Secret City Season 1 Review: Espionage Down Under

The Australian political thriller"Secret City" is currently available on NetFlix. It was produced by Foxtel and Matchbox Pictures. They also did "Wentworth" (which continues to be one my favorite shows on television). "Secret City" is based on the books "The Marmalade Files" and "The Mandarin Code" by Chris Uhlmann and Steve Lewis.

In season 1 we're introduced to Harriet Dunkley (Anna Torv from "Fringe" and "Mindhunter"). Her presence alone makes the show worth watching IMHO. Harriet is a reporter for The Daily Nation. She gets into all kinds of trouble.

It's hard to tell who is playing who as politcos in Canberra (Australia's capital) jockey over influence. There's Prime Minister Toohey, Attorney General Catriona Bailey (Jackie Weaver), Minister Of Defense Mal Paxton, ASD Director William Vaugh and ASIO operative Charles Dancer. Weng Meigui is the wife of the Chinese ambassador who is also having an affair with Paxton). We're never sure who is working with whom in terms of foreign powers-- the US, China, Russia, or Japan.

A mystery surrounds a body that washed ashore. The deceased has been gutted. Who was the dead man working for? Could it have been the ASD (Australian Signals Directorate). They're the Australian equivalent of the CIA. There might also be MSS (Chinese Ministry Of State Security) involvement. Another story line focuses on a women (Sabine) who set herself on fire to protest the Chinese occupation of Tibet. Harriet's ex husband also works for the ASD. He has transitioned and now goes by Kim Gordon. Kim becomes ensnared in the conspiracy.

In the end, some of the players are killed. Some are revealed as spies. Some are imprisoned. I'll leave it to you to see who is left standing.

Grade: 4 Monsters (out of 5). If you've come for a fast shoot em up story, you'll be disappointed. This is more more of a slow talky. But with only six episode total its a super fast watch. I must say I enjoyed season 2 better but that provided some background for this complicated story.