Bishop comes to McCall for help…

After Bishop’s last few episodes had him mostly restricted to cameos, he is at the heart of this one as well as the subject of McCall’s help. And viewers are immediately presented with a revelation about him almost as a reward for their patience in waiting for him to return to prominence – Bishop has a son.

Our threat of the week, a terrorist of considerable notoriety, ‘The Architect’, Hassan Talib, forces Bishop to reveal this very early to Team McCall in order to give them a chance of saving him. There are multiple complications, of course. First, Bishop has never revealed to his son, Zade, his existence let alone his true identity. And Zade’s mother was once the wife of Talib, which suggests a personal stake in targeting Bishop, yet this seems somewhat played down. An obsessively vengeful Talib would have almost been expected here; instead, we get a terrorist far more focused on escape from being hunted. Although it makes sense that Talib has a cool focus about him, he does relatively little with his jilted status throughout. It might have added a little more character to him beyond his reputation. The reason for Talib’s nickname is a dialogue highlight, however.

For the first time in the show, Bishop and Harry, hitherto separate for McCall’s operations, are brought together, Harry’s specialist skills necessary throughout. However, it is initially reluctant assistance, given Harry’s longer-term subplot of attempting to return to society following a lengthy off-grid hiatus on account of being considered a traitor to his country. Bishop is the one person who might be able to assist and yet has stalled all season – every episode he has been pressed on the matter revealing more about the extent of the obstacle to his freedom. Melody remains very much the most vocal opposition to getting involved, only swayed by Harry’s agreement to help. The reasoning offers a route to a theme of the episode: family.

For Harry, he confesses his relationship with the Company is one of loyalty, yet even with every reason to do so, he would not refuse Bishop’s call for aid. That carries to Bishop and his determination to save his son, ironically his attachment to the job being why he has never revealed his true identity to Zade.

The crafting of the B-plot this week weaves a glimpse into a changed world, allowing us to learn more of Aunt Vi’s personal life as an ex of hers surfaces through that ex’s daughter. The story clearly states a romance between the two women, though in a style which directly mirrors a certain discretion they likely kept at the time. The ex herself never directly appears on screen, the second somewhat clandestine relationship on the episode along with Bishop’s, albeit for completely different reasons. It is a clever slow-burn tale amidst the all-action adventure going on elsewhere.

An opportunity may have been missed this week in that Talib is not ever as convincing as he might have been, given he feels caught between a number of motivations, and any sense of desperation does not quite come across. Some elements feel almost as if nods to 24 throughout the episode, not just the timer clock or choice of antagonists, but also McCall gets a genuine gadget this time around, even if it is mostly a smart watch with a reason for colour coding.

Verdict: The continued note of the previously separate components of Team McCall coming together has taken another step, and as we head into the winter break with a cliffhanger featuring Harry and Mel, we are left in the knowledge that has to be building to something. 7/10

Russell A. Smith