TVSquad

Showtime is taking an interesting approach with Sleeper Cell; it premiered at the beginning of last week, and its two hour finale is this Sunday. I'm sure it will be available for a while on the various InDemand services, so if you haven't been keeping up with its hectic schedule, do yourself a favor and catch up. It kind of snuck up on us here at TV Squad, so Keith and I are going to be tag-teaming the reviews to get you up to date. I'm hooked on this show, and while I've never watched The Wire on HBO, I bet it had a similar feel: always on edge and very high tension. Any show that keeps me on the edge of my seat every episode, is definitely worth my time. On with the show!

Bobby's death at the end of the first episode put a wrench in the works on both sides of Darwyn's life. His handler wants to know exactly what has happened to Bobby, but Darwyn knows that his actions will not be received well by the agency. Meanwhile, Farik finds someone to continue the role Bobby would have, creating a system to test just how lethal their attack will be. He recruits a young man who completes the assignment, but only as a favor to his uncle. He wants no part in Farik's battle. While out surveying the mall they are going to attack, Darwyn finds out that Tommy is having some troubles with his mother-- a problem Tommy asks Darwyn for help "taking care of".

Farik calls everyone together, and although the attack was planned for a couple of days later, he decides they will attack now. The team surveilling Darwyn realizes what's going on, but can't mobilize anyone to get to the mall in time to stop Farik's plan. His plan goes off without a hitch. Fortunately, it was just a test run, and all the guys passed with flying colors, something that makes Darwyn very uneasy. He admits to Ray he felt powerless and wasn't sure if he would have been able to stop them by himself. He then tells Ray what really happened to Bobby.

As I said above, this show has had me hooked. It's a little like 24 in the stress, tension and situation, and like the Sopranos in pacing. I love this, and I wish I knew what the rush was for Showtime to get this going. I just can't imagine it is getting a bigger audience in a condensed format like this. Oded Fehr is absolutely perfect in this role. I've been a big fan of his for a while, and it seems as if the character of Farik was built for him. Hopefully this will be a big break for him. Watch this show. Let me know what you think.