Reviewed October-November 2004


Jo
Because Lou has got me all inspired by reminding me how close we are to finishing the first box set, here is a review for Rogue.

We open on stacks of newspapers being thrown out of a yellow van onto a damp looking ground. It always worries me when I see that – do they not care if the papers are destroyed by the damp? Turns out we are at a train station. Ah, British Rail. An inter-city sleeper pulls in and a worried-looking man peers nervously out before disembarking, clutching his briefcase for grim death. A big black car (looks like a taxi?) pulls up, and ominous music begins to play. Doesn't look good for the Worried Man. We see a full frontal face shot of the man in the black cab, and he glowers most appallingly. He attracts the Worried Man by turning on his for hire sign, and then blatantly pulls out a great big gun (complete with silencer) and points it out of the window for anyone to spot, and shoots him. Bang goes the Worried Man. Taxi Man drives off, and when a guard comes over to see why this man has collapsed, he finds that he is wearing a false beard. Several photographs are scattered at his feet. The plot thickens already.

Roll credits.

We are still at the station, but now Cowley is there talking in full official mode to another be-suited man. Their conversation gives the gist that Worried Man was to have been an important witness, and without his testimony, even the papers from his briefcase are worthless. Cowley tuts over his having been allowed to make his own travel arrangements. The Big Bad they are trying to nail is apparently called Paul Culbertson.

Switch to the Lads, flying through the air. And lo! They are fighting the Taxi Man from earlier. Viewers who are paying attention (but haven't seen it before) start to wonder how they managed to be so on the ball. They fight again, two of them against one of him – and he is considerably older. He wipes the floor with them BUT it becomes clear that this is merely a training fight. They are on the same side. Enquiring minds say 'huh?'

Whose bright idea was it to show the face of the traitor in the very first scene? Why oh why couldn't it have been kept as a big surprise for later? <shakes head in dismay>

Back to the fight.
"You know what's the matter with you two, don't you?"
"Yeah," says a winded Bodie. "We're outnumbered."
Taxi Man condescendingly tells them they are good, both of them, but that he has the drop on them. They are in a gym, of all places – a public gym. Does CI5 not have its own training facilities? Bodie drops his gun while putting his coat back on.
"Shot your foot off," Doyle casually remarks, before questioning Taxi Man further about having the drop on them.

He's in the middle of answering when we suddenly switch back to Cowley and the other Suit Man remarking that Alex Boult might know something. Badly edited scene change. We learn that Suit Man is head of Special Branch. Cowley also lets slip that he suspects a mole – the list of people who knew this man was coming in is very small. There is a traitor in the ranks somewhere. And how much more shocking would that have been if we didn't already know that?

Back to the gym – the trio are coming out and mucking about playfully. But it doesn't feel right, somehow – too forced. Anyway, Taxi Man (ok, ok – we haven't been told yet, but this is Barry Martin) tells them why he has the drop on them.
"I've got the drop on you (Bodie) because you know I'm better, and I've got the drop on him (Doyle) because he's an old softie. He hasn't got the heart to take his old mentor." Heh. Backstory like this should be great, but it just doesn't ring true. Barry Martin just doesn't convince me. Sorry.

But, this conversation is where the fanfic favourite of Doyle being an artist comes from, as Barry tells Bodie that: "He does a bit of art on the side, you know. He's not bad, either." He then rambles on and on about when he first met Cowley, who to him will always be the Major. Exposition for the sake of exposition – purely to cement that this character is a trusted friend to all three. Might have worked better if we didn't already know he was the traitor.

They stop to let Barry buy a paper, and finally tell us his name: like I said – Barry Martin.

In his car, Cowley is being driven by Ruth Pettifer – her first appearance? He whinges to her, and she is sympathetic. Cowley moans that the informer should have been in protective custody.
"He has done a lot of time," Ruth reminds him. "He's probably allergic to it."
"He was allergic to bullets," is the Cow's grim rejoinder. "Everyone is."
I'm very glad to hear Cowley scoffing at the dead witnesses false beard. Restores my faith a little.

Cowley radios through to Doyle.
"Where are you?"
"In the car."
"I know you're in the car!" he bellows. "Whereabouts?"
Does Doyle have a death-wish? He loves winding Cowley up.
Cowley checks that the two of them are alone, and then sends them off to pick up Alex Boult who, handily enough, lives not far away.
"This Alex Boult – should we expect any trouble?"
"Only from me if you don't bring him in!"
I love Doyle-Cowley exchanges like this.

"Miss Pettifer, would you say that Doyle could be a wee bit obtuse at times?"
"On the contrary, sir. I would have said alarmingly perceptive."
"Would you now? And what about the other one? Master Bodie?"
"That one's fairly impenetrable. But he doesn't miss a thing."
Ooh. Interesting.

Back to Bodie and Doyle. Barry Martin rejoins them, and they let slip in conversation that they've been sent to pick up Boult and therefore have to skip their planned breakfast. Barry is very nonchalant, pumping them for info, except of course that we already know he's the mole. Doh. He says he'll go with them for the pick-up.

Nice glimpse of how CI5 works on a more routine level, by the way. Bodie and Doyle being summoned like this, while presumably off-duty (officially, at least) and sent off to pick someone up without being told why.

Barry takes the back, while the lads take the front. While Barry legs it up the fire escape, the boys gain access by pretending to be the plumber. Wonder if CI5 teaches recruits to fib like that, or if you have to have a natural gift to gain admission? While they playfully chatter their way upstairs, Barry tosses their suspect out of a window, and cuts his own arm pretending to have been injured in a fight. But if we weren't shown all this and had it revealed later, it would have been so much more suspenseful. Bah. Perfect opportunity for Pros to play murder mystery ruined.

Barry, btw, is not a very unconvincing fibber. How did he get into CI5? However, the Lads do not suspect a thing, gullible little mentor's pets that they are. They are dismayed at losing their target.

Cowley is not amused. Bang goes his witness. He doesn't tell the Lads what it's all about, but they cunningly linger long enough to hear him talking to Mr Special Branch about it, thus clueing them in. They then go and collect Barry from having his arm sewn up in hospital and, unlike the last episode, this hospital actually looks like a working affair. There are people waiting in chairs, staff wandering the corridors, and an infant screeching in the background. A vast improvement over the ghost ship where Bodie was treated in Klansmen.

They chatter about the case which, because we know that Barry is the Bad Guy, seems obvious that he's pumping them for information. But if it was any other agent – one without having been told from the start that he's the mole – it would probably seem perfectly natural to be discussing an active case like that. It is very annoying. They continue to chatter like good old buddies all the way into the car and while making plans for a drink at Barry's place. Barry is excruciatingly bad. He is in no way a CI5 agent. They could at least have hired an actor who could both look and act the part.

Cowley and Mr Special Branch are still discussing their problem, with Barry's credentials being weighed up. He was at the initial briefing, it seems, and so knew about the other witness – Bodie and Doyle were on assignment at the time, and so are not suspects. But Cowley protests that Barry Martin is above suspicion. Mr Special Branch questions that, and Cowley's lip curls in distaste. Yes, I quite agree.

Arriving at Barry's place, it is clear that Doyle has been there before, but Bodie hasn't. Barry's girlfriend arrives – a much younger blonde: Maggie. Barry sends them all off to the pub while he changes. Inside, he finds his door ajar and enters cautiously, losing the sling – obviously doesn't need it, then. The intruder is none other than Culbertson himself. They argue over Martin's assassination of the witness and of Boult. Martin is clearly a loose cannon. And see – this would have been the proper place for the big reveal!

At the pub, Maggie is keeping Bodie entertained, until Doyle gets back and starts winding him up.

Cowley goes to see the forensic pathologist, who confirms his worst fears, that Boult was murdered, and not in self defence.
"I've got to clean my own doorstep," he mutters.
But can I just mention that there's no indication that they picked up the knife Barry threw out of the window, which would have his fingerprints only on it. I'm unclear how close his apartment is to the river – close enough for the knife to have gone in?

Back at home, Barry and Maggie are alone together schmoozing. And then she's off, passing Cowley on his way in. Barry is playing it cool, until Cowley confronts him point blank.
"Why? I've got no favourites, you know that. But you were my first choice…the devil I didn't know quite well enough."
Barry tries to defend himself by comparing himself to Cowley, who also break rules.
"I break the bad rules," Cowley protests indignantly. "The stupid rules, but not the good ones: they can never be broken."
See, I can agree with this up to a point, but surely the whole point of having rules is because if people go around breaking them all the time, you can't always rely on them to know which ones should and shouldn't be broken. Once one role model breaks a bad rule it's a slippery slope to an impressionable idiot taking that as justification for breaking any rule they choose. Barry Martin is testimony to this. But I digress.

"I'm getting old, Major," Barry explains. "And what have I got? Nothing." That is his self-justification. That a life of service has left him with so little.
"You let me down, but in some way I'm to blame," Cowley tells him. "Because I chose you…but I chose you for what you were, not for what you've become."

Barry agrees to go quietly, and then tosses Cowley downstairs. Ouch. Barry then fetches his case, and only a disturbance upstairs stops him shooting his unconscious former friend in cold blood. He makes tracks with all speed.

Back to the hospital. Doyle is fretting outside what is presumably Cowley's room. Bodie joins him – they have apparently been sent, though who by remains a mystery. Who is in charge with Cowley incapacitated? Cowley is 'rough' according to Doyle. They continue to wait.

Barry goes to see Culbertson seeking help to flee the country. Culbertson offers him a place on one of his ships, about to sail at dawn.

Back at the hospital, and the Lads are still slumped around in attitudes of dejection, but are finally allowed to see their ailing boss. Cowley waffles on about keeping the doorstep clean, letting them know that Martin has gone bad, that he is the mole. They are endearingly willing to believe their concussed boss (who for all they know could be communing with pink elephants at that very moment) and to believe the worst of this man the entire episode has painted as a close and trusted friend to both of them. Bodie looks grim; Doyle looks shell-shocked, absolutely gutted. They head off to pick him up before the other departments get involved.

If only there was such a thing as continuity this episode could have had so much potential – for a start, the trusted friend could have been built up more convincingly, but also, the entire incident could and should have had so much fallout, both within and without the department. But I digress again.

Doyle looks ever so skinny in this episode – especially the thighs. I like his yellow shirt and green jacket. But there I go digressing again.

They head to Barry's apartment and check it out, still muttering and tutting to themselves angrily. There are weapons concealed in every conceivable location, and then some. Note that Bodie pinches one of the knives, tucking it into his belt – what was that about breaking the rules again? They trace Maggie via the takeaway she and Barry had the previous night. It is very amusing, Bodie's little discourse with the Chinese guy at the takeaway. Almost as funny as Doyle winding Cowley up earlier.

Barry's car is outside Maggie's building. They enter cautiously.
"Oh it's you…and you," Maggie notes.
"Never far apart," Doyle agrees. Unfortunately, that isn't always true, but those eps tend to be not so much fun.
Maggie lets them in. She has a lovely apartment. I'm very jealous.
Doyle spots bloody bandages pushed to one side – Barry has been there, but hot-footed it out of the window (unless that is a missed metaphor, or something). Barry's arrival back on terra firma is greeted with dramatic music that is quite uncalled for. The Lads get downstairs just in time to see Barry driving off, but they've got the number, and Doyle knows where he keeps his spare car. They go zooming off.

Then we get fun and games in a multi-storey car park. Barry is there, creeping around between cars. Bodie and Doyle stalk cautiously around, finding his abandoned mini. Silence – until Barry revs the engine of his new car and goes racing off, Lads in hot pursuit. They promptly lose him, but Doyle got the number.

Couple of local bobbies get their chance of glory, seeing the plate and pulling it over. Sadly, it turns out to be the wrong driver – Jeronimo, Barry's contact, having been asked to drive his car around for him. Barry has gone back and picked up his. Doyle suggests Culbertson, who claims innocence, but there they get an idea – Culbertson has boats.

Barry, meanwhile, has picked up Maggie, only to tell her she can't come, but that he'll send for her. He heads off to catch his boat.

The Lads likewise arrive and start prowling, splitting up. They have a cute R/T conversation, followed by more prowling. Meanwhile on board, the captain is waiting.

And then pow! Barry sneaks up on Doyle and gets him in a neck-lock. Cue fight. Doyle gets the worst of it, but as Barry heads off, Bodie comes racing over and pulls a gun on him. Deadlock. But Barry remains calm, still believing he has the drop on Bodie. And so it proves. He throws a knife, and Bodie goes down, hit in the shoulder, just as Doyle starts to rise – not unlike a seesaw, in fact. Doyle snatches up Bodie's dropped gun and aims, as Bodie yells: "Take him, Doyle! Take him."

A shot rings out. But it was not fired by Doyle – Martin has been taken out by a sniper on the departing ship.

Back in hospital, Bodie – wound now sewn up, is happily scoffing Cowley's grapes. Cowley himself looks content, since the captain has admitted the killing and implicated Culbertson. Doyle is still unhappy though, that he had Martin in his sights but couldn't pull the trigger. Cowley can't blame him, admitting he's not sure he could have either.

Quick query. Since they are in the same clothes, and Bodie's shirt is still bloody, not much time could have passed. They sorted it all out that quickly? Wow.

Cowley wants his whiskey, but the Lads claim not to have brought any, and beat a hasty retreat. He flings the paper bag containing grapes at the door – and it smashes, containing whiskey after all. The end.

Except that, since they just lost a close and trusted friend who betrayed them all, they really shouldn't be so upbeat. What is it with the chipper, corny endings? It is okay to end on a downbeat note, you know!

Anyway, overall, the episode has its fun moments, but is ultimately unsatisfying somehow. Barry Martin is unconvincing, but the big downside was giving away the big secret in the very first scene. Bad storytelling.

I do enjoy Doyle winding up Cowley, though, and Bodie's conversation with the Chinese Takeaway man. Great fun.



Helen:
Joanna, Thanks for the review, however you forgot to mention Rogue's redeeming feature - Bodie's tight tight (did I say tight?) cream pants. In certain scenes his attributes are outstandingly obvious!
Cheers, Helen



Debs:
And such impressive attributes they are too! ;)

There should be some kind of law about Bodie and Doyle wearing pants like that in public. Not that I'm complaining mind.

Debs xxx



Metabolick:
One of the things I adore most about Pros is the looks the Lads exchange so often, especially when it's obvious they really enjoy each other's company. In Rogue it happens in front of the Chinese restaurant when Bodie smiles back at Ray in the car to make sure he's following what's happening, and Ray is sitting behind the wheel watching Bodie's every move with a big grin on his face. Priceless!

I find it hard to believe that a 50-year-old could beat two fit guys 20 years younger than him, and even Doyle by himself.

And what was up with having the girlfriend sporting a bruised arm? Are we to believe that Barry got rough with her when she tried to convince him to take her along when he left?



Birgit:
This ep is decidedly dodgy, I agree, and the one redeeming aspect is certainly the lads' looks - sorry, and I'm NOT talking about Bodie's pants. I do like him, but in that outfit he does even less to me than usually. <ducks flying objects>

Doyle, however, looks fabulous in those chinos although they do make you wonder if Martin Shaw has a masochistic streak to want to wear anything as tight as that. He certainly looks slightly... uh... pinched. <g>

One of the things I adore most about Pros is the looks the Lads exchange so often,

Absolutely! In terms of buddiness (provided there is such a word), this is an excellent ep, from their joint effort to floor Barry at the gym to the goose on the stairs to the way Doyle wakes Bodie once he's been told Cowley's woken up.

All the more puzzling is the fact that in the fighting scene Doyle is unable to shoot Barry, but obviously doesn't even notice Bodie's injured - he can't know it's not all that dangerous, so he should be fretting a little, but he doesn't. Makes you wonder if he really cares that much for his old mentor-turned-rogue he can't even wing him to stop him from getting away, while totally ignoring his actual partner's distress. Hm.

I've been wondering about Maggie's bruise, too. She's not very convincing anyway, I think. What does a posh bird like her see in a craggy elderly agent who doesn't even move with the ease you'd expect from a well-trained agent, on the wrong side of forty or not.

I love the scene at Bolt's place. It's Doyle, of course, who sweet-talks the neighbour into opening the door for them by telling her the leak is in the flat over hers - clever boy! If I were her, however, I'd make damn sure to check what they're up to and I'd also wonder just how they're going to get *into* that flat once they're in the house... hm.

Conveniently, it's not the lady with the shrill voice, but a scantily dressed pretty bird that comes skipping down the stairs...

... which leads me to my fav moment in this ep: After they've passed her, they both stop to stare after her, then exchange a meaningful glance ("I thought you were a leg man!")

My fav bit of dialogue:

DOYLE: Oh, you wait till you get inside; you'll love it. Bird-puller's paradise. It's got the hi-fi, the king-size bed, automated drinks trolley. It's like one of those talking adenoids.
BODIE: Androids.
DOYLE: That's what I said, didn't I.

Do we spot a little envy in Doyle's voice about the bird-pulling potential of the place? And no wonder Doyle gets himself a dictionary at some point between seasons 1 and 2 to take revenge...

My greatest mystery in this ep: Why does everyone who enters Barry's flat turn over that bloody table in the hall? Bodie can't even know there's a gun taped under it.

Birgit


Sue:
I happened to watch Rogue a week or so ago but dislike it so much I can't bear to watch it again even for the review, so will have to rely on memory for my comments.
I like the idea of Barry Martin having the drop on both the lads and the psychological advantage over Doyle is particularly interesting - in idea only though, the execution of it was not convincing. And as for Barry being better than either of them is more than laughable, it's beyond belief that the anybody thought we would accept it.
There are plenty of older actors who look as if they could still handle themselves and as if they were once very good, so why on earth cast Glyn Owen?
Jo is right (of course), the exchange between Doyle and Cowley is a hoot. I also love the Ruth dialogue :)

Whilst I can (reluctantly) accept that under certain circumstances Doyle would be unable to shoot certain people, I wasn't convinced that Barry Martin was one of those people and certainly not having hurt Bodie. But beyond all that I absolutely cannot accept that Cowley would also be unable to shoot if he were in a similar situation. Nothing gets between Cowley and his principles as we've seen time and again.

I've always said there is no such thing as a completely bad episode; B & D are worth watching at any time, but they are all that saves this episode. I really don't like it.

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