A Shout out to the Brits!

I mentioned a few weeks ago that Don and I met the most delightful ladies from Birmingham, England, while vacationing in Crete. One afternoon we were discussing our favorite actress, Helen Mirren, (because I reminded them of her!! yeah, not the first time that's been said to me even though my sister can't see it). We were bemoaning the fact that the U.S. tv stations have absolutely nothing that can remotely compare to Prime Suspect. Stevie and Laurie ( I hope you're reading cause I think of you often ) suggested we try a spy thriller that the BBC had named Spooks.

Wow! Our library does carry the entire 7 seasons of this outstanding show, renamed on this side of the pond as the more politically correct MI-5. Thank you ladies. We have burned through the first season which left us hanging with a diabolical ending. It was so suspenseful that I had to run down to the library on a Sunday afternoon to get in and grab season 2 off the shelf to find out if our hero's family died in an explosion.

Those of you familiar with Prime Suspect will know that, when it comes to crime, the BBC has it all sewed up. These shows are seriously violent, gritty and often tough to take. They are also clever, smart and realistic. The major difference between the two is that Prime Suspect was a vehicle for Ms. Mirren and she was undoubtedly the star. MI-5 is more like CSI in that it's an ensemble cast with no one character standing out over the other - even if we do have our favorites. MI-5 is Britain's answer to the FBI and they are constantly warring with MI-6, their version of the CIA. Sound familiar?

Turf wars, power struggles, failure to share information often prohibit each department from doing its job as well as it could. Fighting terrorism is a full time job in Great Britain even though we Americans seem to act like we're the only ones affected. I can't recommend this series enough but don't get excited. I've got all of season 2 checked out right now and, with a lovely cool spell coming this weekend, I see us curled up on the couch all day Sunday marveling at the fantastic movie making coming out of England. Thanks Stevie and Laurie! What are you reading ladies?