Really liked the idea for the story here for "Protection" on first watch, on paper it sounded like it would be unsettling and affecting. It is also hard to not expect a lot when the previous Season 3 episodes and a vast majority of the episodes in the first two seasons ranged from good to amazing, and it would have been hard to follow on from a previous episode that was as powerful as "Monogamy". So the potential was absolutely there from the get go.
Couldn't help feeling somewhat disappointed by "Protection", the potential is a long way from wasted but at the same time it is not fully realised. It struck me as pretty good on first watch but it felt like there was something missing and that the story could have been better told. Have seen "Protection" a couple more times since and those feelings have not really changed. Just to make it clear before anybody reads further and gets the impression that this reviewer didn't like the episode, this is actually coming from somebody that liked it but didn't love it (and was expecting to).
"Protection" would have been even better if the story was executed more consistently. A few of the events here could have easily been avoided if the team worked more cohesively and dealt with the protection more competently. Contributing to at this point uncharacteristic mistakes, such as letting an innocent person get killed in so public a place so easily.
Also if Maria didn't take so long deciding whether to trust the police and if her lack of co-operation wasn't so over the top.
Despite how all of this sounds, "Protection" is still a pretty good episode. It also does have a lot of very good things. It is elevated hugely by the powerful performance of Elpidia Carrillo, a searingly intense turn but also a moving one. Louie Leonardo is not one to mess with. Maria's terror is completely understandable. The other performances are also extremely good, none of the regulars have yet to put a foot wrong.
The episode looks as slick as one expects from the show and franchise, while it is also unobtrusively scored and professionally directed. While the story is flawed in its execution, it at least maintains interest throughout and doesn't lose it. "Protection" does have genuine tension, thanks to the threat being so strong, and the tragic parts also make it poignant at times.
In summary, pretty good but also somewhat disappointing. 7/10
Couldn't help feeling somewhat disappointed by "Protection", the potential is a long way from wasted but at the same time it is not fully realised. It struck me as pretty good on first watch but it felt like there was something missing and that the story could have been better told. Have seen "Protection" a couple more times since and those feelings have not really changed. Just to make it clear before anybody reads further and gets the impression that this reviewer didn't like the episode, this is actually coming from somebody that liked it but didn't love it (and was expecting to).
"Protection" would have been even better if the story was executed more consistently. A few of the events here could have easily been avoided if the team worked more cohesively and dealt with the protection more competently. Contributing to at this point uncharacteristic mistakes, such as letting an innocent person get killed in so public a place so easily.
Also if Maria didn't take so long deciding whether to trust the police and if her lack of co-operation wasn't so over the top.
Despite how all of this sounds, "Protection" is still a pretty good episode. It also does have a lot of very good things. It is elevated hugely by the powerful performance of Elpidia Carrillo, a searingly intense turn but also a moving one. Louie Leonardo is not one to mess with. Maria's terror is completely understandable. The other performances are also extremely good, none of the regulars have yet to put a foot wrong.
The episode looks as slick as one expects from the show and franchise, while it is also unobtrusively scored and professionally directed. While the story is flawed in its execution, it at least maintains interest throughout and doesn't lose it. "Protection" does have genuine tension, thanks to the threat being so strong, and the tragic parts also make it poignant at times.
In summary, pretty good but also somewhat disappointing. 7/10
