Jeff Guthertz

I never saw this originally because of the bad reviews and dumb title. But it’s a decent early 90’s action flick. Mickey an Don are good and the script had some good ideas. Like Buckaroo Banzai it has fun with the genre and feels like an episode of a movie franchise.

It's hard to imagine how the same Network can air something as horrendous as Florida Man and something as brilliant as The Diplomat in the same month. This mash up of Homeland and The West Wing works because of great writing and outstanding. every character is interesting and feels like a professional in their job. Kerri Russel and Rufus Sewell are outstanding and they have a complicated relationship that is very believable. But the supporting cast is great too. Michael McKean plays a Biden like president with humor and a quiet ferocity. Ato Essandoh as the Deputy Ambassador is funny, intense and very believable as the political careerist tired of running campaigns. Ali Ahn is outstanding as the funny, subtle CIA head of station( I wanto to see a show about HER). It does have one of those convoluted plots involving an attack on a british Navy ship that may or may not have been done by Iran. It's twisty enough with plenty of big speeches that I'm not always sure I understand what's going on, but I expect that from a show like this. If you're looking for your next prestige show to bing, this is it.

If you're watching this show for tips on how to survive the in the wilderness go check out the Discovery channel. While this show starts out grounded in realisty it quickly becomes a trippy, hallucinogenic poem about self awareness and personalgrowth. The heroine Live drifts in and out of flashbacks and hallucinations while she tries to survive but also reflects on her life. This show is meant to be a documentary. It's meant to convey that 4 in the mornin feeling when you hover between awarness and dreams. When you drift helplessly along while your past influences your present. It's very well done.