Writers: Ben Newman & Simon Burke
Director: Stephen Woolfenden
Previously on “Strike Back”:
The role of Leo Kamali has been a great gift for Zubin Varla this season on “Strike Back.” Outside of the main characters, few other performers on this show have had a character arc as rich as Kamali’s story. Just eight episodes ago, Kamali was simply the man who murdered Sergeant Liam Baxter (Liam Garrigan) and an important figure in Al-Zuhari’s terrorist network.
Subsequently, Kamali was revealed to be a deep cover CIA agent; which only made the late Rachel Dalton (Rhona Mitra) even angrier at him for killing Baxter. But each episode has humanized Kamali and he’s even bonded with Sgt. Michael Stonebridge (Philip Winchester) and Sgt. Damien Scott (Sullivan Stapleton). By the end of episode six, Kamali was practically accepted as a defacto member of Section 20.
However, we as an audience were so primed for Kamali to turn on the team that it was disappointing when he finally did. Not in terms of execution, but because Kamali had become so sympathetic. That took a hit when Kamali gave up the location of Scott and Stonebridge to preserve his cover. Perhaps he did so out of paranoia and fear, but that doesn’t make it any less of a betrayal.
Episode 8 clarifies Kamali’s actions and he shows obvious remorse when he tells Lt. Colonel Philip Locke (Robson Green) what he did. By that point, Locke was so suspicious of Kamali that he basically accused Kamali of being an Islamic terrorist. Kamali’s pained expression spoke volumes, but it was a suspicion that he had earned. Kamali must have realized that or else he wouldn’t have through such lengths to prove himself once again to Section 20. To Locke and to Scott.
There’s a callback here to the very first episode of Cinemax’s incarnation of “Strike Back.” Later this month, American viewers are going to get a better chance to know the late John Porter (Richard Armitage) in the rechristened “Strike Back: Origins.” Porter was a member of Section 20 and a friend of Scott’s who was brutally executed in a terrorist propaganda video. The ending of this episode brought us back that image and it was chilling to see the men and women of Section 20 once again helpless to prevent an execution..
There are full spoilers ahead for last night’s episode of “Strike Back,” so if you happen to have missed it then you should probably skip this review or else you’re gonna have to tell Ester.
The worst part about Leo Kamali’s murder is that he’s made to repeat Al-Zuhari’s propaganda and admit to betraying the organization even though he’s getting a bullet to his head either way. As soon as that helicopter took off, it was clear that Kamali was a dead man. If Scott or Stonebridge had been taken hostage, I think their survival wouldn’t have been in doubt. Zubin Varla may have had fourth billing in the opening credits, but he was never the star of this show.
Scott’s first words after witnessing Kamali’s execution were about what he can possibly say to Kamali’s daughter, Ester (Amy Leigh Hickman) after promising to keep her dad safe. One of the reasons that Scott came to like Kamali was Ester herself. Scott has no family, although it’s been strongly hinted that he wants to reunite with his ex-lover and their daughter. Although, if there’s no one else for Ester, I could see Scott trying to take her in. He probably wouldn’t be the world’s greatest parent, but there’s love there.
Scott’s three episode streak of not having a sex scene came to an end before Kamali’s execution. Nothing kills the mood like watching one of your buddies get murdered. Even Locke shows obvious remorse over Kamali’s fate and the way that Locke mistrusted him. Locke’s earlier comment to Kamali was borderline racist, but it was in response to learning that Kamali had sold out Scott and Stonebridge.
Despite the suspicions, Kamali got to show off his heroic side during the raid of the testing facility that exposed his true loyalties. Watching Kamali poison that lead scientist was cathartic after witnessing what that man was doing to his helpless victims. And all throughout, Kamali seemed to be looking to Locke for his approval if only to win back his trust.
Prior to this, Scott and his reluctant partner, Major Nina Pirogova (Tereza Srobva) staged an impressive escape from their corrupt Russian captors. Scott and Nina’s interplay was very funny and very buddy movie. Their chemistry seemed to click and she’s the best sparring partner that Scott has had outside of Stonebridge. Exactly no one should be surprised that they ended up naked together in bed at the end as they went over the ways to properly enjoy Russian alcohol.
The women of Section 20, Sergeant Julia Richmond (Michelle Lukes) and Kim Martinez (Milauna Jackson) haven’t gotten quite the same focus that their male counterparts have received this season. However, the burgeoning friendship between Richmond and Martinez has had a nice slow burn. Here, Martinez gets a strong moment to reflect on the murder she could have prevented in the previous episode. She and Martinez could have saved an innocent woman from being executed, but they held back to protect the mission as well as Scott and Stonebridge.
Whereas Martinez is shaken by what happened, Richmond has taken a more pragmatic view. As she explains it, the world is simple, not complicated. And dealing with the complex morality of their actions “gets better.” It’s not that Richmond doesn’t care about the woman’s death, she’s simply numbed herself to that kind of situation.
Similarly, Scott doesn’t quite allow Kamali to apologize for selling him out because he views everyone as pieces on a game board. In this game, everyone is expendable. Scott is not endorsing this worldview. In fact, it’s probably why he’s so eager to take his stolen diamonds and get the hell out of Section 20. Only Scott’s loyalty to Stonebridge and the rest of the team has kept him around this long.
I know that I’ve mentioned Kamali disproportionately in this review, but his story this season was one of the most affecting. However, a good deal of this episode rests solely on the shoulders of Philip Winchester’s Michael Stonebridge; who had to make a partial escape just to call in reinforcements while dealing with the lethal side effects of his exposure to a bio-weapon.
In another callback to the first season, Stonebridge has to fight off and kill two guards while completely naked in front of an incinerator. It’s another one of those “Only on Cinemax!” moments, which includes Scott’s romp with Nina.
At the back of my mind, I knew that Stonebridge would pull through. But Winchester conveyed Stonebridge’s vulnerability so well that there was a real sense of danger when Dr. Takenaka (Togo Igawa) was ready to expose Stonebridge to the bio-weapon.
I fully expect that Stonebridge will be back in action for the beginning of next week’s two part endgame to this season’s storyline. Scott and Stonebridge work best as a team. Separating them for the bulk of this episode served as a reminder of how formidable they are together. It’s hard not to root for them to save the day and then retire to safety with the stolen diamonds.
But then there wouldn’t be any show, would there? As long as Winchester and Stapleton are are sticking around, Scott and Stonebriidge will always be destined to kick some serious ass on Friday nights.
