The Hour is never less than compelling television, but on the occasions when it really steps up its game, it becomes something rather unmissable.
One such moment comes towards the end of this third episode, with a determined-yet-naïve Freddie Lyon faces off against the intense and unreadable Thomas Kish. The tension generated during that sequence is almost unbearable, and much of that owes to Burn Gorman’s terrific turn as the mysterious, dangerous Kish. It’s an acutely measured performance, as icily scary as it is entirely captivating; we don’t know who exactly the man is, but his every movement impresses without question that he is not to be messed with.
This makes it all the more of a shame when he takes a fatal tumble down a staircase at the end of the episode. For someone seemingly so in control, it felt a little implausible that wiry, weedy Freddie would be able to over-power him. But, then, was there an element of choice in the fall? Which then begs the question; if a man so entrenched in this world is willing to “opt out” and take a fall… what exactly has Freddie stumbled onto here?!
The conspiracy plot is moving along now, with Freddie finding further clues in the crossword puzzles. What – or rather, who – is “Bright Stone”? While the mystery is still fairly ambiguous, the whole thing now feels like it’s moving forward with real purpose, and is all the better for it, although Gorman’s tremendous presence will surely be missed.
Most of the episode, however, finds the majority of the cast swapping the murky corridors of the BBC for the opulent surroundings of Hector’s in-laws mansion in the country. At the invite of his wife Marnie, Hector is joined by Freddie and Bel, along with slimy Government Press man Angus McCain (Julian Rhind-Tutt), among others.
McCain is given a much bigger spotlight here, and despite his smarmy demeanour, he doesn’t seem to have too much of a grip on the Suez crisis or how to handle the situation. Rhind-Tutt is worlds away from suave Dr. McCartney – the dashing doctor from Green Wing for which he is best known – but his natural charisma makes him a welcome presence on screen, even if his character isn’t one we particularly sympathise with yet.
The other main development in the episode is the somewhat inevitable pairing of Bel and Hector. Bel seems to have a better rapport with Freddie (just watch them jumping on beds together, like gleeful children), but she’s unable to resist the questionable charm-offensive of Hector. Interestingly, it’s also while playing a children’s game (called “Sardines” – hide and seek, essentially), that Bel and Hector finally give in to one another. And while everyone’s acting like children in the country, Freddie’s poor assistant Isaac is left behind at Lime Grove to spy on a real spy in Mr. Kish. Poor old Isaac; that was never going to be a fair fight, was it?
After a slow start, there’s now plenty going on in the world of The Hour as we reach the half-way point of the six-part series. Bel will have to deal with the consequences of sleeping with Hector, while Hector will have to deal with wife Marnie, who clearly suspects that her husband is playing away. Freddie will have to deal with explaining exactly how Mr. Kish came to be found dead at the bottom of a staircase, and all the while, the Suez crisis is building towards an ominous war in the background.
The Hour is certainly is shaping into something rather brilliant, and given the explosive final moments of this episode, it suggests that the news team are going to have to leave behind that childish nature that they all explored in the countryside and that, with their return to the city, things will only become more severe.
Airs at 9pm on Tuesday 2nd August 2011 on BBC Two.