# "The Night Manager" on AMC; miniseries thread. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 19, 2016, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-manager-on-amc-miniseries-thread/752672 "2016-04-19T20:21:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2016, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-manager-on-amc-miniseries-thread/752672/41 "2016-05-14T18:00:17Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > I assume you mean the recent movie? The miniseries is amazing. Re: _Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy_–yeah, I meant the movie. Where can I find the miniseries? ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2016, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-manager-on-amc-miniseries-thread/752672/42 "2016-05-14T18:34:41Z")
> [@stillownedbysetters](#): > > And it’s in the tradition of the spy genre that the agent boff everything in a skirt that crosses his path. Yeah, but to me there’s a difference between the spy meets an enigmatic but entrancing woman and is in bed with her in 10 minutes, and it turns out that was a great mistake because… vs the spy meets the girlfriend of the most dangerous man in the world, the man he’s trying to infiltrate, the man he’s trying to earn the trust of. His common sense, all of the bad guy’s goons, and all the people on his side are telling him that literally the ONLY thing he should not possibly do is have sex with her. Oh, and also having sex with anyone but said most dangerous man in the world is the worst possible idea that SHE could conceivably have. And yet they fall into bed with each other almost casually. Like I said, I’m enjoying the show overall, and maybe those scenes could have been written or shot differently to make it more clear who was seducing who and why, but as it is, it feels to me like a cheesy James Bond leftover in an otherwise excellent production. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2016, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-manager-on-amc-miniseries-thread/752672/43 "2016-05-14T18:38:12Z")
One reason he’s sleeping with her is that she knows he was snooping around in Roper’s study. ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2016, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-manager-on-amc-miniseries-thread/752672/44 "2016-05-14T18:40:58Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Re: _Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy_–yeah, I meant the movie. Where can I find the miniseries? Dunno, but it’s some of the best tv ever made (starring Alec Guinness). ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2016, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-manager-on-amc-miniseries-thread/752672/45 "2016-05-14T19:06:36Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > Yeah, but to me there’s a difference between the spy meets an enigmatic but entrancing woman and is in bed with her in 10 minutes, and it turns out that was a great mistake because… vs the spy meets the girlfriend of the most dangerous man in the world, the man he’s trying to infiltrate, the man he’s trying to earn the trust of. His common sense, all of the bad guy’s goons, and all the people on his side are telling him that literally the ONLY thing he should not possibly do is have sex with her. Oh, and also having sex with anyone but said most dangerous man in the world is the worst possible idea that SHE could conceivably have. And yet they fall into bed with each other almost casually. My thought as well. I’m willing to overlook it, though. On balance, this is still the best spy mini-series I 've seen since _Smiley’s People_. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2016, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-manager-on-amc-miniseries-thread/752672/46 "2016-05-14T19:48:20Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > One reason he’s sleeping with her is that she knows he was snooping around in Roper’s study. And they are both people who get off on taking insane risks. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2016, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-manager-on-amc-miniseries-thread/752672/47 "2016-05-14T20:55:42Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Re: _Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy_–yeah, I meant the movie. Where can I find the miniseries? Amazon seems to have DVDs of both Tinker Tailor and Smiley’s People. Smiley’s isn’t quite as good, but still worth the buy. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2016, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-manager-on-amc-miniseries-thread/752672/48 "2016-05-15T00:12:25Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Re: _Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy_–yeah, I meant the movie. Where can I find the miniseries? The BBC store has it for pretty cheap. [https://store.bbc.com/tinker-tailor-soldier-spy](https://store.bbc.com/tinker-tailor-soldier-spy) ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2016, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-manager-on-amc-miniseries-thread/752672/49 "2016-05-15T02:04:02Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > One reason he’s sleeping with her is that she knows he was snooping around in Roper’s study. I figured there was a significant aspect of strategy in the sex. Perhaps he figured sowing dissension in the ranks would help his spying or somesuch. Or screw her to keep her silent. But spy-think is not my basic nature… Figured it would be made clear in the next 2 eps. ---
**Author:** ![pendgwen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3da27b/32.png) [@pendgwen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pendgwen)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2016, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-manager-on-amc-miniseries-thread/752672/50 "2016-05-15T04:33:30Z")
Can someone help me out with a bit of the dialogue? While Pine and Jed are up in his room Roper and Langbourne are having a conversation which ends with Langbourne’s assessment of Pine: “Oh, I like him. He drinks less than Corky but doesn’t have the same elan. Still…” And then I can’t understand what he says. Something about roundabouts? Which then prompts Roper to call him a snob. ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2016, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-manager-on-amc-miniseries-thread/752672/51 "2016-05-15T12:11:31Z")
> [@pendgwen](#): > > Can someone help me out with a bit of the dialogue? While Pine and Jed are up in his room Roper and Langbourne are having a conversation which ends with Langbourne’s assessment of Pine: > > “Oh, I like him. He drinks less than Corky but doesn’t have the same elan. Still…” > > And then I can’t understand what he says. Something about roundabouts? Which then prompts Roper to call him a snob. If without subs, just put the part you know in google: > **[01x04 - Episode 4 - Transcripts - Forever Dreaming](https://transcripts.foreverdreaming.org/viewtopic.php?f=575&t=25946)** > > Want to know how the trick is done? Du bist ein strohmann. It's a straw man operation. You are the straw man. No offence. Your name is Andrew Birch. You are a m ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2016, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-manager-on-amc-miniseries-thread/752672/52 "2016-05-15T12:57:27Z")
I liked it very much for about the first four episodes then it seemed to become terribly formulaic and as it ran out of steam Hugh Laurie seemed to surpass his usual quantity of ham. Olivia Colman was the highlight. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2016, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-manager-on-amc-miniseries-thread/752672/53 "2016-05-15T15:47:22Z")
> [@pendgwen](#): > > Can someone help me out with a bit of the dialogue? While Pine and Jed are up in his room Roper and Langbourne are having a conversation which ends with Langbourne’s assessment of Pine: > > “Oh, I like him. He drinks less than Corky but doesn’t have the same elan. Still…” > > And then I can’t understand what he says. Something about roundabouts? Which then prompts Roper to call him a snob. I don’t remember that particular spot, but put on the closed captioning and you’ll never miss another word, including when they’re whispering. I don’t know why people don’t do this. I ALWAYS have the captioning on. You can set it so it’s practically transparent and not distracting, so when you miss something like this, hit your 10-second replay and presto! I have the option to set it so the captioning ONLY shows up on the instant replay, but I like to hear/see everything. ---
**Author:** ![OHS201](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/6de8d8/32.png) [@OHS201](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OHS201)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2016, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-manager-on-amc-miniseries-thread/752672/54 "2016-05-15T15:59:12Z")
Agreeing about the amazingly beautiful opening credits. Also agreeing that it’s sheer lunacy for Pine to be having sex with Jed. Sheesh. Didn’t Corky warned him “hands off” (in fact, threaten exposure) when she was in Pine’s room for a few minutes?? BTW, Apo fed Roper misinformation to make him distrust Corky. Now that Apo is exposed, wouldn’t Roper be questioning that scenario? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2016, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-manager-on-amc-miniseries-thread/752672/55 "2016-05-16T09:26:40Z")
Any thoughts on David Harewood’s accent? Both in this and _Supergirl_ he just sounds “off”, like he’s trying to do “generic American” but occasionally slips in a bit of Texas twang or some other regionalism - it’s not consistent and it irks me. I don’t know why these productions don’t get actual Americans in for these things sometimes. BTW - totally agree on the opening titles. They should send a copy to the Bond film people to say “Watch and learn, bitches!”. ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2016, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-manager-on-amc-miniseries-thread/752672/56 "2016-05-16T10:22:05Z")
> [@pendgwen](#): > > Can someone help me out with a bit of the dialogue? While Pine and Jed are up in his room Roper and Langbourne are having a conversation which ends with Langbourne’s assessment of Pine: > > “Oh, I like him. He drinks less than Corky but doesn’t have the same elan. Still…” > > And then I can’t understand what he says. Something about roundabouts? Which then prompts Roper to call him a snob. “Swings and roundabouts” A pithy version of the expression: “What we lose on the swings, we gain on the roundabouts” (referring to children’s play-park equipment rather than traffic management systems). It’s basically an acknowledgement that life is full of trade-offs and you can’t have everything. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2016, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-manager-on-amc-miniseries-thread/752672/57 "2016-05-18T13:02:44Z")
[Article](http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/05/in-the-night-manager-the-games-bond/483024/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheAtlantic+%28The+Atlantic+-+Master+Feed%29)in _The Atlantic_ online today says that this is a trial balloon to see if the hero could be the next James Bond. Well, he certainly has the _screws every woman in sight_ part down. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2016, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-manager-on-amc-miniseries-thread/752672/58 "2016-05-23T16:49:47Z")
I’m spoilering things just to be cautious. I’m on episode 5. What was Pine doing when he was giving “CPR” to Corky in between bouts of killing him by punching him in the heart? and “Felix” and “Halo” are the woman Permanent Secretary and Jeffrey Dromgool, right? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2016, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-manager-on-amc-miniseries-thread/752672/59 "2016-05-24T09:00:48Z")
> [@teela\_brown](#): > > “Felix” and “Halo” are the woman Permanent Secretary and Jeffrey Dromgool, right? IIRC"Felix" is the CIA woman (I think the identifier was “Langley”). So Harewood’s character is also fighting against local internal politics. ---
**Author:** ![OHS201](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/6de8d8/32.png) [@OHS201](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OHS201)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2016, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-manager-on-amc-miniseries-thread/752672/60 "2016-05-24T11:43:41Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > IIRC"Felix" is the CIA woman (I think the identifier was “Langley”). So Harewood’s character is also fighting against local internal politics. That would be cute, since “Felix” is the name of James Bond’s CIA agent friendEager for tonight’s climax, although we’re travelling tomorrow early so may not see it until next week (damn) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-manager-on-amc-miniseries-thread/752672.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-manager-on-amc-miniseries-thread/752672.md?page=4)