Identity (2010)

Our Rating: 3 out of 5

Rated: TVMA

Reviewer: Charity Bishop

Life is difficult when you are living a lie... and even more difficult when you stop. Imagine being undercover for several years and then making the bust without blowing your cover. You might just be tempted to revisit your alternate life...

There's a new London case squad set up to particularly investigate cases of identity theft. It's a baby unit, barely off the ground and relying heavily on early success in order to gain the respectability needed to keep them in motion. The unit is headed up by DSI Martha Lawson (Keeley Hawes) and she's a little concerned about putting so many eggs in one basket -- but not nearly as concerned as her superiors are. Her top dog in this department is John Blooom (Aidan Gillen), who is a specialist at discerning identity thieves because he has spent so much time undercover. But he is secretive, keeps odd hours, and doesn't work well in a group, which is essential. Martha is taking a risk on him and knows it, but tries to give him the benefit of the doubt as he unravels a shocking case of murder, identity theft, and espionage that includes a woman dead, a respectable man accused of major debts and violent cover-ups, and mistaken identities.

Also keeping a watchful eye on John Bloom is his colleague Anthony Wareing (Shaun Parkes), who suspects not all is well with their evasive unofficial team leader... and he's right, because while he is playing a cop by day, at night John Bloom cannot resist returning to certain things in his undercover life -- such as his mobster girlfriend. But life gets complicated when you no longer have a reason to pretend to be a mobster, and your underworld friends want "favors" from you. Eventually, John Bloom will be forced to choose between truth and lies, deception and reality... before it is too late for the unit, for Martha, and for his own life to be saved.

This series is terrific in its first half and a bit bland in its second half; the first three episodes are action-packed and enticing in their nuances, the second particularly brilliant for its crime and the repercussions (it also includes an appearance by Joanne Froggatt as you have never seen her before). The characters are fascinating and we swiftly become involved in rooting for John to complete his cases... but we're also concerned he may get in over his head. I was really loving it and maybe some audiences will continue to love the final three episodes, but in comparison I felt they were rather weak -- creative in finding different ways to handle identity theft (revenge, greed, even a political conspiracy) but just not with the same gusto as the first few hours. That being said, however, it's quite an accomplishment, with smart writing and a great cast. The cases stand alone but the overall arc of John and his undercover life builds throughout until it reaches a dramatic conclusion. Not everything is resolved, however.

Content-wise, I was surprised there was not more considering this aired on primetime on the BBC, but the f-word does get a half dozen uses, along with twice that many uses of s**t. There's one abuse of Christ's name and scattered mild profanities. The violence ranges from implications to more jarring scenes, such as in the pilot when we see a woman brutally run over by a car, both the initial incident and in flashback reminders of events. Other characters are stabbed, shot, punched in the face, and killed; a pregnant woman is stabbed (non-fatally, and the baby is unharmed) and left in a well to die (she doesn't). Though the series doesn't show John being intimate with his mobster girlfriend, one episode does open with them in bed together (some conversation and kissing follows). Two different episodes feature sexual material -- we overhear sounds that imply a woman has traded sex to her former husband / partner in prison for information, and briefly see the silhouette of a sexual tryst behind a curtain.

I could have done with a few less kinks and a little more intensity in the final batch of episodes, but I was surprised how much I enjoyed this series -- and it's a rare chance to see Aidan Gillen play the good guy. Sort of.