Somewhere, deep in the bowels of my video collection is a copy of a film called Oxford Blues. In this film, handsome young Las Vegas hustler/scholar/competitive rower Rob Lowe realizes the dream of handsome young Las Vegas hustler/scholar/competitive rowers everywhere by scamming his way into Oxford. Square-jawed culture clash hilarity ensues, and while hitting every possible cliche (apart from teaching the entire campus to do the funky chicken), Rob Lowe learns what is apparently some sort of lesson about "commitment" or "responsibility."
So, when this episode opened with plucky straight-shooting American (She claims to be from New Orleans, but sounds like New Orleans by way of Long Island and Australia) Hannah van Hoesenstratt, who wants to study Byron so much that she is out thumbing up the M40 so she can moxie her way into Oxford, I thought I knew where we were headed.
Wrong! It's a spy thriller.
I love the way this episode changes gears a third of the way into it. For all of the over the top "I refuse to let you touch a pencil" woo-ha, this is a really well made piece. In the middle of it is Lenny Henry, who as I mentioned a few episodes ago is always clearly enjoying himself (just listen to the way he delivers the line "I was sent to the KGB comedy training camp in Minsk.") but manages to be genuinely menacing.
Finally, I have to say that I also quite enjoyed how the climax all of a sudden reminded me of Tod Browning's Freaks. I don't think that it was intentional, but it was cool.
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