XIII: ‘Breakout’ and ‘Mousetrap’

(Suggested by John Moore)

This was a two-parter for the second season of the comic-based French-Canadian TV series (it was also a noted videogame). Ironically, the two conjoined episodes couldn’t be much further apart in tone. Something that would later influence her work in Doctor Who, perhaps?

The first is an action-packed global crisis affair, replete with big special effects shots, kinetic hand-to-hand combat (featuring a kick-ass female gun-for-hire, no less), and massive threats. The second is essentially a parallel bottle episode, with the two protagonists separated and trapped in different confined locations.

Surprisingly, and largely – we’d assert – due to the work of the director, the second of these is the more enjoyable. Talalay’s decisions behind the camera, including a few notably classy shot choices (what appears to be her choice to follow a knife down a corridor and into a big reveal is especially nice), and time spent getting the actor’s performances right seems to allow the tension and claustrophobia of the drugged Betty Barnowsky’s plight to build slowly and plausibly.

Plus, she had a healthy dose of Michael Ironside to dish out – and he is pretty much always great to watch.

By the time the sheer weirdness of what’s going on plays out, you’re pretty well sold on it. Getting to that stage, we promise, was no mean feat.