‘Litvinenko’ Recap: ‘Episode 1’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the series premiere of ‘Litvinenko’.
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There was a time, where the supervillain was a concept relegated strictly to fiction. For it just seemed impossible that imaginary men like Lex Luthor or others could ever be a reality, and even the one man that could have qualified as such, was so decidedly defeated by the forces of good in the Second World War, that he remains seen as the weak man that he always was in life. But the arrival of the 21st Century, brought the supervillain into our everyday world. Since September the 11th was indeed put together by a woefully evil monster that cared little about human life and more about rotten ideology and as you read this, another cartoon of a man is waging an illegal war in the hopes of reshaping a sour legacy. One that became sullied by some interesting actions back in the day.
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For back in 2006, Putin’s fragile ego was exposed to the world, when he began to systematically eliminate former citizens of Russia that spoke the truth about his crooked regime. A move that is indeed about as supervillain as it gets, and almost seems impossible in a way, especially considering the circumstances as to how some of these people died. But what he did was real, and it is important we spotlight a weak man and his cruel actions to help us spot and prevent the rise of his kind going forward, so supervillains remain in the comics. Thankfully there is a television series out there that chronicles such matters to help with that, and that makes Litvinenko on Sundance Now, quite the powerful and engaging tale.

Because this is a story that plunges us into the final days of one Alexander ‘Sasha’ Litvinenko. Who wrote a book about Putin and his stupidity, and that book was enough to enrage the little man in Moscow, who in turn… ordered his assassination through poison. However, that is nothing more than basic knowledge regarding this story. Because everyone saw the news, and we heard about how Putin and his men were responsible and that was kind of that. But the details matter, as does the victim and that’s where this series premiere shines. Since it gives us time with Sasha, played brilliantly by the equally as brilliant David Tennant, and we get to see what kind of a man he was and what he wanted in this life. 

Not to mention, we get to know the men who were involved in his case, and that too is important. For what we tend to forget, is that there was a manhunt for the puppets responsible for this heinous crime and that means… we also get to meet Brent Hyatt and DS Jim Dawson, a pair of investigators that are at first, skeptical of the idea that an everyday man could have been poisoned in the middle of London. But Sasha’s conviction and honesty regarding what’s happened, plunges them into an incredible world. One of espionage and evil and that compels them to take this case seriously. Because a true wrong has taken place here, and it must be righted. Which of course, leads to a powerhouse and heartbreaking finale to this opening chapter. One where Sasha passes away from the horrific radiation, he’s been subject to, but also where… heroes make a decision.

In that, they are clearly ready to go after the attackers and bring forth some semblance of justice in this madness and that sets the stage for one incredible miniseries. One that will clearly explore every moment of this manhunt and truly ponder upon how evil rose in this century and continues to do its best to terrify so many. All through wild acts that one would think we’d only see in the movies or on television. And well, the fine acting here from everyone really, and the structure and design of this series… compels us to continue the journey. So that we see evil vanquished through justice, and so that we can be reminded of the fact that it doesn’t always win. Something we definitely need right now, as it works to thrive and survive. Until next time.

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