Liaison
Liaison as a title has several different layers of meaning to it. It’s the multiple bureaucratic meetings between different intelligence figures and representatives of European countries. Then there’s the sexual and emotional betrayal in a relationship, which is obvious given the premise of the show – two former lovers get tangled up in a series of cyberattacks against London and are forced to reconcile their past with their impending present amidst terrorist tragedies. Finally, there’s betrayal and using underhanded tactics, secret meetings and levying status, money and power to get ahead.
One of the main and recurring themes of the series is how men use and abuse their status, power and intel. More often than not, they do this against women – whether it’s Gabriel (Vincent Cassel) pleading his case to Alison (Eva Green) with one lingering look, or Didier (Stanislas Merhar) using his son’s safety against the mother and his mistress to block a cybersecurity deal between the EU and the UK. This results in these female figures being forced to act on behalf of the men, and shoulder the burden of possible consequences. This is one of the more intriguing parts of Liaison; while it tries its best to capitalise on the drama found in exploring human nature at its most selfish, the relationship dynamics and power imbalances are the main draws.
The action is interesting enough to grab viewers’ attention, but what holds it is the intrigue in all the bureaucratic and diplomatic dishonesty people use to stay on top despite political and societal crises. Twists and turns keep the audience guessing who is good and who is bad, but this is undermined by lacklustre acting. Sure, Cassel and Green have chemistry, but there’s something unnatural about the line delivery, how it’s written and the atmosphere surrounding the dialogues that take place: it’s lifeless, inauthentic and takes away from the tension. The production tries to make up for this with interesting use of lighting, focusing on glass and transparent surfaces from car windows, mirrors and even raindrops, to set the mood and tone of the scenes.
Liaison heavily relies on the complexities of its title and the multiple layers of its meaning to create a plot. But it’s not enough to carry a six-episode series, especially when they’re all almost an hour long a piece.
Mae Trumata
Liaison is released on Apple TV+ on 24th February 2023.
Watch the trailer for Liaison here:
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