'PERSONS UNKNOWN' 1.6 – "The Truth"

[SPOILERS] I appreciated the steps forward, but there are still some frustrating problems with Persons Unknown that prevent me getting genuinely excited about this series. Thank goodness it's a miniseries and not a continuing drama, because having a predetermined finish-line is definitely helping matters.

In this mid-season episode, Joe (Jason Wiles) is coming under suspicion from Graham (Chadwick Boseman), for his peculiar behaviour during the bank vault situation; and Erika (Kandyse McClure), who notices him exiting the hotel elevator looking guilty (for reasons never explained -- was there a secret door in there?) and becomes convinced he's working for their captors. Jason protests his innocence, and being struck down by poisoning seems to confirm his story, with Jason himself believing it's a punishment for his recent behaviour.

In the outside world, Mark's (Gerald Kyd) investigation heated up when he went on the run with girlfriend/editor Kat (Lola Glaudini) to Italy after their lives were put in danger, resolved to find a link between Janice (Daisy Betts) and Tori's disappearance, by snooping into Tori's Ambassador father's affairs. They found allies in an Italian group who likewise suspect the Ambassador of foul play, but are unaware of the deep conspiracy Mark believes he's stumbled upon.

As usual, I find it nigh impossible to get invested in Mark's investigation, partly because both Mark and Kat are dull characters, but also because their adventures are badly scripted and largely tedious. Considering the fact they're on the road to exposing the show's entire mystery, it really shouldn't be this sluggish. Or this confusing, in some respects. After all, Mark and Kat were sent to Italy after being rescued by the hitman we previously thought was a villain (so is that not true?), and rather than feel intrigued about that twist I just feel exasperated. There just isn't a strong hook to Mark as a heroic figure -- even the fact he's Janice's ex doesn't augment my interest in him. As for the sub-spy antics with Mark and Kat dressed as a priest and a nun, stealing a key-card to access an office to find evidence in the Ambassador's safe -- how clichéd can you get?

It remains a good thing that I have no idea how Persons Unknown is going to end, but that could also be a sign that it's going to end in a silly way with revelations that don't make much sense. We aren't really being given many decent clues to why those particular people have been kidnapped, by whom, and where they are. The "men in blue overalls" appear to the foot soldiers of some powerful organization with the power to install hidden cameras in people's homes and keep select people contained in a fake town surrounded by a high-tech shield. The Ambassador is certainly aware of more than he's letting on, somehow coerced into helping fake footage of his daughter's safe return. And there's still the suggestion from Chinese waiter Tom (Reggie Lee) that the captives are part of a "process", which infers the town is some kind of test or way in which the candidates will be improved. But we're not really seeing any obvious connections between these people, so it's hard to see what they all have in common that makes them ideal subjects.

Overall, "The Truth" was average stuff, but it threw up some fun reveals and development in the last quarter-hour: Joe was forced to admit he's working for the kidnappers in return for vodka to neutralize the anti-freeze he'd been fed (so how will he be treated next week?); Erika was revealed to be the person who poisoned Joe, out of jealousy over his relationship with Janice and a belief she was right to mistrust him; and at least Mark's case is beginning to reap some reward, and he finally has a few allies.

Aside

• Kandyse McClure really has surprised me. I never rated her on Battlestar Galactica (although this was mainly a writing fault), but clearly she has some acting talent. She speaks, moves and gestures with a lot of plausibility as a bad-ass Death Row inmate, and is already one of the best characters on the show. I just don't buy how Erika suddenly has this great connection with Janice after a fairly perfunctory chat in a bank vault about motherhood.

WRITER: Sandy Isaac
DIRECTOR: Steve Shill
GUEST CAST: Reggie Lee, Michael Harney, Victor Alfieri, James Read & Luis Gatica
TRANSMISSION: 17 July 2010 – NBC, 8/7c