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I've now seen the whole of the first series.
Looking back, I still think the opening episode was the best, with the final episode coming in a close second. The truly wonderful thing about Episode 1 was the way it conned the audience - unlike Danny, I've seen The Sting, but I still didn't figure it out. I thought the references were just a smart bit of hommage to an obvious source, as well as neat bit of characterisation, and it wasn't until Mickey got shot in the head that I realised just how much of the plot they'd lifted from The Sting. And it took me a moment longer still to realise that they must have nicked the idea of the cop from the film as well. Since there's nothing more gratifying than a really well done twist, when you've actually been given hints up front, I found the more straightforward cons of subsequent episodes a tad disappointing in comparison. I really appreciated the way the series was bookended by Sting references, with the closing ep drawing even more explicitly from the source, and I daresay that if I'd seen Ocean's Eleven or The Grifters I'd have found pleasing echoes of those films in there as well.
I just adore the fantasy sequences. The one in the first episode, where they step out of the scene to comment on it, came as a total surprise, even with the winking at the camera stuff that came before it, and I loved the scratchy black and white sequence in the bank robbing episode, especially the written dialogue.
Best of all, though, is the way everyone is absolutely riveting when they step into character for a con. There not only isn't a bad actor in the crew, they're all terrific. And the most exhilarating moments are when something goes wrong and they have to improvise to rescue it - that was what made the ending of the final episode so enjoyable, that sense that they were winging it. Of course, having seen Ep 1, I wasn't going to be fooled again by any Sting parallels, but it didn't matter, because it was such a pleasure to watch Danny toss Mickey the ball and see the two of them start to juggle. And Ash did his bit to perfection - honestly, every time Ash does anything, I hug myself with glee, because he's just so bloody good.
I have to give an honourable mention to Jaime Murray here because even though, if the cast interview is anything to go by, she's a bit of a Keira Knightley in real life, she gives Stacey a depth and an interest that frankly isn't in the script. Stacey in the abstract makes me want to give the writers a kick up the backside, but Stacey as played by JM is intriguing and very funny, and her characterisations are spot on, and it's extraordinary that someone who's only in there because they needed a woman to play hookers and be a source of sexual tension within the crew could feel so layered and nuanced and not like a token woman. Even though she is totally a token woman.
My main gripe is the stress on the Robin Hood element - that they only con Nasty People Who Deserve It. Being of a cynical persuasion, I am certain that there are enough nasty, greedy, dishonest marks in the world for every target to be dislikeable without the programme having to draw my attention to the fact with an explicit mission statement. And I'm a grown up - I don't have to think a character is morally whiter than white to find them sympathetic, or to root for them. But other than that, I can find very little to grumble about and so, so much to love.
Looking back, I still think the opening episode was the best, with the final episode coming in a close second. The truly wonderful thing about Episode 1 was the way it conned the audience - unlike Danny, I've seen The Sting, but I still didn't figure it out. I thought the references were just a smart bit of hommage to an obvious source, as well as neat bit of characterisation, and it wasn't until Mickey got shot in the head that I realised just how much of the plot they'd lifted from The Sting. And it took me a moment longer still to realise that they must have nicked the idea of the cop from the film as well. Since there's nothing more gratifying than a really well done twist, when you've actually been given hints up front, I found the more straightforward cons of subsequent episodes a tad disappointing in comparison. I really appreciated the way the series was bookended by Sting references, with the closing ep drawing even more explicitly from the source, and I daresay that if I'd seen Ocean's Eleven or The Grifters I'd have found pleasing echoes of those films in there as well.
I just adore the fantasy sequences. The one in the first episode, where they step out of the scene to comment on it, came as a total surprise, even with the winking at the camera stuff that came before it, and I loved the scratchy black and white sequence in the bank robbing episode, especially the written dialogue.
Best of all, though, is the way everyone is absolutely riveting when they step into character for a con. There not only isn't a bad actor in the crew, they're all terrific. And the most exhilarating moments are when something goes wrong and they have to improvise to rescue it - that was what made the ending of the final episode so enjoyable, that sense that they were winging it. Of course, having seen Ep 1, I wasn't going to be fooled again by any Sting parallels, but it didn't matter, because it was such a pleasure to watch Danny toss Mickey the ball and see the two of them start to juggle. And Ash did his bit to perfection - honestly, every time Ash does anything, I hug myself with glee, because he's just so bloody good.
I have to give an honourable mention to Jaime Murray here because even though, if the cast interview is anything to go by, she's a bit of a Keira Knightley in real life, she gives Stacey a depth and an interest that frankly isn't in the script. Stacey in the abstract makes me want to give the writers a kick up the backside, but Stacey as played by JM is intriguing and very funny, and her characterisations are spot on, and it's extraordinary that someone who's only in there because they needed a woman to play hookers and be a source of sexual tension within the crew could feel so layered and nuanced and not like a token woman. Even though she is totally a token woman.
My main gripe is the stress on the Robin Hood element - that they only con Nasty People Who Deserve It. Being of a cynical persuasion, I am certain that there are enough nasty, greedy, dishonest marks in the world for every target to be dislikeable without the programme having to draw my attention to the fact with an explicit mission statement. And I'm a grown up - I don't have to think a character is morally whiter than white to find them sympathetic, or to root for them. But other than that, I can find very little to grumble about and so, so much to love.