A Spy Among Friends (TV Mini Series) Allegory of the Catholic Faith (2022) User Reviews

Very well made, but so slow.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 5/10 · 6 August 2023]

Elizabeth is introduced to Lily Thomas, but she and Nicholas are still unsure as to whether she's a friend of foe. Philby, now living as a Russian citizen, realises that even though he has his Soviet passport, that he is still an untrusted outsider.

The story has been given a very modern twist, and I'm just not sure it's working, the pacing is agonising, and the storytelling is so jumbled, at times I don't know if we're in the past, present, Russia, London or Germany, it is quite hard to follow, I'm not sure if it's the lack of narrative or frustration.

Philby's scenes behind the iron curtain were revealing and interesting, his realisation that the grass isn't necessarily greener on the other side was perhaps the highlight of this slightly slow episode.

Once again, I can't fault the acting or the production, but the content is proving very hard to enjoy, I feel like I'm ensuring it.

5/10.

Allegory of the Catholic Faith

[Prismark10 · 5/10 · 1 August 2023]

There was an interesting bit where Philby is Sherlock Holmes to Nicholas Elliott's Dr Watson.

Later the character of Anthony Blunt is introduced, a man who would be unmasked publically as a Soviet spy in 1979. He is played by Nicholas Rowe, forever to be known as Young Sherlock Holmes in the Steven Spielberg produced film from the mid 1980s.

It begins with Eliott asking Philby to confess everything, all the deaths he was responsible for. In return Philby will be granted immunity from the British government.

It ends with the deaths of German Catholic resistance members. Their sins was not that they were anti Nazi, they were anti Bolshevik and sold out to the Russians.

The shifting about in various time periods doesn't help this drama. Nor does the slow place. Third episode in and this is not going anywhere.