MI5 Season Five

The brave members of Britain's elite MI5 security agency are back for a fifth season, this time facing-off not only against the usual assortment of terrorist cells and rogue agents but also against a cabal of powerful home-grown provocateurs with their sights set on staging a coup d’état. As in previous seasons of this British answer to ever-popular American drama 24, the stakes are high and the tension is unrelenting. The fictionalised contemporary Britain of MI5 is besieged by terrorist plots that play on fears generated by the UK’s actual terror incidents, transitioning between plausible suicide bomber scenarios and wildly exaggerated "evil genius”-style attacks. It is MI5’s ability to weave so-called minor incidents with conventional spy fiction scenarios that keeps the series down-to-earth. It is inadvisable for anyone to start their foray into the MI5 world with season five however, as there are a number of story arcs continued from previous seasons. But, for people looking to fill the empty place that the Writers’ Guild of America strike has left in their television schedule, the MI5 series is worth investigating, especially for those looking forward to the delayed return of 24’s Jack Bauer. The season five discs are sparse on extras however, with only cast interviews and a trailer for the series you have already purchased. So if you’ve already seen the season televised, you won’t be getting much more if you purchase the DVDs. North American audiences not familiar with the style and pacing of British drama might find MI5 a little odd at first. There are no "end of the world” scenarios and no dashing heroes. The problems faced by the MI5 team are best resolved quickly and under-the-radar, and characters are often forced to pay for the consequences of their actions. If you are a fan of spy-thrillers then find yourself a copy of season one to start; you won’t be disappointed by the time you reach the fifth season.