Critical Condition: Bodyguard

Bodyguard | Netflix, from Wednesday

➢➢ “The thriller stars Game of Thrones alumnus Richard Madden as a security officer and military veteran who enters the series with no small amount of trauma and only builds up more scar tissue as it goes. Both juicy in its delving into character psychology and rippingly ready to tear up its playbook as it goes, it’s a six-episode ride that demands, and rewards, a quick binge.” — Variety.

➢➢ “The action in Bodyguard is twofold. There’s the usual thrillery stuff you’d expect about mass murdering terrorists trying to blow up trains, but the more emotionally engaging and thrilling dynamic exists between the two principal protagonists: tough, flawed and inscrutable close personal protection officer David Budd (Richard Madden); and the politician he is assigned to, the icy, ambitious and sexy home secretary Julia Montague (Keeley Hawes).” — Independent.

➢➢ “The story takes wild, violent leaps amid myriad conspiracies, leading to a crazy, nail-biting climax that is both preposterous and wholly satisfying. Some binges feel like a slog. Bodyguard is more of a race, well worth the run.” — TV Guide.

➢➢ “Jed Mercurio’s new series, Bodyguard, is about as preposterous as it’s possible for a supposedly realistic TV drama to be. But crikey, is it exciting. Watching the first scene, which lasted 21 long (and yet very short) minutes, I felt a strong compulsion to smoke, a habit I gave up years ago. Every time things seemed to be on the point of quietening a little … up they would ratchet another notch.” — New Statesman.

➢➢ “In Bodyguard, Mercurio trains his eye and his nose for corruption on the corridors of power and, by the end of last night’s opening episode, it was clear he has created something as dark and moreish as ever. As the credits rolled, I snouted for more like a truffle-hunting pig.” — The Guardian.