INTELLIGENCE, SEASON TWO

This is a great series, probably my favorite. Few shows about espionage reach the quality and realism of this show. (The Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy shows, The Sandbaggers, and The Americans are very good, too.) Season Two has different concerns than Season One, with Mary Spalding now making the move over to CSIS. Some thread plots from the first season are left behind as the series focuses more on conducting counter-intelligence and developing foreign intelligence than on doing police work in Organized Crime Unit. Of course, that's where it was always headed. Jimmy Reardon, fresh off the Season One cliffhanger, has a thrilling escape and has to balance life on the run from the DEA and the tending of his empire. The resolution of that arc propels the beginning of the season and complicates the establishment of Jimmy's off-shore bank. The bank becomes central in the relationship between Reardon and Spalding--I don't want to reveal anything, but watching this unfold was fascinating. The reason I like the show so much is because it gets into the real-life the business of intelligence without the usual garbage that gets thrown in, from gadgets like Reddington's cell on The Blacklist (love Intelligence’s chain-link enclosure room in the nondescript warehouse) to the torture fantasies and hacker bafflegab on offer on most "serious" spy shows. I believe this is much closer to the truth of the way that human intelligence sources are developed and intelligence gathered in the real world. I'm very disappointed that the CBC did not renew the series for a third season and instead left us with a agonizing cliffhanger as an ending. (For those worried about where it would have gone, rewatch Episode 3 of the first season and see that it offers some hope that things will be OK.)

I started watching it on Netflix after getting a glowing recommendation from a friend. I was skeptical because I'm burned out on most TV shows these days, where the end is sooooooo predictable and any twists are very basic and spoon fed to you, which is kind of insulting. Most US movies are like that too. Anyway, this show grabs you from the start, because there is no spoon feeding at all. You have to pay close attention and figure out things just like the characters have to do. There are always mysterious characters appearing or wild cards that keep you guessing all the time and many things are left unresolved, just like real life. Nobody wears a white hat and nobody wears a black one either. The American agency portrayals are surprisingly unflattering, but very believable. The show is full of super real situations with many twists. Another big plus in my book is the very low key violence portrayed, where it is mostly implied and not the main theme of the show. I really like it and am considering buying the 2 season set to finish watching it, after Netflix took it off instant view. I'll then gift it to a friend. There are some very interesting theories in the Netflix comments on why it was stopped after only 2 seasons. They suggest it had something to do with the content and how it mirrors real concerns of the Canadian government. It certainly is one the best shows I've seen in a long time.

Having purchased Season One - I was not let down by Season 2 of this very good series.Ian Tracey, Klea Scott, Camille Sullivan,John Cassini & Matt Frewer all give outstanding performances in a good guys vs bad guys scenario. There is a lot of blurring of the lines between good & bad - and all the different Canadian & US spy agency acronyms can be a little confusing - having said that, this is the best television series I have seen for a long time. Why it only went for 2 seasons is unfathomable, when there is SO much bad TV that keeps going on & on & on!!To me it was like reading a really good crime novel - ' Just one more chapter & I'll go to bed ' - I watched the whole of Season 2 in one day and was not for one second bored.Things change so rapidly that one has to concentrate, past paced, great acting, good plot & boy, can the Canadians make good TV!!I would recommend this series to anyone who liked 'Da Vinci's Inquest', 'the Wire' and 'Homicide - Life on the Streets'.All quality shows that we do not seem to have at our fingertips now.

The 2 seasons of Intelligence is one of the best mini-series ever created for TV. Great characters. Great story lines. Very realistic, I'm sure that's why there wasn't a season 3, the story showed the DEA and CIA carrying out their illegal activities in Canada/North America/Mexico and I'm certain that didn't go over well in Washington DC. Infiltrating the Canadian government, manipulating the drug trade on both sides of the border, murdering Canadians and Americans as they wished in order to get the results they wanted. Not a whole lot of fiction in this one folks.I really am hoping they pick it back up with a Season 3 with Jimmy Reardon recovering in the hospital, preparing to turn over all the dirty details on the CIA (Black Briar Group), DEA (doing illegal drug deals on both sides of the border) and other illegal spying going on inside CSIS and Ottawa. This series had it all, just like real life.

This is one series that captures your attention and holds it to the last episode. The writing is a little scary as it is so close to what I believe is the reality of the seedy side of this Canadian city and the modern, western drug trade. I live in this city.Everyone is fighting for their slice of the pie and stopping at nothing to keep it. Survival in the global economy. Characters are developed early but you never know what kind of twist is going to throw your sense of judgment out the window and make you feel sad for the bad guy.The hardest part is watching an episode without having an immediate urge to watch more well after bed time.No one is beyond getting twisted up in their world of information gathering.......Including the CIA and the political affiliates in the supposed security that our government will protect us...or any one for that matter.I cannot say enough about this one......and I'm not one for words.

Found this series a few years ago by accident. Great variety of heros and villans well cast and portrayed in a realistic believable web of stories. The seedy side of the drug trade and police undercover activities in the Vancouver area that weave characters in and out in a way that keeps you hooked. From the Reardon brothers, their ragtag associates, the rival Disciples and Orientals to the crime force headed up by a tough lady who struggles keeping her crew and informants one step ahead of the bad (or good) guys. The series recieved good reviews but the knomes at CBC did not promote it and ran it at disjointed times so it was hard to stay connected. Some speculation that pressure from the tourist industry helped to disuade continuance. So, grab the first year's DVD, sit back and enjoy. The second season will be an easy decision. Who knows, maybe CBC will make a movie to wind up a great series that was too realistic for some.Ron

This show is excellent and really hits its stride in the second season. The characters are fully developed, allowing for more complex and long-term plots. The season's focus on the war for Canada's water is a brave, and ultimately successful, choice for a background conflict. My only complaint is with the actual DVD, which does not contain subtitles. The special features, aside from a handful of pretty good interviews (particularly with Klea Scott), are practically non-existent. Still, we should be greatful for the opportunity to see this show on DVD at all. Highly recommended!

"Intelligence" was the best drama on Television during it's too brief two-year, 24-episode run. I say this because "The Wire" had finished its run and "Breaking Bad" had not yet started, so during that time, "Intelligence" reigned supreme. It was an 'entertainment sin and a crime' when it was cancelled by the CBC. As one reviewer noted: "The CBC is now without intelligence....". This is television drama at its best!

The package was stolen and The Beat Goes On responded quickly and refunded the payment.A great price anyhow