5 reasons to watch the final season of 'Strike Back'
by Brittany Frederick, Community Contributor @tvbrittanyf
Jul 13, 2015 | 10:00AM
Ever since I published my column on how Cinemax’s Strike Back enabled me to become a psuedo action hero, I’ve had a number of people ask me, “What’s Strike Back?”
Allow me to enlighten you. The global counterterrorism drama kicks off its fifth and final season at the end of this month, and you need to be setting your season pass immediately for the following five reasons:
1. Philip Winchester and Sullivan Stapleton
These are the two hardest-working actors in show business. They have to seriously act while simultaneously participating in ridiculously ambitious stunts (see below)—and also maintain accents that are not their own (Winchester is an American playing the British Michael Stonebridge; Stapleton is an Australian portraying the American Damien Scott). The fact that they can do all three things at the same time should earn them some sort of medal. As it is, you’ll be impressed by how consistently good they are across the board. They’re able to do anything and everything the script calls for while making it look easy. These guys are like the Swiss Army knives of actors. Plus, they’re about to star in two big new series this fall, so you can say you knew who they were before it was cool.
2. The jaw-dropping action scenes
If you’ve never seen the show before, you may think the people who make it are insane. The action sequences that Strike Back has pulled off so far include a massive train brawl, an attack on the British embassy, catching a falling warhead, two different naked fight scenes, ridiculous car chases, a prison riot, and defusing a nerve-gas bomb found inside someone’s stomach. For the final season, it’s safe to assume that they’re going to go even bigger; with this show, that probably means something beyond all expectations. There’s at least one moment in every episode where you’ll say, “Oh my god, everyone’s going to die” … and then another one where you’ll think, “Wow, that was cool.” A lot of the time, they’re one and the same.
If you still don’t believe this is serious stuff, check out the season five trailer:
3. This season has some fantastic guest stars
Strike Back is always able to cast some great people to play along with its main ensemble. Past seasons have included terrific performances from actors like Jimi Mistry, Liam Cunningham, Charles Dance, Shane Taylor, Zubin Varla, and a pre–Chicago Fire Eamonn Walker. The final season is no exception. Audiences are about to be treated to appearances from Will Yun Lee (The Wolverine), Max Beesley (Suits), Dustin Clare (the Spartacus series), Tim McInnerny (Spooks), and UFC fighter Michael Bisping, just to name a few. Watching this show is watching amazing performers from around the world. The casting directors for this show should get a whole page of gold stars for how there’s never been a weak link in the history of the program.
4. It’s full of strong women (figuratively and literally)
Everyone who wants to see more strong female characters on TV should’ve been watching Strike Back. The show prides itself on writing women who are as strong, well-developed, and well-acted as their male counterparts. Actresses like Amanda Mealing, Eva Birthistle, Rhona Mitra and Lyne Renee have played them wonderfully. For season five, Michelle Lukes is returning as Julia Richmond, the glue who’s held Section 20 together all these years. She’s once again working with Milauna Jackson as no-nonsense DEA agent Kim Martinez, who’s now an official part of the team. Meanwhile, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon star Michelle Yeoh is joining the cast in a major role. These are women who are smart, respected, and capable of making any man eat their words.
5. Because Robson Green doesn’t know how to slow down
When you’re 50 and have already starred in several successful television series, hosted a couple more, and released a few albums to boot, you might want to relax and enjoy a well-earned break for a while. Not Robson Green, who’s over on Strike Back shooting bad guys and schooling junior officers with the best of them. Green is back for his third season as Lt. Colonel Philip Locke, the head honcho of Section 20, who makes all other commanding officers on TV look bad with how much he’s capable of. This character is someone you’d want to follow into battle. Even with everything the multitalented Green has accomplished over two and a half decades, we’d still consider this some of his best work. And it’s vastly entertaining to see him put guys half his age to shame.
Whether you’re looking for thrilling action or serious drama, Strike Back has everything you could ask for in a TV show. With this being its final season, it’s likely going to outdo its own high standard for putting audiences on the edge of their seats. You definitely don’t want to be the person who misses out, so program your DVR and catch up on the first three seasons now via Blu-Ray, DVD, or Cinemax on Demand.
Strike Back returns to Cinemax on Friday, July 31, at 10 p.m.
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