With only six episodes in the Pine Gap series, you could be forgiven for thinking that you'll blast your way through it in no time at all.
The problem with that is the complicated nature of the show. It's a spy drama, the kind of show you absolutely have to concentrate on.
Blink and you'll miss something key to the overall story. That doesn't mean it's not good, you probably just can't binge watch it in one go.
And Pine Gap is good. Actually, it's very good.
What Is Pine Gap About?
It's based on the Pine Gap intelligence facility located in Alice Springs, central Australia.
A joint venture between the Australians and the Americans, it is here that satellites are tracked, intel is gathered and drone strikes are all part of a day's work. Like a fictional version of the documentary Spycraft.
The problem is that the Aussies and the Americans are not playing nice, particularly their respective leaders.
An alliance between the two countries is under increasing pressure. And increasing pressure from the top has filtered down to Pine Gap.
The facility is run by two executives, one American and the other Australian. Both report to their respective heads of state in Washington and Canberra.
When a Vampire Missile is launched and hits a small civilian plane, the race is on to find out who launched it and why.
The Australians know the answer but hide it from the Americans as the truth behind it will unravel the alliance.
The Americans, not buying the excuses given, decide to investigate it secretly. It is also at this point that technician Moses Dreyfus (Mark Leonard Winter) discovers malware on the facility's servers.
He reports it to station director Ethan James (Steve Toussaint). It is then they realise an insider can have only installed it.
Whittling down the possibilities, they identify six members of A Team that could be responsible for the breach.
Now the hunt is on to find the culprit and stop them before they can release classified information. But each of the six analysts has a potential reason for wanting to sabotage the facility. So which one is it?
Pine Gap Official Trailer
Is Pine Gap Worth Watching?
Pine Gap is a multi-layered unconventional spy thriller. The story is played out largely through the eyes of Jasmina Delic (Tess Haubrich) who works as an analyst.
Everybody is hiding something and relationships are fraught with suspicion.
Throw in a multi billion dollar deal with the Chinese and a town that is in desperate need of the financial boost and everybody is a suspect.
The ending doesn't really resolve anything, in fact, it poses more questions than it ultimately answers.
Is There A Second Season Of Pine Gap?
I'm sad to say that no, there is no second season of Pine Gap. It's a real shame because the show is very engaging and well worth a watch.
That and Pine Gap season one ended with more questions than answers, so some follow-through would have been nice!
The problem was that critics complained it didn't have enough action, then there were complaints from governments in Asia regarding images used of the south China sea in certain episodes.
But the nail in the coffin was that the viewing figures were very low in its native Australia.
It started its run with 580,000 viewers in Australia and eventually ended with 360,000. Losing almost half of your audience over just six episodes is never a good sign!
Is Pine Gap A True Story?
While the facility of Pine Gap does exist in real life, and it is a joint defence intelligence facility located in Alice Springs, the tv series and the characters in it, are fictional.
It was created by Greg Haddrick and Felicity Packard with Mat King directing all six episodes. It aired in 2018 and you can watch it on Netflix.
Cast Of Pine Gap, Netflix
Parker Sawyers as Gus Thomson, an American mission director
Tess Haubrich as Jasmina Delic, a communications intelligence team leader
Jacqueline McKenzie as Kath Sinclair, the Australian deputy chief of the facility
Steve Toussaint as Ethan James, the American chief of the facility
Stephen Curry as Jacob Kitto, a director seconded from the Australian Secret Intelligence Service
Sachin Joab as Simon Penny, an Australian communications intelligence analyst
Mark Leonard Winter as Moses Dreyfus, an American analyst and a loner
Kelton Pell as Dr Paul Dupain, a medical doctor
Madeleine Madden as Immy Dupain, an activist and Paul's daughter
Lewis Fitz-Gerald as Rudi Fox, the American chief of intelligence operations
Edwina Wren as Eloise Chambers, an American analyst
Alice Keohavong as Deborah Vora, an analyst
Jason Chong as Zhou Lin, an executive for the Chinese owned mining company
Simone Kessell as Belle James, American wife of Ethan
