User reviews

Australian thriller 'The Code' brings to mind the classic BBC thriller 'Edge of Darkness', with its story of nuclear secrets, dodgy corporations and untrustworthy government. But we make dramas differently now, and the pace is much faster - which is not altogether a bad thing, although the slick graphics and camera-work are sometimes distracting. There are also some disappointing clichés: the genius hackers who can do just about everything, and the expository graphics that the computers conveniently display for the sole purpose of telling us that they're currently being hacked. Another point of critique is that, apart from the good guys, just about everyone else seems utterly ruthless and violent, in a way that slightly beggars belief: our heroes are asked to make constrained choices, but the motivations of the villains are seemingly explained by villainy alone. That said, the plot is both superficially clever and substantially intelligent, and there's some genuine emotion in the relationship of the central protagonist and his socially limited brother. And for Europeans like me, a chance to get a glimpse of the bleak beauty of the Australia itself.

On the basis of the opening episodes, Shawn Seet's production looks to provide plenty of interest. A sophisticated political thriller set in Canberra and the outback, THE CODE focuses on the efforts of journalist Ned Banks (Dan Spielman) to find out the connection between governmental politics and a mysterious accident involving the death of a teenager. The quest leads him into several inexplicable and often traumatic incidents; his brother Jesse (Ashley Zukerman) is taken into custody for having hacked a government website, and roughed up in the process. When Jesse returns home, he is so traumatized that he can hardly communicate. No one can be trusted in this world of shadows: Jesse's girlfriend is not quite all that she might be, while Ned's ex-girlfriend Sophie (Chelsie Preston Crayford), a high-ranking member of the government's spin-doctoring team, has a relationship with her oleaginous boss, who knows what's happened to Jesse, but will never let on.

Stylistically speaking, THE CODE borrows some conventions from US series such as NUMB3RS - for example, the flashing of computer- screens and computer-generated information on screen to advance the plot. The basic situation owes a lot to NUMB3RS too: Jesse might be suffering from panic attacks, but he is also a computer genius, working in cahoots with his more staid yet respectable brother Ned. Nonetheless director Seet shows that there is a firm filial bond between the two of them: Ned reveals a touching concern for Jesse's welfare, especially when forced to leave home on a business assignment.

THE CODE makes much of the contrast between town and country; the endless plains of the outback, with lonely buildings placed here and there suggests a wild, untamed world, one where it is very easy to get lost. This is precisely what happens to teenager Clarence Boyd (Aaron L. McGrath) at one point. The city world of Canberra is one of gleaming glass buildings and perpetual shadows - a fitting context for a world of politicking in which people try to get the better of one another by fair means or foul. Most government officials' principal interest consists of saving their own skin - which is why they treat Jesse so brutally as someone who has inadvertently fouled up their organization.

The only criticism of the series so far is that director Seet tends to advance the plot through exposition - where characters explain things to us through dialog - rather than incident. This strategy tends to slow the pace of the drama up somewhat. Once the basic situation have been established, however, the drama unfolds smoothly, offering several surprises along the way. Definitely worth staying with.

The beginning is a little slow, but keep watching! This political thriller is an interesting series that keeps you guessing from start to finish. What will you look forward to by watching this series? Phenomenal acting, beautiful Australian scenery, mystery, drama, and maybe even a few laughs.

Something that we see in The Code that is not often seen in American television is that our main character is a young man who is undoubtedly on the autism spectrum. But he is not only portrayed as a handicapped individual but also a genius, capable of extraordinary things and also capable of being in a romantic relationship and having a sense of his own sexuality.

Thank you, Australia!

I'm not going to write a review discussing the profound elements of the show, but just a viewer's opinion. In Canada we just got this on the SuperChannel in January so I do not know how this ends. I watched it because there was nothing on telly.....and then the first episode had me riveted and I wanted, no needed the next episode. I really like this show, and not all specialized series are worth much, in fact there are sooo many police shows, gangsters, spies....when does it end, but this show, completely original, actually has me looking forward to the next episode. I have no idea what will happen in any episode, but the fact is that a lot happens in each episode, it feels so much longer than an hour because the show is constantly throwing in a twist and moving....no drawn out drama. I'm so glad I watched it and I highly recommend "the code" to anyone who wants to watch something different but high in action, the actors are great, they are so believable and I'm invested in them. Ashley Zukerman deserves recognition for his role as he is so believable. Dan Spielman is fantastic as his brothers keeper and I have not seen Lucy Lawless since her Zena days but she really can act and does so superbly. I hope there's another season (even tho I don't know how it ends) and thank you so much for creating a TV series that is original, well acted and addictive.

This is definitely one of the best TV series that Australia has put out in so long, it gets you sitting on the edge of your seat, There no other series like it that I have ever watched and best of all it suits just about anyone. I think there is something for everyone, but I wouldn't let young kids watch it. There is action, mystery, thriller comedy and drama all wrapped up in one big bundle of awesome watching....You never know what is going to happen next. I do however just wish that the seasons went longer., its not as if our country is poor or lacking in exceptionally good actors. All the acting and actors in this series are top class, The story line is believable, and unpredictable and it encompasses the way the world really is, touching on subjects that are perhaps politically "sensitive", making it really good entertainment. I give it a 10 with no hesitation.

Wow, what a promising start to a series. I've seen some really good quality coming out of Australia lately and wonderful to see a political thriller now. Absolutely outstanding acting from Ashley Zukerman. I can see him moving on to films in the states, with that talent.

The pilot is gripping from the very initial scene where the accident takes place. I love the way Jesse's mental health issue is portrayed, it's delicate but raw. There should be more programs showing what life is like for those with mental health issues. Portraying such issues in a positive way helps others to understand that they are people first.

This is a first for me, giving a ten out of ten but this is well worth it. I look forward to watching the rest of the series.

It took me several episodes to get intrigued enough to continue watching this Australian TV series based on political control within the Australian government which is reminiscent of the Dick Chaney "Whitehouse" cover up years regarding WMDs.

The first few episodes were extremely slow due to plot development, but forgivable as it is probably indicative of what life is really like Down Under in Canberra and the outbacks of Australia. It was not until I saw episode 3 when I decided to invest more time in this better than average production.

The plot is strong enough to gain interest early in the episodes, but started to wain in the latter parts of the series.

The show was well cast and many of the actors gave strong performances including the leads Spielman and Zukerman . However, having said this, I felt that Zukerman's character, Jessie, was over the top irritating. Zukerman did an admirable job in developing his character early on in the series, but one has to wonder if he had to chronically snort chili peppers during each scene in order to personify this character who was mildly autistic (constant tearing, with chronic red eyes and runny nose). His performance became progressively grating and contrived, which made it difficult to watch the scenes he was in without wanting to slap him over the head. I understand Zukerman won the Australian best actor TV award for this role, so perhaps I was the only one that felt this way.

I gave this show a 7 because it has merit early on and is well worth seeing until you get bored or just tired.

Like many Australians I have been let down by the calibre of television in this country. Never did I think I would award 10 stars to an Australian show. That was under I started "The Code". I didn't expect much from this show, in fact I thought a "Samson & Delilah" esque plot would evolve from the synopsis. How wrong I was.

There are several plot lines running concurrently. One is set in the bush in a remote town where Alex (a VERY unrecognisable Lucy Lawless) has set up shop as a bleeding heart teacher. Two of her students take her car for a joyride. Cut to Canberra where we get a glimpse into the surprisingly thrilling world of Australian politics. My personal favourite is watching the complex relationship between brothers Ned & Jessie unfold, Ned being an internet journalist who uncovers the story of the missing teens & Jessie being a brilliant but troubled computer geek. This is all tied together beautifully with the Australian version of the NSA on the trail of our would be heroes. Gripping stuff.

This is every bit as slick & well developed as its Hollywood counterparts, in particular Homeland (before it went weird). Give it a go, you will not be disappointed.

Both seasons are worthy of your time if you like quality drama that unfolds over several episodes.

The writing, acting, and production are top quality, with no 'as if' moments. As someone else has mentioned, the first season does borrow from 'Edge of Darkness' but it is used for inspiration and not a copy - the story develops in a different direction.

The brother with Asperger's/autism is a great part that any actor would have loved to play. His part is written into the story and is NOT the story - inclusiveness for the sake of it really pi**ses me off, so I was impressed with how his character developed as part of the story.

The BBC are crap at developing stories that include diversity and always seem to thrust it down your throat, so I liked how this production (not BBC) portrayed the autistic character. I write that to encourage you to watch this show as I am usually put off by any 'inclusiveness' being central to the story. 'The Bridge' (Nordic version) did it better, but this is comparable and I write that as a compliment.

Watch and enjoy.

This is ABC TV's most ambitious political tense thriller about a Government cover up involving two teenagers (Aaron Grath; Clarence Boyd & Madeleine Madden; Sheyna Smith) in a car accident that collided with a truck- one dies set in the fictitious country town of Lindara ( filmed in Broken Hill). Journalist Ned Banks ( Dan Spielman) comes across this story when he is given a file by a Government worker Sophie Walsh (Chelsie Preston-Crayford) who he gets his brother Jesse (Ashley Zuckerman) who has autism but smart to hack into the computer to retrieve the full video the teens left on their phone. The Code is full of A grade talented actors like Lucy Lawless (Alex Wisham) a school teacher in Lindara who contacted Ned and Aaron Pedersen plays Lindara's police officer Tim Simons, Steve Rogers & Dan Wylie play AFP officers, Aden Young and David Wenham play powerful Government officials desperate to keep the accident a secret.

How many times will Ned leave Jesse alone? As often as the plot dictates. The first three hours were terrific, as we were treated to mystifying pieces of the puzzle. But then there came a need for some explanations, and the story seemed (to me) to fall into a torture-fest, with competing gangs of torturers. The motivations of virtually everyone seemed to be lost in the torture. Granted, there are no all-good heroes nor all-bad villains, but six hours is a long time to wait for clues as to motivation, especially as there was no character functioning as an investigator. Ned's discoveries (for an investigative reporter) seemed almost fortuitous, depending on how unhinged Jesse was at that moment.

Being a fan of Scandinavian and UK thrillers in the main, I sometimes widen my horizons and ascertain what other countries tend to offer. The Code is no first Australian drama thriller for me, but I can´t recall that I´ve seen events happening in the capital Canberra (usually it is Sydney...) As for potential conspiracy, Australia is a big country enough for this and so the benchmark seemed realistic (sometimes producers from small and "boring" countries tend to create a deep and far-fetched story).

Most actors-actress were unfamiliar to me (apart from Anthony LaPaglia and Robyn Malcolm), but often it is no disadvantage as overexposed performers tend to appear in similar roles... Still, in my opition, LaPaglia and Ashley Zukerman give the best performances and/or have the most versatile characters to play; Ned and Hani, for instance, did not impress me too much.

With "too Australian" I mean that some issues-events seem very far-incomprehensible for an outsider, e.g. Papua-related ones. But on the other hand, it provides additional knowledge of the area and the topics Australia as a regional leader has to address.

All in all, strong 7 points from me - was no waste of time, but there are AUS series for more "general" viewers...

If you have trouble hanging with a show, if you start to fade around Episode 3, if your mind easily wanders, this show is the cure.

This show has run two seasons, and I have no idea if there will be a third. We can only hope. But this story (two stories, really) of two brothers, one a reporter, one an autistic computer genius (and no, that's not horrible, it works) grabs you by the collar and does with you what it will.

Dan Spielman and Ashley Zukerman are stunning as brothers Ned and Jesse. Their sibling relationship arrives fully fleshed out, complicated and nuanced, one we accept immediately. Not that we have the time to examine it at our leisure, because the plot arrives like a freight train, and we are have to hang on, waving in the slipstream as it tears down the track. This is true for each season, by the way, though the stories are mostly self-contained. There is government corruption, business corruption, nasty heavies as well as the morally conflicted and the less brave.

You can watch both seasons over two nights, and you very well might. And, boy, will you be glad you did. Unmissable.

It is well acted but the script, in my opinion, was poor. I would certainly not sit through a third series. Sorry to disappoint those who actually liked it. We will just have to agree to disagree.

This is a good tale which kept me watching to the end of the series. The acting and the pace of the drama are both well pitched. However, there is a stand out factor in this drama in my view. I could be wrong, but I believe that the Australian film company may have plied Hugh Grant with Pommiegranite causing him to become rejuvenated, accept a role in the series and assume the name of another actor. If you have seen the series you may well have noticed this too. If not, it's worth watching the series for the HG factor alone.

Excellent acting, smart scripts, reality. You must brush aside the stereotypes, some small absurdities, but even for a computer programmer this is an enjoyable series to watch.

It's a pretty decent drama and well acted. The autistic brother character is kind of cringe. It's so difficult conveying the subtleties of mental illness (or disabilities) on screen and often comes off as stereotypical. My other complaint is that many male characters look very similar. I honestly had a hard time figuring out who was who for the first episode. Alas, I'm a fan of computer/tech conspiracy stories so I give it a thumbs-up.

This ABC produced TV series started off well but began to deteriorate rapidly after the first couple of episodes. While I understand the need for fantasy in escapist TV series, this one really depended on that aspect far too much. Although it was advertised as Australia's response to Scandinavian Noir films, it does not even come close. By the start of season two, one started to get tired of the computer screen displays constantly appearing on screen, a plot that had weakened significantly, and acting that was becoming very tiresome. The plot began to go all over the place with sub-plots developed but went nowhere. The actor who played the Autistic brother seemed to go in and out of character too often, and the story line began to wrap up very quickly as if they suspected the series might be cancelled.....or maybe the writers just ran out of ideas.

I only started watching this because of my teenage crush on Lucy Lawless, but the show got me hooked from the start. The acting is brilliant from the top, Jesse and Ned are played exquisitely, but basically every actor in The Code deserves praise. The show lacks dramatic car chases, explosions, gore, but manages to keep your heart rate up through well paced action. Love the 6-episode per season approach, it helps to keep the each episode top notch.