The Little Drummer Girl finale review ★★★★★

For all of modern television’s wonders, its greatest weakness is (usually) the Ending. Stretching a story to six episodes or six seasons builds an anticipation that’s near impossible to satisfy, and only a few shows get it right.

The finale to The Little Drummer Girl is in a tricky and regrettable position, arriving after hours of meaningless build up (episode three being a particularly lethargic example) with promises of a grand conclusion, especially with Park Chan-wook’s whip-smart direction and sharp, colourful visuals.

But although it’s often been an exciting, stylish and sexy spy series, there have been many tiring moments. The finale follows this pattern – unlike last week – with an ending that’s somewhat satisfying but still drags on to a delayed and underwhelming climax.


Alexander Skarsgård as Gadi Becker

What writer Michael Lesslie gets right in all this is the subtle comparison between the terrorists and the people trying to take them down, with Kurtz remarking to the snobbish Picton (Charles Dance): ‘The British always have a solution to other countries’ problems.’

But this conflict is somewhat relaxed in Charlie, short-changing what we were promised in the previous episodes when she witnesses airstrikes that kill children in Lebanon. Although Pugh delivers some complicated depth in her performance, her conflicted loyalty is too subtle.

The Little Drummer Girl promised a lot in its first episode, which set up the premise, the characters, and the thrills with such electric precision. No episode that followed could match it, though episode five came extremely close because of Claire Wilson’s teleplay. It was a fun ride, but not one we’d rush to join again.