Season 1
- Otto Farrant as Alex Rider
- Stephen Dillane ( Red Mist ) as Alan Blunt
- Vicky McClure as Mrs. Jones
- Brenock O'Connor as Tom Harris
- Ronke Adékoluejo as Jack Starbright
- Liam Garrigan as Martin Wilby
- Ace Bhatti as John Crawley
- Thomas Levin as Yassen Gregorovitch
- Haluk Bilginer as Dr. Greif
Alex Rider (2020) [Season 1, Episode 1]
Lies
Shown 4th June 2020
Alex Rider is an orphaned schoolboy in his late teens, who lives with his uncle. So far, so Harry Potter . The uncle is not a wizard, but a counter-intelligence agent for the UK government. However, while chasing down a hunch the uncle bites off more than he can chew.
Alex does not believe the official cover story. He and his nerdy sidekick investigate, and discover the government agency's cover-up. However, Alex's skills are so impressive that the Agency's boss Alan Blunt (Stephen Dillane - Red Mist ) considers using him to complete the operation ...
Alex Rider (2020) [Season 1, Episode 2]
Interrogation
Shown 4th June 2020
Alex is recruited by British Intelligence. To fit modern England, the department is fifty percent Black. This differentiates it from the department in The Lazarus Project , which is fifty percent South Asian. His handler Mrs. Jones ( Vicky McClure ) points out to her boss Alan Blunt (Stephen Dillane - Red Mist ) that it is unethical and illegal to hire a teenager to do the work of a trained undercover agent. This illustrates the problem with the entire YA subgenre, which features teenagers in world-saving roles.
Alex goes cycling without obeying the ROSPA code. Predictably, he gets into an RTA. Worse, the people who hit him abduct and interrogate him. However, it turns out that Alex has been trained in counter-interrogation, escape and evasion techniques by his uncle. Yes, this illustrates the more plausible aspect of the YA genre - the idea that the protagonist might be trained from birth.
Alex Rider (2020) [Season 1, Episode 3]
Friends
Shown 4th June 2020
Alex breaks in his new cover identity. He moves into Mr Friend's mansion, and gets used to the high life. Unfortunately his new step-sister Lucy pays an unexpected visit. She taunts Alex by wearing her skimpy swimsuit, while the swimming pool is clearly too chilly.
The filmmakers clearly have no idea about firearms. Alex and Mr Friend conduct a conversation while clay-pidgeon shooting, although in real life they would both need hearing protection. Later, Lucy and her boyfriend play a childish prank on Alex ... also involving firearms. This is horrifically unsafe, and not just because of the lack of hearing protection.
Alex Rider (2020) [Season 1, Episode 4]
Deep Cover
Shown 4th June 2020
Alex is matriculated into the boarding school, and makes friends with some of the kids there. He discovers that their parents are all businessmen ... no politicians or artists among their number. The headmaster, Dr Grief, teaches them his philosophy. He is a Malthusian, convinced that overpopulation is a genuine danger and that only a massive reduction of humans can save the world.
Meanwhile, the Agency's boss Alan Blunt (Stephen Dillane - Red Mist ) closes in on the mole.
Alex Rider (2020) [Season 1, Episode 5]
Secrets
Shown 4th June 2020
Alex and his two friends are planning escape. The other three kids in the boarding school are acting like pod people, even synchronising their movements while eating.
Alex Rider (2020) [Season 1, Episode 6]
Escape
Shown 4th June 2020
This is the end of the second act, traditionally the part of the story where the protagonist is captured and interrogated.
Alex Rider (2020) [Season 1, Episode 7]
Incursion
Shown 4th June 2020
Alex leads a Special Forces unit to rescue the hostages. The good news is that he has worked with the team before. The bad news is that they were the ones who kidnapped and tortured him.
The villain's evil masterplan is revealed. Since this is a James Bond pastiche, the whole setup is an extended homage to On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) . And since the villain has been shown as a fan of Hitler, the storyline also has a homage to The Boys From Brazil . That said, the target audience are probably too young to have heard of these films.
Alex Rider (2020) [Season 1, Episode 8]
Truth
Shown 4th June 2020
Alex returns home, and tries to get back to normal.
The good guys did a terrible job of their clean-up. Nobody bothered to see if there was a spare version of Alex. Now he has an evil twin on the loose.
Dr Grief refuses to name the super-villains he hired for security. This does not matter, since they will kill as many people as they have to in order to tie up all the loose ends. If he was smart, he would just have cooperated with his captors.
