★
Putin vs the West: At War ★★★★★
Mr & Mrs Smith ★★★★
Here We Go ★★★
What else I’m watching
Black Cake
(Disney+)
Poignant drama adapted from Charmaine Wilkerson’s bestselling novel. When an old woman dies, her past as a runaway bride swimming away from Jamaica is discovered. Featuring vibrant 1960s/70s flashbacks, it stars Mia Isaac and Chipo Chung.
Domino Day
(BBC Three)
A young witch looks for a community in which to belong in this deft six-part supernatural drama with a fresh, contemporary focus (dating apps, revenge porn), starring Siena Kelly and Percelle Ascott.
The Greatest Night in Pop
(Netflix)
Documentary about the making of the 1985 single We Are the World by the US version of Band Aid. It’s superstar-rammed and packed with gossip (and beef).
