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Julia Montague, PS Budd, Nadia, Bom, terror threats, increase security, Chanel, Apsted
(write a summary and give your opinion of the item you’ve watched)
The episode began with Budd on a train with his children (Bella Padden and Matthew Stagg) when he noticed some suspicious behaviour from a man.
He followed the man to the toilets. A guard (Olwen May) informs him that there is a police force coming to apprehend a potential suicide bomber on the train.
The man leaves the toilet without any visible device, and we are allowed a moment to get our breath back before we meet the real bomber, Nadia.
Budd talks to Nadia and prevents her from exploding the device. The police board the train, and Budd prevents them from shooting her by blocking the sniper’s line of site.
As a result of this incident, the terror threat level is raised, and the Cabinet increases their security.
This means that Budd becomes the bodyguard of Julia Montague, a Home Secretary known for courting publicity who may be making a bid for power by creating a climate of fear in the country.
She is at first rude and dismissive of Budd, but warms to him after he humiliates the chief whip by lying about being “mixed race” after the whip calls him a “monkey”.
However, first Budd watches as she prepares for an interview with Andrew Marr (playing himself).
Montague’s aide Chanel Dyson (Stephanie Hyam) accidentally spills coffee over Montague, leading to he being sacked in the next scene and Budd offering Montague his shirt. She tries to tell her story of working with “sociopath” Montague to a journalist, but the journalist tells her to find some more concrete evidence.
In the interview, Montague says the government has nothing to apologise about for their role in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq - a comment that stays with Budd.
Meanwhile, we explore the complex relationship between Budd and his wife Vicky (Sophie Rundle).
Budd tells Montague she is his wife, but the two are in reality separated - Vicky’s is dating another person, with a divorce only not happening because Budd wants Vicky to get a pension for the kids if he dies in the line of duty.
Budd calls Vicky in the middle of the night after he’s been drinking, and she says she is tired of covering for his drinking and PTSD.
We also see Budd attend a Veterans for Peace protest meeting, headed by his former military colleague Andy Apsted (Tom Brooke), and the pair reminisce afterwards.
Apsted pleads with Budd to consider therapy, but he refuses. Apsted is angry with Budd for accepting the job of bodyguard for Montague, but Budd reveals a potential ulterior motive.
The two had said when in Afghanistan that if they ever met the people in government they would not hesitate to shoot them - cut to Budd looking very menacing in his room while holding his gun.
I think this series is pretty decent and I liked it. I was searching for a new series for a long time and then I clicked on “Bodyguard”. I like the personality of Budd, he has a pokerface while being the bodyguard and at home he shows his emotional side, for example with Vicky. He and Vicky are in a rough place because David doesn’t want to go in therapy. This lead to Vicky setting David out. David wants to go back to her. But also the anger he has for Julia Montague, because she didn’t apologize for her actions in Irak. However I would have liked more action, and with action I mean guns. I think this was not as hard to implement for a character that plays an ex-veteran and a police officer. With all things considered I would give this series an 7,5 out of 10 so far.