Review: Olivia Munn takes center stage in 'Six: Season 2'
Posted Tuesday, August 7, 2018 at 3:42 PM Central
by John Couture
If there's one thing that I know, it's that Olivia Munn makes everything better. Don't like a TV series, just add Munn. OK, that might be stretching it a bit, but I was absolutely floored by her performance in Newsroom and now, I just can't get enough of her.
Needless to say, I was excited when it was announced that Olivia Munn would be joining Six in the second season as a series regular. While I was pretty sure that she wouldn't be joining as a member of SEAL Team Six, I was hoping that she wouldn't be relegated as a wife or girlfriend role either.
When Six: Season 2 debuted, we were treated with a complete badass Olivia Munn as CIA agent Gina Cline. She joins forces with SEAL Team Six as they hunt down the terror group responsible for the attack on their former team leader Rip.
What I really enjoyed about season two is that the fighting seemed to focus in on Eastern Europe and the Baltics, which is a place where we don't normally see SEAL Team Six. Normally, these types of military shows focus in on the desert of the Middle East or Afghanistan. Naturally, the United States has plenty of enemies in these areas, but it was refreshing to see a slightly different backdrop for this season.
While the first season was "inspired" by actual SEAL Team Six missions, it seems that the series creators took a bit more dramatic license with season two. That's not to say that it suddenly became a soap opera, but the added flexibility allowed them to position Olivia Munn in a convincing role that really helped to expand the team as a whole.
While the season did seem to drag a bit in the middle, the action really ramped up towards the end and the series seemed poised to really break through in season three. Unfortunately, a few months ago, the History Channel announced that the series would not be coming back from a third season.
This is a real bugaboo of mine lately. Networks are telling their creative teams that they want compelling properties that have that "must watch" factor, but then they but their legs right out from underneath them. The best way to develop tension and loyalty is to build up to a cliffhanger and to slowly add layers to both character and story. Sadly, networks aren't showing the same patience they once did and there's a veritable ocean of cliffhangers that will never be solved. This level of unease about a show's future is starting to affect the audience's willingness to buy in. Why put in the effort of following a well put together narrative when the chances are pretty good that we will never get a resolution?
As someone who watches a lot of television, I have learned to become very picky when it comes to starting a new series. I have been burned way too many times recently and each time it happens, I'm left wondering why we even start on this journey. I understand the economics of the situation so I'm not saying that networks need to lose money until the audience catches up, but perhaps if they put a little more due diligence up front, there wouldn't be so many cancellations on the back end.
OK, I will put away my soapbox for now and get back to Six: Season 2. The cast is superb and it is was easily one of the best TV dramas out there about the military. It might not have had the "charismatic lead actor" that many of them have, but it also felt more real because the cast had an authentic touch to them.
Sure, at times this season started to feel more like Homeland or The Americans, but what's so wrong about that? There's a reason those shows are so popular. Just as the show was striking a real balance between authenticity and dramatic license, its life was cut down short.
Rest in Peace Six. You gave us 18 episodes and left us wanting more. We should be thankful that you got that many, most don't make it that far.
