âWe need the answers before we ask the questions,â? says Keel in this weekâs episode. Well, sorry Keel, I know youâre very vague and important, but weâve all got questions.
Like how does Sam even do her job with that many flashbacks? Itâs probably difficult enough doing data entry, let alone being a spy, if you have to stop every five minutes to remember that time you did something in black and white.
And while were on it, what kind of spy doesnât keep her mobile on silent? Even I keep my mobile on silent and you can generally find me just by following the trail of socks.
And speaking of socks, why does Sam wear such grey underwear? Itâs the colour of a Windows 95 notification window and it depresses me.
Of course, Iâll never get an answer if I ask like that. The correct way to ask a spy question is to say, âWhat do you know about Samâs grey underwear?â, wait for someone to say âWhatâs Samâs grey underwear?â, then shoot back âThatâs what I need you to find outâ and stride purposefully out of the room to have another conversation where no-one says hello or goodbye.
These unanswered questions are irritating enough on their own terms, but infuriating when you consider that Huntedâs main strength is that everythingâs easy to understand. I like that itâs comfortingly clichéd, and the way everythingâs laid out for you.
I like that Samâs post-it notes, discovered by Aidan, literally say things like âWho?â?, âWhat?â? and âWas it this guy?â?, with a big arrow and a photograph.
I like that theyâve thought, âOkay, weâve got a new black character and heâs a criminal, better be careful here. Oh wait, I know how weâll get the PC brigade off our backs, weâll have a scene where he plays rap music too loud in his car, and weâll call him Tyrone!â?
More than anything though, I like how young Edward announces, âIt was very cold at the cemetery this morningâ?, which roughly translated means, âIt was very sad at the cemetery this morning.â? I personally canât wait for Edwardâs first kiss bathed in bright sunshine, the thunderstorm as heâs dumped and the happy little rainbow when he starts exploring his sexuality later that year.
The above are all highlights, but you do feel there are moments when theyâve missed a trick. For example, when the âleft wing economics expertâ is bludgeoned to death with a bust of Karl Marx – an inspired touch, Iâm sure youâll agree – the murderer doesnât say âThe only antidote to mental suffering is physical painâ? or âYou were right, Marx is hard!â?.
This is an awful shame. But there is good news: the director has stumbled on a fantastic shot for dramatic dialogue scenes, in which one character stands in blurry profile, whilst the other talks to camera face on, and they all look like theyâre in the Mamma Mia video.
