'COBRA: Cyberwar' Sinks Ships in Episode 2

Episode 2 of COBRA Season 2 opens with the aftermath of the explosion at sea, which has caused immense amounts of damage, extensive flooding, and hundreds of deaths, including that of the local Member of Parliament, with many more missing. The only communication is by mobile phone, straining the system. Fraser's assistant Audrey is presumed dead, but she's survived, drifting in cold, choppy waves. So has Mark, who led the dive mission to inspect the wreck, also led the rescue mission, and he has salvaged an inflatable. He hauls Audrey aboard.

But nothing is going to be easy. The weather is too bad for rescue helicopters to fly out. The inflatable has a leak, and Audrey agrees reluctantly to swim with him to the nearby wind turbines, miraculously undamaged, where a maintenance boat is tethered. If you think that's bad, the current COBRA meeting is equally dangerous and unstable, and possibly many attendees are thinking fondly of shoving PM Robert Sutherland into cold, deep water. It's still unclear whether the communication system breakdown is a fatal weakness or a deliberate attack by Russia.

Archie, always ready for a media appearance and an attack on Robert, appears on television, slamming the government. Our other favorite political maverick, Francine Bridge, is job-hunting and discusses her options with the new Labour leader Chris Edwards (Andrew Buchan). He suggests she run for the newly vacant seat in Kent — "after the funeral"— and will thus qualify for a seat in the shadow cabinet. Despite his negative TV interview, Archie tries to negotiate with Robert for a cabinet seat and also suggests firing Eleanor. (In Season 1, he tried to get Robert to fire Anna, and, like last time, again, Robert refuses to negotiate.)