Mary and Mike
From Chile comes this series inspired by horrific true events. Under the guise of an everyday couple with two children, Mary (Mariana Loyola) and Mike (Andrés Rillón) are actually special agents assigned to take out those in opposition to Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet. From their affluent seemingly quiet life in Santiago, Mary and Mike along with a dedicated team engage in trapping and eliminating those who stand in Pinochet’s way.
The couple are unusual for the time: she is older, he is American. He has a jealous streak and she uses her feminine wiles as par for the course to get the job done. In common they have their bloodthirsty work and sizzling sexual attraction. Their pairing tingles with tension of many kinds; it’s heady to watch. Together, Mary and Mike contributed to an awful time in Chilean history, Loyola and Rillón bringing it to visceral life.
Six-part series Mary and Mike is now streaming at SBS On Demand.
The X-Files
Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) make a strong team for many reasons. They’re both truth-seekers, but bring totally different approaches. Scully needs the foundation of logic and reason before she’ll accept something whereas Mulder is wide open to possibilities beyond the scope of rational explanation.
In our time of almost non-existent debate between people who hold conflicting beliefs, they’re an example of how we can still respect and support each other while discussing our opposing perspectives. They always have each other’s backs, no matter what. Their dynamic is warm and loving even as they pit playful digs at each other. This duo is magnetic to watch, their on-screen chemistry undeniable.
Season 6 of The X-Files is new to SBS On Demand this week, joining seasons 1–5. Season 7 is coming on 23 December.
Broadchurch
The dynamic duo in Broadchurch are BAFTA and Academy Award winner Olivia Colman as DS Ellie Miller and David Tennant as DI Alec Hardy. The pair are teamed up to solve the case of a murdered boy that rocks the small Dorset town of Broadchurch.
Their working relationship is fraught from before they even meet, with Hardy being given a promotion promised to Miller. Miller’s irritation is only solidified when Hardy tells her to shut down her emotions when she tearfully responds to the discovery that it’s her elder son’s best friend who’s the victim of the crime they’re investigating.
The set-up is ideal for an evolving relationship, both Colman and Tennant giving outstanding performances along the way. It’s no wonder this series was such a huge hit.
Seasons 1 to 3 of Broadchurch are now streaming at SBS On Demand:
Agatha Christie’s Criminal Games
Set in the fifties, this French adaptation of Christie’s world-famous mysteries is seductive and witty. The premise sets up initial antagonism between our duo.
Alice (Blandine Bellavoir) is an ambitious young journalist, determined and outspoken, deriding her gropy editor boss in his persistent advances. When he refuses to assign her a real story as opposed to the agony aunt column she’s bored with, she chases the story of a murder she gets wind of. Enter the Superintendent in charge, Chief Inspector Laurence (Samuel Labarthe). Ultra suave, Laurence is a man who reeks of superiority, exuding confidence as he zips around in his snappy convertible.
Within moments of meeting, he kicks Alice out of his office, but the pair end up reaching an agreement to cooperate to solve the case, the plot of which just keeps getting thicker. Their exchanges are a delight to behold as their banter builds the tension between them.
Seasons 1 and 2 of Agatha Christie’s Criminal Games are now streaming at SBS On Demand:
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