(Review updated after Season 4).
Doron Kavillio was once a member of an elite Israeli counter-terrorism team. Seeking the quiet life he has retired to own a vineyard. His peaceful existence is shattered when he learns that a Hamas military leader, the mastermind behind the deaths of scores of Israelis, a man he was convinced he had killed, is alive and well and planning another attack. He quickly rejoins his team in their hunt for Abu Ahmed.
Superb drama. Shows well the Israeli-Palestinian struggle, from both sides. Solid, very gritty plot: feels very realistic and there are no indispensable characters. Not at all predictable: some great twists and turns, all without feeling like twists just for twists sake. Great action scenes too: once again quite realistic in feel - not over-the-top gung ho stuff.
From the outset the series also demonstrates the vicious cycle that is the struggle in the Middle East, as violence just begets violence. One side will kill someone from the other side, and the other side will avenge them, perpetuating the cycle. Also shows how innocent civilians get pulled into this cycle: people determined to stay out of the conflict get sucked in once a relative is killed.
There's also a great sense of pointlessness to it all. The Israeli team is tasked with tracking down and killing high profile terrorists / operatives. When they accomplish this there is a sense of achievement but they know it will be short-lived as someone will just replace that person and the whole thing starts again, never to end. This is even admitted to in a discussion by two Israeli agents in one of the reflective moments in the series.
Amongst all this there are also some great sub-plots involving family life and relationships, making for quite engaging viewing as you get to know the characters and what they're experiencing behind the scenes.
Season ratings: S1: 9/10, S2: 10, S3: 10, S4 9.5. S1 was less well-rounded in that it didn't show much of the family/relationship stuff and concentrated almost exclusively on the intrigue and action. From S2 onwards the writers added more depth to the plots and characters. S4 started strongly but dragged a bit in the middle episodes before returned to its best. Incredibly tense and powerful ending.
Doron Kavillio was once a member of an elite Israeli counter-terrorism team. Seeking the quiet life he has retired to own a vineyard. His peaceful existence is shattered when he learns that a Hamas military leader, the mastermind behind the deaths of scores of Israelis, a man he was convinced he had killed, is alive and well and planning another attack. He quickly rejoins his team in their hunt for Abu Ahmed.
Superb drama. Shows well the Israeli-Palestinian struggle, from both sides. Solid, very gritty plot: feels very realistic and there are no indispensable characters. Not at all predictable: some great twists and turns, all without feeling like twists just for twists sake. Great action scenes too: once again quite realistic in feel - not over-the-top gung ho stuff.
From the outset the series also demonstrates the vicious cycle that is the struggle in the Middle East, as violence just begets violence. One side will kill someone from the other side, and the other side will avenge them, perpetuating the cycle. Also shows how innocent civilians get pulled into this cycle: people determined to stay out of the conflict get sucked in once a relative is killed.
There's also a great sense of pointlessness to it all. The Israeli team is tasked with tracking down and killing high profile terrorists / operatives. When they accomplish this there is a sense of achievement but they know it will be short-lived as someone will just replace that person and the whole thing starts again, never to end. This is even admitted to in a discussion by two Israeli agents in one of the reflective moments in the series.
Amongst all this there are also some great sub-plots involving family life and relationships, making for quite engaging viewing as you get to know the characters and what they're experiencing behind the scenes.
Season ratings: S1: 9/10, S2: 10, S3: 10, S4 9.5. S1 was less well-rounded in that it didn't show much of the family/relationship stuff and concentrated almost exclusively on the intrigue and action. From S2 onwards the writers added more depth to the plots and characters. S4 started strongly but dragged a bit in the middle episodes before returned to its best. Incredibly tense and powerful ending.