5 out of 5

Directed by: Mat Whitecross

It’s not that I felt every aspect of ‘Fleming’ was aces, and there are even some parts that I’d wished they’d trimmed or handled differently, but I chalk that up to personal tastes.  I found myself in the rare position of wishing there’d been more, but understanding that the full story (within the scope of the series) had been told.  Realizing that – that it wasn’t a fleeting hope, but that I truly wanted to find out I’d been wrong about it concluding at 4 episodes – made me appreciate that ‘Fleming’ had successfully roped me in… and to something historically based, for goodness’ sake, a genre for which I normally couldn’t care less!  Jerks.

I’m not sure how I feel about the series starting with Fleming finishing up ‘Casino Royale,’ only to flashback to wartimes with a young Fleming, jealous of his author / hero brother, always drinking and flirting and continually wishing to be more involved.  It’s a soothing setup, one of those reminders that all will come back to that point eventually, and thus dissolves some of the fantasy/reality mashup that follows.  At the same time, it’s honesty: we know this is the man who becomes the writer of Bond, it’s why we’re watching, and so to present us with the writer and then to take us back to the formation of that persona offers a counterpoint to the character study – and one that becomes less counter the more we know Fleming, since his key characteristics seem to have stayed in place.  So, truly: I’m not sure how to feel about it.

From thereon out we’re treated to the ridiculously amazing tale of a man who somewhat stole his way into naval intelligence just by having a bit of fun, and then frequently made use of his creativity to push the department toward important intelligence discoveries and new procedures.  Whitecross – and series writers John Brownlow & Don MacPherson – smartly weave through so, so many Bond winks and reminders that Ian’s imagination is driving things that there’s never a doubt that the small-framed Fleming (or, at least, as portrayed by Dominic Cooper) would transport this life to writing.  His issues with authority; his brash relationship with the then-married, eventually-his-wife Ann O’Neill (Lara Pulver, a good stern choice for deflecting / reflecting Ian’s suaveness); his love of a good story – all of these are the fun signposts that are well established and played through ‘Fleming,’ which covers, essentially, Bond’s time with the war effort, before retiring in favor of writing.  But dotted throughout are the minor romances and family relationships that are the flavoring of any great character study or display, and the series does a wonderful job of not smearing any particular moment with revelations or conclusions: the action is balanced with the family drama with the romance with watching the man work and think.  Cooper is wonderful in the role, perfectly charming, and the production design and effects are excellent support, never once betraying the setting.  While the romance with Ann might seem both severe and under-handled – they’re both into rough play, and Fleming casually remarks on the bruises on her thigh at one point – it follows with the sort of dream state in which the series plays out.

I’m not a gigantic Bond fan, and I couldn’t tell you what’s real or fake or mixed in this series.  But, as mentioned, I found myself interested – invested in the characters, invested in the story, and wanting to know more.  ‘The Man Who Would Be Bond’ is an excellently focused mini that seems to know exactly what it wants to accomplish during its runtime, spreading it out just evenly enough to never feel rushed but to fully satisfy.