Sunday 30 October 2016

Hunted Review Episode 1

Channel 4's cutting edge docu-drama has returned for its second season and so have my reviews.

Ten fugitives have to go on the run across the UK for 28 days.  All fugitives have to start in Birmingham and from there they can use any means of evasion to escape capture, as long as they stay in the UK and don't break the law.  Last year we saw teams hitchhiking, going rural and cycling on Britain's canal network.  They have access to £250, which they can withdraw from a bank account at any time.  They are accompanied by a covert camera operator and if they evade capture, then they will win £100,000.

Leading the hunters is ex-Scotland detective Chief Becksley, not unlike Tom Thorne of John luther.  His deputy is Ben Owen who trained as a sniper before joining the military intelligence.  Supporting them are a wide range of counterintelligence experts, investigative psychologists, police officers and ethical hackers.

This episode focused on 3 groups of fugitives:

The first is the instantly likeable Nick Cummings.  At first glance, Nick seems like your stereotypical bumbling Englishman.  At second glance, he still looks like this, but completely inept.  However, he is my early favourite to win.

For 17 years, Nick has been a house-husband to his GP wife.  He decided to go on the run, due to how he feels guilty that he doesn't provide any value to their relation ship.  And I find this adorable.  He also wants prove to his teenage son that he is more than a stay-at-home dad.

Nick started weakly.  Whilst the other fugitives scrambled into their getaway cars Nick bumbled through Birmingham like he was looking for somewhere to enjoy his cucumber sandwiches and cup of tea,  Laden with bags, he finally reached his bike and cycled onto the canal, although he didn't know whether this was the Worster or Grand Union Canal.  Having caught Nick on CCTV, the Hunters thought they had an easy win.  However, Nick had trick up his sleeve.  Every so often along the canal, he would change his clothes.  Cycling along the canal isn't a bad idea, it worked for Season 1 winners, butt he Hunters saw right through Nick's disguise and dispatched teams to intercept him.  Yet amazingly, Nick unwittingly gave them the slip by coming off the towpath and getting lost in Birmingham City Centre.  And getting lost in Birmingham City Centre.  This is why he's my favourite.  If John Luther, oops I mean Peter Becksley and Co, can be beaten by a bumbling Englishman, this would be just brilliant.  It would also be a little worrying too.

Fugitive: Nick Cummings

Time on the Run: 5 Days

Status: At Large

The second group are childhood friends Anna May (Office Administrator) and Elizabeth Garnett (Stockbroker's Asisant.) The girls are both in their twenties and have spent their life hiking through the Yorkshire Dales, so the Hunter s have were worried about them.

And rightly so.  The girls started strongly by adopting a proven tactic, hitch-hiking from truck-stops.  However, as it's been used before, the Hunters knew to prepare for it by handing out wanted posters in truck stops.  In a great encounter, Anna and Elizabeth's getaway driver warned them about the posters and said they could have gotten into a car with an MI5 agent.  He wasn't, but this also made the girls wisen up and decide to stop hitch-hiking to break their pattern.

But the Hunter's powers don't just stop at wanted posters, they can do almost anything to catch a fugitive.  For example, the Hunters paid a visit to Anna's parents, who were obligated to talk tot hem, which is different from last year.  Anna's parents then put on a bad roleplay to throw the Hunters of their daughter's scent.  Of course I don't them for doing so, but this definitely raised the Hunters' suspicion.

Anna's parents also had to surrender her mobile phone and laptop etc, which is again different from last year.  In season 1, the fugitives were under no obligation to surrender their electronics.  A lot of them took their phones and laptops with them.  This time round, I don't see what is actually stopping the fugitives from taking their electronics with them or just throwing them into the local canal.

Fugitives: Anna May and Elizabeth Garnett

Time on the run: 5 days

Status: At large

The final group were ex-soldiers Jeremy Scarrett and Kirk Bowett.  As well as being soldiers, they're also amputees with Jeremy having a false leg and Kirk missing part of his arm.  I can't help but think that an amputated arm is going to make you stand out.  As soldiers trained in escape and evasion, you would expect them to do well and they started well, at least.

From Birmingham, they contacted their inner circle of army veterans to provide them with shelter in a shooting range.  This meant that they were rural and away from the CCTV that the Hunters can use to find the fugitives.  Of course the Hunters had a number of tools at their disposal.  The first one was interrogating their get-away driver and families who did their best to cover for them.  Yet just like Anna's parents, they weren't very convincing.  Of course I'm not blaming them, but again they definitely raised the Hunter's suspicion.  I think that if you were to go on the run, then you cannot trust anyone even your loved ones.  You have to lie to them for their own safety.  That way if they are questioned by the authorities, then they can say what they think is the truth, but is actually a red Herring.  This would be far better than just saying "I don't know," which is bound to be suspicious.

The Hunters then took all of Kirk's and Jeremy's electronics and hacked into them.  From here, they found a list of contacts and their long-term plan, to stay in a safe-house in Blackpool.  In Sam Wollaston's Review, he criticised the pair for their "cyber naivety," which I would agree with.  If you're going to go on the run, then you can't leave behind a digital trail.  Certainly don't email your long-term plans to yourself, which is what Kirk did.  And be careful about what you post on social media.  From hacking into Kirk's Facebook, they found that he is a massive family man.  More than this, he has a baby son who was going to turn 1 whilst he was on the run.

He then jeopardised the whole mission by arranging to bring his family out to see him.  The risk paid off as the Hunters weren't able to take advantage of this, but this was not a risk worth taking.  In season 1, what tripped up so many of the fugitives was calling home.  Just don't call home.  By doing so you're putting your family on the front-lines.  The Hunters can bug their phones and be led straight to the fugitives.

Kirk and Jeremy then made the same mistake that caught out the legend Ricky Martin last year.  They got over-confident.  They decided to travel to Blackpool to hide with one of their friends.  Thinking they were safe, they had a wander around town and got lunch in broad day-light at a curry-house.  However, because the Hunters had hacked into Kirk's electronics, they knew that he and Jeremy were heading to Blackpool and sent out a team to intercept them.  But then as Sam Wollaston identifies, the Hunters make an elementary mistake.  They send a team into the restaurant to see whether Kirk and Jeremy are there.  They spot them and then instead of going in for the kill, they then leave the restaurant and this is where things get confusing.

Kirk and Jeremy spotted the Hunters and weren't sure what to do.  Their camera operator also spotted them and had to crouch under the table, which I found quite funny.  I'm also wondering how the covert camera operators actually film what's happening.  Obviously they can't use spy cameras as they're too bad quality, but they can't use film cameras either, as they'd be too conspicuous.  Anyway, I'm not entirely sure what happened in the ending.  One of the soldiers slips out of the back of the restaurant, but the other one randomly decides to stay.  Perhaps they were splitting up to maximise their chances or one of them wanted to create a diversion for the other to get away.  But what happened? I really have no idea.  However, judging from the trailer for next week, it looks like they both got away.

Sam Wollaston elaborated about the incompetency of these Hunters and I would agree with them.  It's obvious that these fugitives especially Kirk and Jeremy who should be strong, are quite inept in escape and evasion, but the Hunters are even more inept at catching them.  I still don't know why the Hunters didn't go in for the kill.  Please if you know what happened then please, please, please, clear things up in the comments below.

Fugitives: Jeremy and Kirk

Time on the run:

Top tips for going on the run

1.  DON'T CONTACT HOME

2. Don't leave a digital trail.

3.  Lie to your loved ones for their own safety.

4. Don't stay in one place for too long.  No place is safe.  Only safer.

5.  Don't become overconfident

Who are you favourites to win? And don't leave your plans and tips for going on the run in the comments below.  Who knows who's watching?

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