The Screen Scribe

Here we are. The big episode we’ve been waiting for. Finally, the hit commissioned by the New York group. The assassination of Ulle Dag Charles. Up to this point we’ve seen the Jackal apply every layer of his skill as a hired killer and his ability to disappear, disguise himself, and infiltrate almost anywhere. We’ve seen him meticulously plan and prepare for this final assignment that will retire him to Cadiz to live a peaceful, quiet life with his family.

And now his time has come.

The episode was solidly paced, never dull but never on the edge of your seat either until the very end. We finally get some backstory on the Jackal, showing he is indeed a former British military soldier, and quite possibly the supposedly dead Alexander Duggan. There are some surprising developments throughout the episode, as we see the Jackal reach out to his employer for help regarding the ever-closing noose that MI6 are tightening around his neck. There is also a nice nod to the original novel as the Jackal seduces a young man and manipulates him to gain insight into his location for the UDC hit.

But while it’s an episode rife with suspense, it’s also rife with implausibility, and my now possibly overused word, contrivances. I won’t lie, I did enjoy the episode, but it just leaves too many glaring holes. For instance, the botched hit on the British embassy was messily shot, the action poorly executed and just begs the question, where was security? The jeep was 30 yards up the road and no one bothered to assess it? Then the seduction of Rasmus. Would anyone honestly be so stupid as to risk what looks like a dream job to sneak someone they barely know behind the curtain on a vague promise that they want to see the architecture? And then there is the event itself. The fact that security never checked the vents just pushes the envelop a bit too far for me, especially when the Jackal is hiding below, and nobody sees him through the grate even while looking straight down? No, it’s too much.

But it seems par for the course with this series thus far. It has been a delicate balance of decent action and intrigue VS fundamentally poor writing full of glaring plot holes. Overall, the episode was enjoyable with a surprising ending that puts the Jackal in no man’s land as we drive headlong into the final stretch of three episodes. It will be interesting to see how this season concludes given the announcement of a season two.

2.5 / 5 ✨ from the Screen Scribe.

The Day of the Jackal is available to watch on Sky Atlantic every Thursday.

The first 7 episodes are available to watch now.