The BBC Bodyguard TV show is pretty damn fantastic and some of the best TV I have seen in a while

[Otherist]

For the most part it's like if you took all the really good bits out of Line of Duty and just made it a functional, if thick-headed, thriller about a manly dude. (I also thought the direction was a little bit bland.) Having said that, I did watch the whole thing and I really liked Madden.
But I echo the complaints about the ending reveal being a disastrous shitshow that spoilt the mood, it irritates me that more people here in the UK didn't call it out when it aired tbh because I think it was flat-out irresponsible.

 

[Timbuktu]

I feel that the whole thing was hangs around a few set pieces, the overall plot and characters were quite ordinary. It is quite a brisk watch though and it's not difficult to find entertainment in the show.

 

[kinoki]

Happy it was just 6 episodes. It dragged. The whole story feels like they came up with the plot-twists first and then reverse-engineered the story to fit. So many stupid things come up once you start trying to pick it apart.

 

[Carn]

Liked it, but yeah plotwise it kinda went off the rails at a certain point. Still had a great time. I guess I would also like Line of Duty?

Did like seeing women in leadership roles.

 

[Cokie Bear]

I liked it but the shit with Nadia at the end was laughable

Spoiler

"I'm going to confess to everything for absolutely no reason!"

 

[Rosenkrantz]

I think my goodwill ended the moment when

Spoiler

the protagonist started walking the streets in a suicide bomber vest and the entire London police were like "sure King, you can do it"

Good start, but the last episode is beyond dumb.

 

[kortvarsel]

Yeah, I thought it was.. not great. From his psycho anger in front of the TV in one episode to him loving her in the next. The forced "what if he's the bad guy" and everyone making constant weird decisions to the mess that is the end.

 

[BlackFyre]

Spoiler

My issue with the show is that Budd hid the fact that he knew the sniper and served with him. His reasoning is so stupid since as a policeman, he knows it's rather easy information to find once you start digging.

 

[Deleted member 5167]

I'm on E4 and the British parliament and security are bizarre as fuck.

Can a ex-soldier with massive ptsd and mental issues really be a body guard for the home secretary.
Bodyguards have adjoining rooms with public officials in hotels.
Cops have massive machine guns.
CCTV is the answer to everything.

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UK regular cops don't have guns at all, and yes, a H&K MP5 is standard police issue for a firearms unit.
The UK is also the most highly CCTV covered country in the world.

Just rewatched Luther season 1 after bodyguard and definitely prefer that if I'm looking for a high concept British crime show. They aren't a direct comparison but I think still scratch the same itch

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If you want a great high concept UK crime show, check out the sorely under rated River

I guess I would also like Line of Duty?

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It honestly felt like a Line Of Duty spin off tbh, along the lines of S1 or S4, with a cop trying to do the right thing being caught up in a criminal conspiracy

 

[Carn]

Cops have massive machine guns

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Regular cops aren't armed. That's why armed ones announce that they're armed police.

Edit: beaten

 

[Turbowolf]

Spoiler

My issue with the show is that Budd hid the fact that he knew the sniper and served with him. His reasoning is so stupid since as a policeman, he knows it's rather easy information to find once you start digging.

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Spoiler

True, but he knew how it would look and that it would impede his finding Julia's killer and clearing his own name. If he revealed the link, he would have been detained, and precious time would have been lost investigating him as the main suspect. The writers were consistently trying to convey a sense of urgency, which makes sense when you're dealing with a high-level cover-up. Have to solve the case before all evidence is destroyed and/or witnesses are made to disappear.

 

[Bus-TEE]

Richard Madden is probably the worst actor (I can barely bring myself to say 'leading man') working today.

I didn't mind him in GOT but his performance in that Idris Elba thriller set in Paris, with his American "accent" was simply wretched.

His bland, charisma free, borderline parody of a performance in this was so bad I couldn't get past the first episode.

I was genuinely agog at how wooden his performance was in some of his scenes.

Awful.

 

[Arebours]

Seen this and line of duty. It's the same kind of braindead cliffhanger baiting nonsense as 24. Characterization and the logic around the conspiracies are constantly sacrificed for contrived and nonsensical plot turns.

 

[EnronERA]

I finished it yesterday, I agree with the hilariously stupid TWEEEST but I still enjoyed the show anyways.

 

[MrLuchador]

The first half was amazing and then... it fell apart.

 

[brainchild]

The first half was amazing and then... it fell apart.

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Exactly how I felt about the show.

 

[BlackFyre]

The first half was amazing and then... it fell apart.

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The show fell apart after the bullet to the head. Lol

Although I did not see the twist about the bomber coming.

 

[Deleted member 2802]

UK regular cops don't have guns at all, and yes, a H&K MP5 is standard police issue for a firearms unit.

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Imagine the boner a US beat cop would have toting these around

The UK is also the most highly CCTV covered country in the world.

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scary as fuck af

Regular cops aren't armed. That's why armed ones announce that they're armed police.

Edit: beaten

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those hats doe

Also it's a massive change from US cop shows/news stories where the cop just opens fire willy nilly

 

[AdamScottAukerman]

The first half was amazing and then... it fell apart.

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Same.

It's very Jed Mercurio. Line of Duty is basically just a soap on steroids - both in its production and acting quality, and initially, it seemed as if Bodyguard had managed to eschew those weaknesses. Sadly not.

 

[fleante]

I liked Richard Madden in this. Showed a lot more range than he ever did in GoT.

 

[MrLuchador]

The show fell apart after the

Spoiler: Episode 4 Ending and afterwards

bullet to the head. Lol

Although I did not see the twist about the bomber coming

.

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Yeah completely. I was stunned when the

Spoiler: Episode 4 ending

bodyguard shot himself, I was like where do they go now?!

and then the ending was like

Spoiler: season ending

IT WAS ME AUSTIN

 

[BuckRogers]

Spoiler

True, but he knew how it would look and that it would impede his finding Julia's killer and clearing his own name. If he revealed the link, he would have been detained, and precious time would have been lost investigating him as the main suspect. The writers were consistently trying to convey a sense of urgency, which makes sense when you're dealing with a high-level cover-up. Have to solve the case before all evidence is destroyed and/or witnesses are made to disappear.

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Spoiler

But he lies before Julia dies. He lies when he first files his report, and then again at the interview which happens before the bomb. There's no urgency at that point.

Yeah completely. I was stunned when the

Spoiler: Episode 3 ending

bodyguard shot himself, I was like where do they go now?!

and then the ending was like

Spoiler: season ending

IT WAS ME AUSTIN

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These are actually Episode 4 spoilers, FYI.

As a lot of other people have said, I think this completely falls apart in the second half. It's fine, but I was surprised at how much praise it has received.

 

[MrLuchador]

Thanks for that!

 

[Nikus]

Fuck, I only watched the first episode and my parents asked me if a season 2 was planned, so I googled it and was immediately spoiled with what I assume is something from the last episode. I hate myself. And my parents. (not really, but still). And now I saw another big one on this page that wasn't tagged, fuuuuck
I'm still gonna try to enjoy it, I like Madden so there's that already...

And for those wondering, they're in talks for a season 2, but it seems if they do it, they'll also plan for seasons 3 and 4.

 

[OrdinaryPrime]

So is it true that this show has a fair amount of Islamophobia? I haven't watched it but based on other media I consume (including Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj on Netflix) it seems to be the case.

 

[Goodstyle]

Show really blew up its premise halfway through, and then it went to shit.

 

[RustyNails]

So is it true that this show has a fair amount of Islamophobia? I haven't watched it but based on other media I consume (including Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj on Netflix) it seems to be the case.

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As a Muslim, it made me feel uneasy. There's only a couple of Muslim characters on the show and they're both are portrayed negatively. But terrorism is also a reality of our time and what they show is in line with what you expect from ISIS/AQ types.

But other than that, it's a pretty decent show with some twists. Robb Stark is pretty decent and I kept thinking he would make a pretty good Bond candidate down the road. Also it's not as action heavy as one would expect. I wish they had a positive Muslim character to balance the show out.

 

[Nikus]

Also damn I didn't realize before that Madden had such a thick accent. I love it.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Also damn I didn't realize before that Madden had such a thick accent. I love it.

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It makes me melt tbh

 

[FlexMentallo]

I enjoyed the ride on this show, it was nice and tense in spots, but it had plenty of shark jumpery and characters willfully ignoring stuff in front of their face. There's definitely at least one plot thread/character that in a few different, quite contradictory ways over the 6 eps portrayed cliche Muslim stereotypes.

 

[Heshinsi]

So is it true that this show has a fair amount of Islamophobia? I haven't watched it but based on other media I consume (including Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj on Netflix) it seems to be the case.

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Not really. I had also seen that episode of Patriot Act first before watching Bodyguard, and I didn't come away thinking it's Islamophobic.

 

[Masterspeed]

I'm English and every family member or friends are bumming off it so much and i haven't even thought about watching it.

Hell, I even saw news paper front page reactions literally about an episode.

Maybe I should buckle up and watch that shit because it's either going to blow up in my face and it turns out to be mediocore like I assume, or it's going to blow me away with how great it is.

Will totally check BBCi Player for it tomorrow evening.

Spoiler

I didn't proof read anything I just wrote because I'm high as hell right now, sorry if it's disjointed. I'll edit it tomorrow when I wake up

 

[Nikus]

Ma'am.

 

[hateradio]

It started out good, but it got less believable every episode.

That last episode in particular, was borderline idiotic.

 

[BringBackSonics]

I appreciated the number of women in charge

 

[effzee]

I rrwrea enjoyed it! Ma'am

 

[Goodstyle]

Mum.

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That's what it sounded like to me every time he said it.

 

[Nikus]

That's what it sounded like to me every time he said it.

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It really sounded like that yeah.

So, I finished it, enjoyed it, but yeah some things in the last episode were dumb. It didn't bother me too much though.
I don't think it went to shit in the second half but it definitely was more interesting with

Spoiler

his relationship with Julia. I was surprised she died, she was interesting and helped carry the show a lot imo. All this build up with her for almost nothing, so okay it was shocking but not in good way, it wasn't beneficial for the show and the story. So yeah, I enjoyed the second part but my interest definitely dwindled a bit when she got blown up. It's like they killed one of the two leads for shock value, so it was more shallow after that.

 

[LTWheels]

Watch Informer, also from the BBC. I enjoyed it more than the Bodyguard

 

[Deleted member 21709]

Watch Informer, also from the BBC. I enjoyed it more than the Bodyguard

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Oh, doesn't seem to be available on US Netflix, Prime or Hulu. :(

 

[miserable]

Oh, doesn't seem to be available on US Netflix, Prime or Hulu. :(

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got you covered fam

 

[Elandyll]

Bit of a necro bump, but I finally got around to watching this show and I loved it.

Sure the last episode strains the suspension of disbelief quite a bit, and that twist sure was... Surprising to say the least (in a bollocks kind of way) but also strangely sayisfying (in a Get Out kind of way).

All this being said, tying up all the lose ends take a a bit of mental gymnastics... But there is one link I can't quite make at the end because the show does not address it, though it is strongly implied in the series.

Maybe I missed something, and I wanted to check what the ideas are, because I haven't really found this adressed properly online so far.

Spoiler

Of course, it's about the bomb that killed Julia.

At the end, we know that somehow, Nadia was the bomb maker all along, and somehow -from prison the whole time- she got in touch with an organized crime boss (Luke Aitken) to help him sow chaos, including a corrupt Police Superintendent (Lorraine Craddock), in order to kill the Home Secretary and have David Budd blamed in the end.
Somehow, Nadia also directed her terrorist cell from prison, and told them to attack David's kids' school... Because... Thing.

Nevermind, that's not my problem here.

With all the red herrings, by the end we know that the other two main areas of suspicion, aka the Secret Services (Stephen Hunter and Longcross) and Home Department (Mike Travis and Rob McDonald) were just playing tug o' war with power alongside Julia and were not directly related to the assassination attempts.
Ok...
But waaaiiiit a minute here.

The show went through a long and detailed explanation about how the bomb wasn't in the briefcase, that it was planted under the podium, and that being in an airtight container (to avoid dog sniffing explosives) it apparently was relying on plate pressure to be detonated.
Pressure by 2 people being on stage (hence Tahir Mahmood being sent there).
...
Which then directly implicates McDonald and Travis from Home Department as having directed the bomb planting and being accomplices (at the very least Travis) of the bombing... As they obviously sent Mahmood there with specific instructions.

So why dropping that "little" detail completely at the end, brushing it aside with a "Luke Aitken just found a way somehow" ...

So... Am I off my rocker here, or is it a case of "Orient Express murder" (they All had a hand in it) with some unsolved ties?

/End of ramblings

 

[Orb]

My wife and I are through episode 5 and completely riveted. I've heard from some sources that the final episode goes off the rails, but I'm still excited to see what happens. I feel like the show is keeping me guessing at every turn and I don't know who is on what side and who really knows what.

 

[Dr Doom]

Just reporting in Ma'am
Really liking it.
Just finished episode 3 so I guess I'm on the twist now

 

[Deleted member 2802]

Just reporting in Ma'am
Really liking it.
Just finished episode 3 so I guess I'm on the twist now

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[henhowc]

Just finished it. I was enthralled up to about episode 3. It gradually dipped for me and then it just kind of turned into nonsense in the last episode.

Spoiler: Series and ending spoilers

The police interaction with a suicide bomber...yes let's keep verbally abusing him. He doesn't have a bomb he could detonate or anything. Also critical shot when you don't know what could set off the bomb? They also didn't seem to care that they were allowing him to try and defuse the bomb right next to residential buildings when earlier they were so worried about moving him away from buildings.

David's boss setting him up to be the fall guy but they automatically believe her that she didn't leak the info about the kids cuz she cried a little which lead them to Nadia...

The whole Nadia thing felt like some scooby doo shit. So if they hadn't opted to interview her again cuz of the dna (which could be on the vest for various reasons) she'd just keep mum instead of going on her evil "it was me all along!" rant? Also why would jihadists blowup their own bomb maker instead of a random foot soldier?

On the brightside there was that hilarious scene where longcross gets maced in the face. But at the same time why was it boobtrapped in the first place?

 

[Dr Doom]

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This show went 24 (TV show) as the show goes on it gets stupid.

The bomb.... oh boy

Holy shit that pepper spray is some prank comedy hour

 

[SwitchedOff]

I only made it through the first two episodes - the awful writing, direction and dreary acting bored me senseless.

 

[Mikebison]

It's ok but doesn't have anything on Line of Duty, written by the same guy and starring a lot of the same actors.

 

[hank_tree]

Way too incest-y for my tastes.