One of the major advantages to reviewing films and television shows it I get an opportunity to watch things that otherwise might never occur to me. Sometimes it is painfully obvious why I never came across some of the material but in those rare occasions when I’m pleasantly surprised I wonder why such quality is not known to a wider audience. One such series is ‘Flashpoint’, a Canadian import in the ever popular crime drama motif. I first came across it a couple of years ago but unfortunately I was not able to locate it on my cable lineup. I’ve run across this with shows on ‘F/X’ or ‘BBC America’ so I just relegated to waiting for the next season’s DVD to arrive. I have noticed that ‘Flashpoint’ popped up on the CBS schedule recently for season four so it looks like its quality has not gone unnoticed by the all important studio executives. What made this series even more intriguing it the premise of the series is roughly the same as one that was a guilty pleasure for a lot of people back in the mid seventies. That series was ‘S.W.A.T.’, and ‘Flashpoint presents a twofold reinvention of the concept; bringing it into the new millennium and reinventing it from a Canadian perspective. Both of these variations are interesting enough on their own but in combination they made me a fan instantly. I find myself drawn to watching episodes when nothing else seems to hold my interest. It is not so much a default program for me but something I can always trust to provide an hour of entertainment. Therefore I held the coming of season three on DVD with great anticipation and I was not disappointed. I took this opportunity to revisit the previous seasons allowing myself to become immersed in the way the personal stories of the team members are subtly infused along with the standard police drama that drives each episode. I am confident that given a chance this series is going to find its way on to the season pass list on a lot of DVRs.

When the idea was first brought out in 1975 the idea of a militarized unit in a metropolitan police force was relatively new. ‘S.W.A.T.’ referred to specialized weapons and tactics which basically inferred the use of high powered rifles, body armor and other military accouterments deployed along the standard urban assault methodology. That was fine in the post Vietnam era but now we live in vastly different times and ‘Flashpoint’ reflects these changes exceptionally well. The team here is referred to as the ‘S.R.U.’, Special response Unit. This redefines the focus giving the unit a broader mandate to respond to a larger variety of situations that will trigger their rolling out as well as a much more diverse repertoire of tools and tactics at their disposal. The emphasis is off a straight forward military approach although resolutions by means of lethal force are still there albeit as a course of last resource. The leader of the team is Sgt. Gregory Parker (Enrico Colantoni). It is up to him to devise the strategy that will guide the team. Unlike the overly testosterone driven American variation the goal here is usually not to burst in and shoot everything in sight. Parker has to carefully evaluate every possible aspect of the situation taking into consideration the trained observations and analysis of the team. The most desired course of action is for Parker to put aside his military training in favor of his psychological acumen to defuse the situation by talking the object down. The running back story is although Parker is expert at talking to distraught people he is unable to speak to his estranged son. Typically taking the position of field leader is Ed Lane (Hugh Dillon) as the one closest to the situation it usually falls top him how far to escalate the response. Other members of the team have specialties such as Jules Callaghan (Amy Jo Johnson) who can break down a door with the best of them but when the need arises is a deadly shot as one of the team’s snipers. Taking this step is always shown as the last resort and the series is quick to demonstrate the emotional toll such an action takes on the one called to take the shot.

Since the appearance of ‘S.W.A.T.’ back in 1975 just about just about every police drama has included a few scenes of the highly organized, heavily armed team bursting through a door to take down the bad guys. While it makes for action packed entertainment it is a long way from reality. Personally, I feel this approach is much more interesting and sustainable as a series. There is only so much you can pull out of a show about breaking in fast and hard; that is over in a heartbeat. In this series a greater emphasis is placed on the cause and effect that kicks off the situation. Typically the episode begins in medias res depicting a crucial moment in the negotiations. The camera suddenly pulls back taking the audience three hours in the past so we can watch exactly how things got out of control. This adds a new dimension to the series making it into a vastly more interesting police procedural show by including both the emotional impact on the perpetrators, the police officers an extending the consideration to their families.

The cases undertaken in the third season are suitably diverse. It gives the audience a taste of what this special unit faces on a regular basis. The assignments range from rescuing a pair of children from an abductor cleverly crafted bank robberies. The traditional ‘never off duty’ motif gets some play when Jules encounters an armed man suspected of being a terrorist. His series demonstrates the post 9-11 vigilance extends beyond the borders of the United States. This series is well crafted, balanced and very entertaining.