"The Capture" is a drama that I yearn for to possess the same magnetic allure as "The Bodyguard." While the latter enchanted imaginations with its heart-pounding opening episodes, it unfortunately lost steam in its second half, culminating in a disappointing climax that undermined its early brilliance. Conversely, "The Capture" has been anything but a let-down. As it weaves an increasingly intricate tapestry of conspiracy, BBC's new espionage thriller has emerged as one of the year's most pleasant surprises, delivering a relentless string of thrills and mind-blowing revelations.
Episode 4 of "The Capture" kicks off with Shaun, eyes fixed on the cameras above, hearing the police draw near, prompting him to dart away from the officers in a bid for escape. Despite being doused with mace, he manages to overpower an officer and dashes into a blind spot, evading the eagle eyes of the authorities.
As more officers arrive, they get visual confirmation: the deceased body in the trunk of Shaun's car is none other than Hannah Roberts. With Shaun on the lam, the police launch a relentless manhunt to track him down. Blinded and struggling to see, Rachel catches up to Shaun and informs him that all they have against him is the video footage, which might not suffice as evidence. She proceeds to share Levy's theory with him, attempting to persuade him to come with her. Sensing a setup, Shaun slips away, abandoning Rachel to fend for herself as she returns to the crime scene.
There, Rachel becomes suspicious of the men carting away Hannah's body and tasks Nadia with tailing them, instructing her to relocate the body if she gets the chance. Meanwhile, Shaun is picked up by a couple who reveal that he's been compromised, thanks to a tracker wedged in his shoe. Rachel learns that the camera network has been thoroughly compromised, and the higher authorities may have already been aware of it. She tries to call Levy, but as we cut to his apartment, we see him lying unconscious on the floor.
Desperate to uncover the truth, Rachel checks in on Nadia and inquires about her progress in obtaining authorization to move Hannah's body. It's here that we learn the American has the government under surveillance. As he phones Gemma, she updates him on the case's status. Sensing something is awry, Rachel realizes, thanks in part to Shaun's earlier tip-off, that the camera feeds for two streets may have been switched. As she scrutinizes the pictures, she notices that the house numbers have been swapped. She heads inside the property where Shaun was actually held captive and finds herself face to face with the American, who informs her that their work is highly sensitive and the real reason he let them in was to gather intelligence.
After placing a call home to assure his ex-partner that the allegations broadcast on the news were unfounded, Shaun elaborates that his intent is to convince them of his innocence. From the duo who rescued him, he gleans that the Government's operations are dubbed "Correction," and according to the youthful female acquaintance, those in authority have the power to alter whatever displeases them. Rachel's narrative starts to converge as she engages Becky, the initial caller the assault, who reveals that Shaun's demeanor shifted abruptly after their bus passed by a particular screen. Venturing outdoors to contact Levy once more, she accidentally connected to DC Taylor's line instead, who informs her that Levy is in a coma and his front door was left ajar.
In the meantime, Patrick experiences an abrupt epiphany while awaiting a bus home and decides to hail a taxi instead. Rachel, on the other hand, faces confrontation from Gemma, who accuses her of attempting to obstruct the investigation. Regrettably, she is suspended from duty, primarily due to her proximity to uncovering the truth, as Nadia meekly apologizes for her inability to carry out the order to relocate the body.
As Patrick scrutinizes the CCTV footage, he hastily dials Rachel, who finds herself questioning the very foundation of her career, pondering if it might have been constructed upon falsehoods. It transpires that Hannah boarded the bus prior to the one shown in the video, indicating that our soldier has been truthful all along. Yet, this does little to elucidate the eerie flickers or Hannah's strange moments of gazing upwards and pleading with Shaun, which could very well be a deceptive trail, suggesting that Shaun might have attempted to rescue her after some calamity befell her.
Shaun is taken to a fortified locale, albeit outdoors and amidst a throng, where he learns more about Correction. Inside an underground club, he catches sight of the man from Hannah's apartment andforcefully navigates through the crowd to reach him. Slipping out the rear exit, he pursues him into a secured chamber. As he progresses down the hallway, he encounters a gathering toasting to the "Pilgrim of Justice," at which point Shaun's former attorney steps forward and inquires if he wishes to comprehend the unfolding events.
As the game unfolds its myriad levels, "The Capture" delicately dances on the razor-thin edge between realism and fantasy, peppering each episode with intense, heart-pounding moments that grip the viewer's attention. This drama holds one's fascination from its inception, with the opening scenes of the police manhunt ranking among the series' most action-packed sequences thus far. The urgency in the force's quest to locate Shaun is palpable. Meanwhile, the enigmatic circumstances surrounding Hannah's fateful night continue to shroud her story in mystery, but I anticipate that the penultimate episode next week will pave the way for the season finale to unveil the truth.
I must reiterate that the musical score of this series is nothing short of extraordinary. From the foreboding resonance of piano chimes to the throbbing electronic beats echoing through the underground club, every aspect of the series resonates with a distinct tone, harmoniously intertwining with the narrative that progressively unearths layers of a vast conspiracy each week. While the future unfoldings remain a matter of anticipation, "The Capture" is undeniably a drama that will captivate your imagination, leading you seamlessly to its climactic final episode. I only harbor the hope that the show does not stray too far into the realm of the fantastical, lest it lose the uniqueness that endeared it to us in the beginning.
