‘The Bureau’ – Series 1-3
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The Bureau
Having never felt as compelled to binge-watch a tv series, I need to mention the French espionage tv series, ‘The Bureau’ (Les Bureau des Legendes). But first, I must thank my friend Stuart Barnett for recommending that I check it out.
The first 3 series (30 episodes)(accessible on SBS on Demand) have been described as the most realistic depiction of international espionage and intelligence work, by former employees of France’s General Directorate of External Security (DGSE) (the French equivalent of America’s CIA), whose work is the focus of this show.
The French seem to excel in presenting characters realistically, and so lacking in Hollywood sheen that they seem real. There are also no James Bonds in The Bureau, just employees hired and trained to perform specific roles. As in real life, all the characters are flawed, make mistakes, have personal lives and commitments, and the bulk of their work is bureaucratic rather than glamorous ‘spying’ action. Perhaps surprisingly, this realism makes the show more, rather than less addictive.
The settings of this show are exotic. Besides the DGSE offices and homes of the various employees in Paris, the international settings include cities in North Africa and the Middle East, former Soviet Republics, and Iran. The pervasive atmosphere is that of secrecy — non-disclosure of information, even to colleagues not expressly granted access.
The 30 episodes tell one continuous evolving story, which contributes to making the show feel so much more life-like than stand-alone episodes or series. The Bureau has something for everyone. There are personal relationships and steamy love scenes, there are war zone scenes, there is workplace rivalry, there are baddies who harm goodies, and there are clever gadgets and computing programs. There is also an ever-present pragmatism that weighs the value of human life against strategic gain or political value.
In spite of their flaws and weaknesses, the characters are admirable, likeable, or at least interesting. This is in no small measure due to the actors involved.
The excellent cast includes Mathieu Kassovitz as Guillaume Debailly, the main character, Zineb Triki as the Syrian Professor of History, and Debailly’s lover, Nadia El Mansour, Jean-Pierre Darroussin as Henri Duflot, the Director of the unit of the DGSE in which the series is set, Sara Giraudeau as Marina Loiseau, the young Seismologist, Léa Drucker as Psychiatrist, Dr Laurène Balmes, Jonathan Zaccaï as Raymond Sisteron, and Alba Gaïa Bellugi as Prune Debailly, Guillaume’s daughter.
Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
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