This second episode begins in the aftermath of Mercier’s abduction by enemy agents. Tense and graphic scenes ensue, including the sewing back on of an ear and an unsuccessful attempt at détente, before our hero engages in some explosive heroics to make his escape.
In the aftermath, the canvas of the tale broadens dramatically; he rises from his hospital bed and is away into Czechoslovakia on the trail of an illusive German contact, then on a dangerous mission into the heart of Nazi Germany before returning to his superiors in Paris.
With Anna (Janet Montgomery) guilt ridden at the fate of her boyfriend Maxim, who was arrested by his comrades, there is a seemingly unbridgeable gulf between the lovers. Work pulls them apart but it seems that neither are happy with their lot.
In Paris, an ambivalent reaction Mercier’s hard won information turns to outright animosity and he eventually retires to his unpaid leave, taking Russian defectors Malka and Viktor with him for their own safety. This fosters a lull in the action, until Mercier is called on his mood by his sister Gabrielle (Tuppence Middleton, Tiger from Sky1’s Sinbad) and provoked by Russian spies getting a little too close to his houseguests.
Back into the spying business, we loved the wonderfully jaw dropping moment as Max was revealed as both alive and as a fellow spy. We utterly feel for Mercier as all that he and Anna have put themselves through was for nothing.
The tale culminates with a return to a changed Warsaw. The Germans are poised to invade, and this is where we could not help but feel a little underwhelmed. Although there was a tense train journey out of Poland, we had little invested in the cargo of Polish gold and never felt there was any real danger that out hero might fail in his plan to pick up Anna and make their connection. Equally, we would have been more impressed if Antoni had failed to stop the train.
What was more shocking was that Anna would agree to leave her ailing mother behind at the mercy of the incoming Germans when a viable method of escape was available, despite the old woman’s protestations.
Despite being beautifully realised with some superb action and lashings of solid, old-fashioned spy business, the ending of the tale was rather downbeat. Doubtless it is a consequence of chronological placement between the wars, but despite any optimism the characters might cling to, we the viewers know the horrors that are surely coming.
What is successful is that Spies of Warsaw left us wanting more. We are keen to know if Anna and Jean-Francois rode out the war in safety. Given his talent for attracting trouble it seems more than a little unlikely. What also impressed were the implications of spies that remained uncovered, such as French Bureau chief Jourdain.
Janet Montgomery’s Anna had little of substance to do in this second part, save being rescued. Were there to be a sequel, and there is apparently not although other Alan Furst books of the period share some of the some minor characters, she would need to have a much-expanded role.
Tennant on the other hand shines and handles himself well. The brutal attempted assassination in his Polish apartment was utterly gripping and it leaves us wondering if an action hero role beckons on the big screen at some point?
Aired at 9pm on Wednesday 16 January 2013 on BBC Four.
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