Counter-Measures: Series 3 Box Set

The third season has more ongoing plot elements than the previous two, with only the second episode being really stand-alone. It also features a harsher and more discordant version of the theme tune, which I, personally, didn't think was an improvement, but perhaps reflects the somewhat darker tone of the stories this time round.

* Changing of the Guard - Following on more or less directly from the end of the previous season, this story consists of two parallel plotlines. In one, Sir Toby faces a parliamentary enquiry into his admittedly dodgy machinations in the previous season finale, while the rest of the team struggles with his even less sympathetic replacement. There is not quite as much tension here as is likely intended, given that we know one of the main characters isn't going to be written out in the first episode. Fortunately, this is more than made up for by a more traditional plot involving East End gangsters and some alien goo. Everyone has a key role to play in the resolution, in a story with clear parallels to a certain real-world crime story of the time. 4.5 stars.

* The Concrete Cage – This is essentially a ghost story that takes, as its setting, the construction of one of those ghastly brutalist tower blocks that were so popular at the time (among architects, that is, not residents). There is some mystery as to whether the ghosts are genuinely supernatural or have some mundane explanation, but the strength of the story is its weaving together of ‘modern' urban development, with hints of Ronan Point a few years later, and the legacy of the Blitz, 20 years prior. As a ghost story, it's quite effective, and something of a change of pace for the series, and a glimpse into the grimmer side of ‘60s ambience. 4 stars.

* The Forgotten Village - Allison returns to her home in Wales to care for her ailing father, and, naturally enough, runs into an alien mystery in the process. The story is a good character piece for Allison, revealing a lot about her past, in addition to trying to deal with the main threat on her own until the true scale of it becomes apparent. The episode leaves some issues intentionally unresolved, as well as highlighting the different approaches used by the members of the Counter-Measures team. 4 stars.

* Unto the Breach - With the unresolved tensions and fall-out of the previous episode still raw, the team heads to Berlin to investigate reports of an alien spaceship having crashed in East Germany. This, of course, leads into a Cold War spy story, and, perhaps partly because of the East Berlin setting, one that reminds me more of The Spy Who Came in from the Cold than it does of, say, Danger Man or '60s James Bond films. Granted, George Smiley never had to deal with possible alien technology, but what we get here is a complex plot with double-crossing agents and an ever-present fear of the Volkspolizei. The fact that the Germans do, in fact, speak German (you can't do subtitles in audio...) adds to the verisimilitude. The whole thing ends on a huge cliffhanger with multiple questions left unanswered. 5 stars.