Everything to Remember for 'COBRA' Season 3
It's been two years since PBS last aired COBRA, a drama that has nothing to do with snakes, thank goodness. "COBRA" stands for Cabinet Office Briefing Room A, where the U.K. government convenes in a crisis. (Yes, the term is used even if the meeting is in Cabinet Office Briefing Room B, C, etc.) It’s a handy acronym, and “Convening for a COBRA” has a nice, efficient ring to it. However, this political drama series' manifestation of 10 Downing Street has plenty of reptiles of the human variety. The format for the show is one substantial major disaster per season, which spawns more minor disasters and then gets fixed by some bit of cumbersome political wrangling, frequently tipping into the illogical.
While the series is a fun thrill ride to watch, the over-the-top disasters, half of which are forgotten by the end of the season's six episodes, make the plot lines seem insubstantial. It's not a show that bears examining too closely. Season 1, which was retroactively subtitled Blackout, featured a massive solar flare that knocked out everything except cell phones, which really seemed like cheating, while Season 2, Cyberwar, took out cell phones, banks, car satnav, and most of the Kent coastline. It’s entertaining enough, but like many mysteries, the politics are deeply secondary to the characters despite them mostly being Conservatives. (But nice Conservatives, we’re frequently reminded!)
For instance, Prime Minister Robert Sutherland (Robert Carlyle) comes from a fairly ordinary background, has vaguely progressive beliefs, and has appointed many women to lead government positions. His Chief Advisor, Anna Marshall (Victoria Hamilton), tries to recruit an up-and-coming Labour Party star, Francine Bridge (Marsha Thomason), who tells her she makes the Tories sound like Narnia (in a good sort of way). We also become interested in whether Robert and Anna’s long ago student romance will once more flame into life as his marriage deteriorates because they are so very attuned to each other.
