I'm very glad to see reviews her by Romanians addressing the issue of the Romanian dialogue and the characterizations of historical figures; I was wondering if Romanians would find those portions of the series realistic. It's sad to hear that it didn't quite make the grade.
While I really like the production design overall, and really liked the fact that the series took place in a variety of languages (I hate spy movies where everyone speaks English, though I understand it's a matter of convenience), the story grew more and more implausible with each episode.
First off, I really don't understand how the head KGB character's motivations (Shakarov, not the other one). He's a literal deus ex machina in a couple of scenes, helping Godeanu's daughter escape to the West as well as freeing Godeanu after he was kidnapped by the Securitate. But why? Why would a KGB agent altruistically help them escape to the West instead of extracting the daughter to Moscow as a way to lure Godeanu there as well? Shakarov was basically a KGB fairy godfather whose sole purpose was to help the main characters when the plot required it. Very poor writing.
And don't get me started on the ridiculous portrayal of security at the American embassy. Want to kidnap someone from one of the most secure locations on the planet? Easy! Want to bring in a briefcase bomb through the front door? Easy! Apparently they just weren't checking bags that day, lol. And I'm sure they'd just let a Romanian defector run around the embassy with a gun like Dirty Harry to hunt down a terrorist (and seriously, in that scene, there are absolutely no other armed personnel during a bomb scare, no Marines, MPs, German police, etc?). And one minute, the main CIA guy is at his desk running agents, the next minute he's running around with Godeanu with his gun drawn like in some buddy cop movie even though of course CIA personnel had no law-enforcement jurisdiction in West Germany. Imagine the scandal that would've caused: rogue CIA official caught with high-ranking Romanian defector acting as police in 70s Bonn, investigating crime scenes with guns drawn. Oh, and Godeanu just happened to know who the Egyptian guy was, how convenient. There are lots of very convenient moments in the show.
The part that really takes the cake though is the very last scene, where the CIA guy, Godeanu, and his daughter are casually sitting on the front steps of the embassy in plain view of everyone, including any potential Securitate agents looking to take revenge. But no, it's like the end of some feelgood TV movie, with everyone laughing at the end as the credits roll.
While I really like the production design overall, and really liked the fact that the series took place in a variety of languages (I hate spy movies where everyone speaks English, though I understand it's a matter of convenience), the story grew more and more implausible with each episode.
First off, I really don't understand how the head KGB character's motivations (Shakarov, not the other one). He's a literal deus ex machina in a couple of scenes, helping Godeanu's daughter escape to the West as well as freeing Godeanu after he was kidnapped by the Securitate. But why? Why would a KGB agent altruistically help them escape to the West instead of extracting the daughter to Moscow as a way to lure Godeanu there as well? Shakarov was basically a KGB fairy godfather whose sole purpose was to help the main characters when the plot required it. Very poor writing.
And don't get me started on the ridiculous portrayal of security at the American embassy. Want to kidnap someone from one of the most secure locations on the planet? Easy! Want to bring in a briefcase bomb through the front door? Easy! Apparently they just weren't checking bags that day, lol. And I'm sure they'd just let a Romanian defector run around the embassy with a gun like Dirty Harry to hunt down a terrorist (and seriously, in that scene, there are absolutely no other armed personnel during a bomb scare, no Marines, MPs, German police, etc?). And one minute, the main CIA guy is at his desk running agents, the next minute he's running around with Godeanu with his gun drawn like in some buddy cop movie even though of course CIA personnel had no law-enforcement jurisdiction in West Germany. Imagine the scandal that would've caused: rogue CIA official caught with high-ranking Romanian defector acting as police in 70s Bonn, investigating crime scenes with guns drawn. Oh, and Godeanu just happened to know who the Egyptian guy was, how convenient. There are lots of very convenient moments in the show.
The part that really takes the cake though is the very last scene, where the CIA guy, Godeanu, and his daughter are casually sitting on the front steps of the embassy in plain view of everyone, including any potential Securitate agents looking to take revenge. But no, it's like the end of some feelgood TV movie, with everyone laughing at the end as the credits roll.