'COBRA's 'Rebellion' Begins with Everything Falling Apart

It’s time to convene another COBRA, the show which can be depended on for Prime Minister Robert Sutherland (Robert Carlyle) looking horrified as both his country collapses around him and an unnecessarily complex plot unfolds. This third (and probably last) season seems to be a little more grounded in recent history. As the radicals of Planet Resistance protest the construction of a high-speed rail system linking London to the north of England, the Metro Ultraline, demonstrations are taking place all over the country, particularly in London. They’re against the Ultraline, but also the proposed visit, policies, and impending financial investment from the royal family of Shirasia, a (fictional) Gulf State with a particularly bloody human rights history. 

Robert has a lot to be concerned about, and that’s before we get to the omnishambles of his personal life. We see Planet Resistance when Francine Bridge (Marsha Thomason), now a Labour MP and the Shadow Environment Secretary, drives to the heart of activity in Godley Common, probably somewhere in the Midlands. It boasts an ancient church and a pub, convenient for press events. Now, it’s swarming with journalists. 

Planet Resistance members moved underground three weeks ago and have halted drilling. Francine meets with Planet Resistance’s dynamic, eloquent leader, Henry Wicks (Ben Crompton), days before a government retaliation is expected. He voices his concerns to her. Godley Common, once a working coal town, is still riddled with underground workings, and it’s been raining heavily for some time. It’s not safe to continue drilling in the saturated and unstable ground. We’ll find out exactly how bad things can get very soon. Although Francine is sympathetic and the Labour Party is committed to environmental protection, scan’tn’t make any promises.

But let’s check out Robert’s home life, as The Sutherlands’ marriage is now also on shaky ground, with Rachel Sutherland (Lucy Cohu) back from Chile and daughter Ellie (Holly Cattle, replacing Marisa Abela) expected to arrive home any day. Rachel claims her trip to Chile wasn’t a separation from Robert but a chance for her to regroup and see her daughter. To her annoyance, Robert is summoned to a COBRA (what else?), abruptly ending what should have been a two-hour session with their counselor. He claims it wasn’t noted in his diary. The counselor tactfully comments that his work is “singular,” and Rachel is furious.

Robert is cheered (as are we all!) to receive a call from Anna Marshall (Victoria Hamilton), his close friend and ally who ended last season in a coma in the hospital. She wants to return to work early now that she’s recovered from the injuries she sustained in the bombing at the end of Season 2. There’s a new face in the COBRA, Defence Secretary Victoria Dalton (Jane Horrocks), who finds an ally in right-wing Home Secretary Joseph Obasi (Richard Pepple). Both urge Robert to send in the army, and he refuses. 

Anna meets Francine for coffee before her first day back in the office. London is even more chaotic than usual, with traffic disrupted by a demonstration against the arrival of members of the Shirasia royal family. (Archie Glover-Morgan (David Haig) is outraged when angry protestors hold up his car.) Anna receives an amazingly insincere and passive-aggressive welcome from  Victoria Dalton, making it clear that they will not be friends. 

But let's check out Robert's home life, as The Sutherlands’ marriage is now also on shaky ground, with Rachel Sutherland (Lucy Cohu) back from Chile and daughter Ellie (Holly Cattle, replacing Marisa Abela) expected to arrive home any day. Rachel claims her trip to Chile wasn’t a separation from Robert but a chance for her to regroup and see her daughter. To her annoyance, Robert is summoned to a COBRA (what else?), abruptly ending what should have been a two-hour session with their counselor. He claims it wasn’t noted in his diary. The counselor tactfully comments that his work is “singular,” and Rachel is furious.

But by the time Ellie arrives home, Robert and Rachel have been able to put aside their differences, and we see Robert as a domestic, affectionate dad making gravy. Ellie tells her parents she wants to do something serious now and mentions that she is job-hunting and also that she broke up with her left-wing boyfriend in Chile. It’s not the whole truth, however. She receives a call from her friends Polly Wright (Emily Fair) and Polly's partner Nate Stephens (Gregg Chilingirian), both with Planet Resistance, summoning her to Godley Common the next day.

At today’s COBRA, the main topic is when to send in police to break up the demonstrators at Godley Common. Head of Joint Intelligence Committee Eleanor James (Lisa Palfrey), aware that the heavy rain could cause problems, recommends waiting until the next day. The police commissioner points out that if they arrest everyone, he’ll need more personnel and more funds for overtime. The eviction is planned for the next day.

By the time Ellie arrives home, Robert and Rachel have been able to put aside their differences, and we see Robert as a domestic, affectionate dad making gravy. Ellie tells her parents she wants to do something serious now and mentions that she is job-hunting and broke up with her left-wing boyfriend in Chile. It’s not the whole truth, however. She receives a call from her friends Polly Wright (Emily Fair) and Polly’s partner Nate Stephens (Gregg Chilingirian), both with Planet Resistance, summoning her to Godley Common, not knowing she’ll arrive in time for the eviction.

And now, it’s off to the races to meet the Shirasian Crown Prince, Samir Bin Zyan Al-Bilal (Khalid Laith), and his sister, the glamorous and progressive-minded Princess Yadira Bint Zyan Al-Bilal (Yasmin Al-Khudhairi), replacing their father the king, who is unwell. Robert is unhappy with having to don the top hat and tails customary for Ascot, mostly because Archie looks better than him in the outfit. 

Prince Samir confesses he prefers football to racing, while Archie is all over Yadira until she invites him to join a women’s rights group. But a group from Planet Resistance, posing as waiters, change into bloodstained white clothes and red masks and invade the race track, holding a banner that reads “No deal with the devils.” Stewards pull them off the track as the galloping horses approach, save one who returns to retrieve the banner. The horse that runs him down belongs to Samir and is badly injured (as is the demonstrator). Samir assures Robert that despite losing his horse, their investment deal will still occur. At the pub in Godley Common, Wicks watches it all go down with his second-in-command, Nate Stephens (Gregg Chilingirian).

As Samir and Yadira are driven away from the racecourse, their conversation reveals the conflicts within the Royal Family and their mutual hatred of their father and of each other. Yadira claims to be sick, and once out of the car, she jumps onto the back of a motorcycle and zooms away. Her escape takes her into a thrift store run by Polly Wright, where she changes clothes and leaves by the back door. An international crisis to add to Robert’s troubles!

At another counseling session, Rachel receives a call from Robert that Ellie lied to them and is now at Godley Common, where she is to speak for Planet Resistance. She joins Robert in the COBRA until he tells her to leave because even though their daughter is now in danger, Rachel has no right to be at a government meeting. Ellie, having met up with her friends Polly and Nate, now proposes that she go underground and speak to the nation from there, even though there is considerable danger.

Ellie explains in a nationally aired speech how her privileged position is best put to use in this way since the planet is running out of time. As she speaks, debris starts falling around her until the signal fails. The walls begin to crumble in the pub, where Planet Resistance and the press are gathered. Francine, invited back to Godley Common by Henry to view the eviction, watches in horror as a sinkhole opens and devours buildings. Robert and his ministers watch intermittent footage on their screens until the signal is lost, and everything goes black.

Unlike COBRA’s first two seasons, which covered disasters that could potentially happen (severe international power outage, a vast coastal explosion), Season 3 does seem to draw on recent history. You can’t help but be reminded of the ongoing HS2 debacle, which, after years of protests, unpopularity, and overspending, ended the line at Birmingham instead of providing high-speed trains from London to Leeds and Manchester. Similarly, the controversial Civil Disturbance Bill echoes the last Conservative government’s legislation in 2023 (which was recently repealed) to dissuade and punish demonstrators. Even the name “Godley Common” is similar to Greenham Common, where the Women’s Peace Camp began protesting the storage of American cruise missiles in 1981; the protest encampment remained in place for 19 years until the last weapon was finally removed in 2000.

COBRA: Rebellion continues with new episodes every Thursday at 10 p.m. ET on the PBS app, the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel, and (technically) on linear. However, most local PBS stations air it on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday as their schedule sees fit. (Please check your local listings!) The entire season is available as an early release for members on PBS Passport.