We’re back with Alex Rider, and thusfar with them having to integrate elements of Stormbreaker into to plot to make it make sense, not much has actually happened, but it’s time to get back to the business of spy business
Friends
Smithers, the true name of Mr Daniels, notes that they have
a location for Point Blanc, the building was purchased by a shell company but
the one name attached is Eva Stellenbosch, she contacted David Friend and wants
to meet with Alex, who for some reason is still in his normal school, brushing
off Tom’s concern.
Still, he tells Mrs Jones he wants Tom to get his phone
back, which she agrees to. Whilst also giving them funds to deal with Alex’s
look. They get him a haircut and honestly, I can’t see the difference. At least
give him a wig or something. And just to make things more awkward, Ayisha comes
inviting to see “the new spider-man” at this point that would probably be Far
From Home though this season was released over a year after that film, it
wouldn’t even be new on DVD at that point and they were supposed to be going to
the cinema. Of course, given its actual release, going to the cinema would have
been a tough ask anyway.
Problem is that whilst he accepts the invite, it’s blatantly
obvious his mission will stop him from going. And Tom somehow believes that
he’s shutting him out of it so it’ll just be him and Ayisha. And that penny
drops in the next scene, Smithers gives him an MP3-player, which has secret
encrypted communication capabilities, he’s given a burner phone as well, but
they suspect it’ll be confiscated upon entry.
Alex is taken to the Friend Estate and Mr Friend makes it
perfectly clear that he’s doing no more favours for Mr Blunt after this and
both he and his wife highly disapprove. Alex is shown to his room. Martin is
back at work but oblivious to the suspicion of the others.
Alex spends his time adjusting to living in a massive
mansion, and being sad that he can’t be at the cinema with his friends. He
texts Tom, somehow having his main phone with him as well, which seems like a
dumb idea on every possible level. Making matters more complicated is Friend’s
daughter, Fiona, coming back to the house having split up from her boyfriend.
She’s debriefed on what’s going on and whilst she’s willing
to go ahead with it for 2 days, she’s not happy about it, and not for the
reasons you might think, she’s a total bitch. Tom angrily heads to Alex’s house
and Jack couldn’t come up with a better excuse for why Alex isn’t here than
‘staying with friends’ and obviously Tom isn’t buying it.
Alex is busy muttering his cover story and has an awkward
encounter with Fiona. Followed by another one at the dinner table. And it only
gets more awkward as Tom has managed to track him down. They have an honest and
frank conversation, and Alex agrees not to lie to him. On his way out, Tom is
run off his bike by friends of Fiona, and Alex decides to introduce himself
rather than get caught by surprise.
He's invited to a ‘walk around the estate’ the next day.
John Crawly, the agent Alex followed in episode 1 explains to Martin that
they’re suspending the investigation into Ian’s death as anyone in North Korea
would be untouchable, or risk setting off a global nuclear war.
The next morning, Alex has breakfast with the family and is
told their little trip will be a shooting expedition, Alex had been taught clay
pigeon shooting the day before and it’s a prime opportunity to put it into use,
unfortunately other plans are afoot as Fiona’s friends begin using him as a
target. Still, Alex is a smart lad, using some foliage to cover himself as they
pass by. He uses an opportunity to get the jump on them, forcing them to drop
their weapons.
Mrs Stellenbosch arrives just after Alex returns and it’s
time for his interview. Of course he has to act like an angry hormonal
teenager. And doing it well enough that Stellenbosch is fooled and admits him
to Point Blanc. Maria is about to blow the whole thing wide open but one the
servants sedates and drags her out of view, they’d had the house under
surveillance the entire time.
Tom is doing the single dumbest thing you can do to a spy
and making a documentary detailing his adventures. Alex is taken to Point Blanc
by helicopter right under the nose of Doctor Greif, which is very unsubtle.
One of those things we do need to talk about is the music,
the low drone, high bass noise anytime something suspenseful is happening is
highly irritating. But another solid episode otherwise.
Rating 7.5/10
Deep Cover
Alex empties his belongings; his phone is confiscated as
expected but he’s allowed to keep his mp3-player. He also, quite cleverly,
attempts to smuggle some vodka as mouthwash. I mean, it doesn’t work but it’s
good for the trouble-maker cover. I though Stellenbosch might’ve thought it was
poison given his history but…
Back in London Martin calls Gregorovich and says they need
to meet. Alex asks if the large number of guards is to prevent people from
escaping but it’s explained that the nearest town is 20 miles away and the
temperature never gets above freezing, he’d never survive long enough to get
help. He’s placed into a class with Dr Baxter. We meet his fellow students,
Sacha, Arrash, Laura, James and Krya. Yup, there’s only 6 of them.
Martin’s meeting with Gregorovich is interesting, as soon as
he hears the investigation is being shut down, he’s suspicious. When Martin
leaves, he calls his employers and tells them they may have a problem.
Back with Alex, James explains he got himself sent there
after shooting his tutor with an air-rifle, causing tissue damage of course.
He’s been there for 8 weeks, and Laura with 3 months. James shows off his
graffiti that he did with… how did he smuggle spray-paint into the facility? There’s
an area walled off that’s impossible to access and rather suspicious. Speaking
of suspicious, Sacha and Arrash talk about how Alex is attractive. He’s supposed
to be what, 14, this is gross
Now time for Alex to have a physical examination, and having
to remember bits of his cover like whether he’s had general anaesthetic before.
Sacha and Arrash are eating in unison and everyone thinks that’s a bit weird. It’s
Alex and Krya’s turn to wash up and Alex makes his first slip up by mentioning
the name Jack but he does a poor job recovering, instead choosing to brush it
off entirely. Inkeeping with his bad-boy persona but rather risking on his key
assets he set up music to play. James and Laura even get involved turning the
kitchen into a phone party. This naturally gets Stellenbosch’s attention.
James and Laura are ordered to clean this up and Alex is
brought to Dr Greif. When Alex is cheeky one too many times, Stellenbosch slaps
him, hard enough to give him a bruise, Greif makes it clear they there they can
do whatever they like. Alex wonders back to his room and James has
inadvertently saved his ass by getting his MP3-player before anyone else can.
Unfortunately, being this high up in the mountains and away
from everything means he has no signal to send a message through. Martin
discovers he can’t access key elements of the case regarding the Riders. Jack
tries to get information from Mrs Jones but it ends up being quite the other
way around, Mrs Jones asks about the last call Ian made before his death, turns
out Jack has a decent memory and tells her that is was related to something in
Moscow, which all but confirms their suspicions that the Korea story is BS. Blunt
tells them to keep an eye on him, hoping they can find out who he’s working
for.
So, Doctor Greif’s motives. Earth is overpopulated and the
one and only cure is to remove an absurd percentage of the population to
provide a new beginning for those who remain. Yeah, that old chestnut again.
Laura is coughing throughout the lesson and is instructed to go see Doctor
Baxter in the medical wing. He gives a speech about how Mau and Hitler may have
been right and wow, they’re not being subtle about it, right down to Greif’s
name being an anagram of Greif.
A thought occurs to Alex, all the students at the academy
are sons and daughters of industry in various, different fields, there’s no
celebrity brats or the like here and everyone represents a different industry.
The agency follow Marin around, they see that he’s left his house and begin a
search of the place, inserting various bugs. Gregorovich also had the place
bugged however and now his suspicions have been confirmed.
Martin decides to pay Jack a visit and a number of
bombshells get dropped on him at once, see Jack doesn’t know that he doesn’t
know and that’s a dangerous combination in espionage. She asks about Alex and
given that he was not in the know about anything, this comes as a bit of a
bombshell and Martin is about to make a move, Jack only saved by a call from
Mrs Jones, telling her too late to not tell him anything.
Mrs Jones tells everyone to bring him in but they appear to
have lost him. Back at Point Blanc, Sacha tries to force herself on Alex, which
he finds about as uncomfortable as we do. Martin heads to his locker to get
money and passports to run with, he decides to leave the burner phone behind.
Unfortunately, Gregorovich has already caught up with them, before he can
reveal anything that could compromise Alex, Gregorovich kills him.
Unfortunately, he did have a photo with Alex and Tom to hand which Gregorovich
steals.
Alex brushes his teeth and this is important because the
toothpaste was drugged and he falls unconscious. He awakens on a gurney, coming
in and out of consciousness as he’s dragged away
Again, the pacing is deliberately quite slow, but it’s a
solid introduction to Point Blanc Academy and the subplot in London is still
gripping.
Rating 7.5/10
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