Masterpiece: Worricker: Salting the Battlefield (2014)

This third part in a trio of Johnny Worricker episodes is the best, with its spycraft and suspense building to a satisfying climax and denouement. Bill Nighy expertly plays the cagey British master spy because, like Clint Eastwood in the Wild West, he seems born to play this kind of role. Worricker is trying to cinch together the final threads on the corruption case against the prime minister (Ralph Fiennes), even as the "homeland security" apparatus is closing in on Worricker and his network of collaborators. Before his final confrontation with the prime minister, we see Worricker virtually unhinged, even as the situation is more out of his control than he knows. More than his ever-present kindness and civility, we see his humanity and his vulnerability. Another good thing about this being a British series is that it doesn't wrap up in a tidy bow over happily-ever-after frosting. Here is a real story! Enjoy! 4.5 stars. (8-25-2017)