User Reviews

In recent some western nations have cut back on foreign aid. Britain is one of them, the mantra being there are people in the UK who need the money.

Of course what many do not realise is the principle of there being no free lunch. For every £1 of aid given, the donore nation gets 10 times as much back in some form or another.

After world war two. America ramped up foreign aid for its neighbours. To stop communism entering the Americas and gain influence. Financial, military and otherwise. Even if some of the aid was siphoned off by corrupt leaders.

Paul Marino goes to an unnamed Lain American country run by a dictator and his cronies. They roll out the golden carpet for Marino, all so Marino will give them a good write up.

Marino goes away from his handlers to find people who are tortured or disappeared. Americans getting rich by paying bribes for construction contracts.

The US Embassy knows what is going on but feel they need to walk a tightrope.

A sense of realpolitik, the US embassy actually encourages Marino's investigations. Director William Conrad also makes a cameo as a sinister man.

Marino and Flood visit a South American dictatorship, having been made aware that funds aren't exactly going to the people they're intended for.

I was initially going to write this one off, and to bemoan the fact that Marino is sent to yet another Banana Republic, to encounter yet another tin pot dictator, who's sole purpose is to suppress and coin it in, don't get me wrong, there are elements of that, but it turns out this is a pretty good episode.

What a fascinating story, nobody on Earth wants to even contemplate the thought of foreign aid money being stolen, and kept from the very people that need it the most.

Marino's involvement felt pretty natural, he wasn't just shoehorned in, it was a piece of investigate journalism, he was placed in such an interesting position, nothing was going to happen to him, but he was clearly only allowed to see certain things (that was never going to work!)

This series is definitely ending well.

7/10.