Strike Back (TV Series) Legacy: Part 1 (2015) User Reviews

Good news and bad news

[A_Different_Drummer · 9/10 · 12 June 2015]

First, the important bits.

One of the coolest shows ever to hit the small screen in back, and methinks this is largely due to viewer demand.

So everyone involved give themselves a pat on the back, because you earned it, and it seems every now and then the execs do listen to the viewers, even though their first instinct seems to be otherwise.

As for the episode itself, it is comfy like an old shoe, nothing really new, but pretty much all the bits we liked from before are still there and that is saying a lot. I especially liked it when Locke (the boss of the squad but formerly an action guy) "reacts" as a guard points a gun at this head. That was probably the most fun in the whole episode, especially because it was so unexpected.

The bad news? Well, this "used" to be the showcase product for Cinemax. Then BANSHEE came to town. And that was that. The script and plot riffs in BANSHEE are on an entirely different order of magnitude. I had hoped the team behind Strike Back would have learnt from their younger sibling, but alas, no.

Secondly, they are still using the same story "trope" from Season 1, namely that no mission goes right first time out. (Think the original MISSION IMPOSSIBLE SERIES from the 60s, only in reverse).

Folks that gets old real fast. Even newbie fans (and this series deserves new fans) will figure that gimmick out in a few minutes. Find another way to get the stories moving!

Strike Back is Back!

[Wikingking · 10/10 · 12 June 2015]

With the introduction of Stonebridge and Scott, Strike Back has become one of my favourite TV-series ever. Rarely you see a series getting better and better with each season. Now, after a seemingly endless time of waiting, they are back, and man, they are better than ever! According to the story, an ambassador's daughter has been kidnapped by some bad dudes in Thailand. Their motives are unclear, but they force the ambassador to do as they please. This is some serious issue, as in the meantime, the ambassador is a key figure in some diplomatic conference between the UK and North Korea, including other nations. Peace is fragile and the ambassador is being pulled by strings. He asks for help though: Philippe Locke, leader of Section 20 is a good friend of him, so Mike and Damien now have to act quickly and firmly to avoid a political catastrophe, which can easily lead to military aggression. This opening episode of the (sadly) last season of this great series packs a punch. I was on the edge of my seat for more than 40 minutes, and had to realize that Strike Back is (still) easily more exciting, better choreographed and action-packed than most big budget Hollywood movies nowadays. I am really looking forward to watch the next episode and see where this is going. So far, I am extremely optimistic about this season!

Overused plot device

[kahsr · 7/10 · 21 August 2021]

I really like this show. Well cast and acted with exciting story lines . . . I'm up to Season 5 now.

However, it would be nice if a mission went as planned every now and then.

It's getting kind of old. At the start you know without a doubt that the mission will go sideways and the bad guys will get away with the bomb, hostage or whatever and Michael, Damien and crew will battle a hoard of foes and chase the key bad guys with thrilling abandon but will come up short by a whisker.

I hope the writers have realized they've fallen into a rut and come up with something not so repetitive for a story line.

Worst episode so far!

[sbcollotzi · 4/10 · 12 August 2018]

I have really been enjoying this series up to this point, but this episode was terrible. The plot holes and the lack of explanation to the wife, or the ambassador, or anybody who just asks reasonable questions, feels like poor writing. The ambassadors wife is constantly blaming Locke for everything that's gone wrong, but at no point did he say 'well your husband brought in the bomb', or 'they had help from the outside'. I get that she wants to blame him, but Locke offers nothing in reply. Even when Scott and Stonebridge mentioned that they lost their suspect, they leave out the fact that the police took him. That's an entirely different set of facts than "we lost him". The conversations in this particular episode don't seem to flow with what normal people would say. Come on writers, you can do better than this.