Trust no one. (AMC photo)
I was taken by surprise when a special preview of AMC’s upcoming conspiracy drama “Rubicon” followed the season finale of “Breaking Bad” (more on that later in the day) on Sunday night. But it turned out to be a very pleasant surprise, and it looks like I’ll be adding one more series to my must-watch list.
“Rubicon” stars James Badge Dale (Leckie from HBO’s “The Pacific”) as an analyst at a nondescript national security think tank, and follows his unraveling of a far-reaching conspiracy involving some kind of shadow government.
Two things struck me most: the show’s pace and its timelessness. It’s like the anti-“24” — no crazy, explosive action sequences, no frantic cell phone calls, no computer system that can immediately deliver any bit of information on demand. Instead, the mystery unfolded slowly and understatedly, clues were left in crossword puzzles in newspapers (the actual paper versions – how quaint!), business was done in person and analysis was done by people sitting in book-filled offices, writing reports in longhand. It’s really a throwback to the conspiracy movies of the ’70s, like “Three Days of the Condor” – actually, the office reminded me A LOT of Robert Redford’s in “Condor” – and Robert Ludlum novels. You know, the good ol’ days, when global conspiracies were run by WASPy men in suits out of rooms filled with leather-bound books and terms like “the institute” and “the agency” and “the cadre” were thrown about.
In fact, if not for a reference to 9/11, there would hardly have been any indication “Rubicon” takes place in the present day. It’s a refreshing, intriguing concept, and could serve as an effective way to emphasize the human element at work, since the mystery is likely to be unraveled methodically through brain work and gut instinct, not Google or spy satellites or high-tech gizmos.
The setting (the scruffy side of Manhattan) and color palate (grays and muted tones) help establish a distinct feel, one of institutional coldness and isolation, almost like there’s a great big, vibrant technicolor world that’s being kept secret from these characters. And the fact that “Rubicon” was set in the chill of winter while I was watching on a warm summer night made it seem even more foreign and far-away. The creators are making interesting, stylized decisions in the direction the show is taking, and I like where it’s going.
Like AMC’s other dramas — “Breaking Bad” and “Mad Men” — “Rubicon” is a show for grown-ups. Not in the sense that there’s an overabundance of sex and violence (the pilot was very PG-rated), but in the sense that it requires patience, thoughtfulness and intelligence. It’s TV for people who think.
The series doesn’t officially debut until Aug. 1, and the episode will air again then. In the meantime, it’s available online at AMC.com and Hulu.com. It’s well worth checking out.
