OVERALL: Wow. That was one amazing ride.

POINTS: I looked forward to watching this show the minute I heard about it. Not one second disappointed. And OMG one of the heroines was pregnant!!!!

PITFALLS: For me, these are more cultural issues so see  Female Characters below.

FEMALE CHARACTER(S): Cool. The character Angela Burr – played with great gusto by Olivia Colman – just rocks it out in this show. First her character was originally a man however they wanted to add more women to the show and voila! Angela Burr. I am so glad they did this. This gives a woman in this show a voice that would not have happened otherwise. And OMG is Angela Burr GREAT! I LOVE watching a pregnant Olivia Colman bring on justice like the warrior Mother Goddess Kali Herself! It reminded me of Lucy Lawless in Xena: Warrior Princess, dealing out justice with her baby belly. I think it is fortuitous that Colman was pregnant as well, it is just good to see pregnant women on screen being more than just an incubator. Huzzah!

(Aside: Oh and people are saying how Tom Hiddleston would be a good James Bond. (I agree, but after Idris Elba.) However I must insist that Olivia Colman play M – and M is always pregnant. After the third movie Bond could look at her and she would look back and say “I’m fertile.” This makes me happy.)

Then there is Jed, well played by Elizabeth Debicki. I originally wrote some disappointing words about Jed being a typical trope. I’m glad I didn’t publish my review until after I had seen the whole series and changed my mind. I am happy to say that Jed rose above what I originally wrote and became a woman who started to find her own grit. Well done! You can read my original thoughts about Jed on the Trope Thoughts page under Victim Bot. I am very happy to say I was wrong and am so glad she got a chance to grow. Well done everyone!

CULTURAL PITFALL(S): Well this show has no love for those who treat people like objects or things that are lesser. That is very nice. Only villains are racist, sexist, and rude in this show. Yes the typical women as sex objects bit which I cover in Female Characters.

HIGH POINT(S):

#.) Director Susanne Bier. OMG yes a woman directed this!! So cool. And she did a fabulous job!!

#.) Pregnant Angela Burr. I don’t think I will ever be truly capable of explaining how EPIC it is that a pregnant woman was a central character to a show AND she was a spy doing an incredible job! I frickin’ LOVED THAT! I think pregnant women need to be shown as the competent people they are and this for me was so joyous. I previously likened to her to Kali Ma, Hindu Goddess of Awesome. At least for me. Kali Ma is life-death-rebirth-JUSTICE all rolled in to one. My favorite stories are of her killing thousands of demons because yeah, that’s what She does. I feel that Angela Burr, pregnant and fighting off demons (the villain Roper) and making the world a better place while pregnant was the total embodiment of Kali Ma. That makes me happy. (Kali – Wikipedia)

#.) Acting. Everyone played their parts to perfection. Well done everyone! Especially you Tom Hiddleston and Hugh Laurie. You were perfect bookend pairs to this story.

#.) Updates. The book The Night Manager was originally a novel by John le Carre. I like that the miniseries add in the Arab Spring and gave a more just ending.

BECHDEL TEST (Website): 3 of 3. That was fun!

RACIAL BECHDEL TEST (Website): 3 of 3. 🙂

IMDB: The Night Manager (TV Mini-Series 2016)

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:  The Night Manager on AMC | The Night Manager – Facebook

DVD/BLU-RAY WORTHY: Yes! Where can I get a copy? I own it on Amazon.com streaming but a DVD version would be nice.

LION PAW PRINTS:  4 of 5. I want to buy it now.

LINKS:

• The Night Manager (miniseries) – Wikipedia
• ‘The Night Manager’ Miniseries Premiere: When And Where To Watch The New AMC Drama [VIDEO]
• British Thriller Miniseries The Night Manager Legitimately Thrills

THE NIGHT MANAGER Trailer (2016) John Le Carré Mini-Series