It's probably the most serious episode of the series. It actually addresses the risks Ritchie & company were casually taking and how severely serious the consequences of that could be. It even addresses the legal dilemma the kids are in and that they may well have to turn on Ritchie. Notably, and wisely, Ritchie tells the others that they should do that.
The acting is pretty solid here, especially from Todd Porter. Porter's acting is almost too good when he breaks down when being told he can't perform in the band because of his arrest. I'm thinking "geeze, dude, it's ok, you're just acting on a silly early 80's TV show.
And while the plot is deadly serious, Porter's Ham gets a great line when he discovers the Russians. "We have to call the president!"
The episode also touches on recruitment by foreign powers of a kid like Ritchie. This does happen in real life to this day, and Ritchie's recruitment feels somewhat plausible- essentially, because he was so enamored by the hacker Wrench.
As solid as this one is, it somewhat stumbles in the final act. The Soviets' plans and actions are ridiculous. They've built an enormous espionage operations center in LA and promptly invite Ritchie, who has just been arrested on federal hacking charges. Also, it's kind of annoying that the production really wants you to think you're watching Wargames, with just seemed cheap and unnecessary.
The acting is pretty solid here, especially from Todd Porter. Porter's acting is almost too good when he breaks down when being told he can't perform in the band because of his arrest. I'm thinking "geeze, dude, it's ok, you're just acting on a silly early 80's TV show.
And while the plot is deadly serious, Porter's Ham gets a great line when he discovers the Russians. "We have to call the president!"
The episode also touches on recruitment by foreign powers of a kid like Ritchie. This does happen in real life to this day, and Ritchie's recruitment feels somewhat plausible- essentially, because he was so enamored by the hacker Wrench.
As solid as this one is, it somewhat stumbles in the final act. The Soviets' plans and actions are ridiculous. They've built an enormous espionage operations center in LA and promptly invite Ritchie, who has just been arrested on federal hacking charges. Also, it's kind of annoying that the production really wants you to think you're watching Wargames, with just seemed cheap and unnecessary.