Rescue Special Ops

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment

R4

This TV series first went to air on the Australian Nine Network in 2009. It is currently into its second series, with a third series planned. It is based on a fictional rescue group of paramedics, a role that in reality is largely based on the State Emergency Services and the Police and Fire Brigade rescue units.

I admit I did not see the series when it first aired but now I can understand its success. It is well acted, fast paced and beautifully filmed. It is based in the Sydney area and full use is made of the magnificent scenery of the Blue Mountains and the rocky coastal cliffs. These are areas where people regularly come to grief so the settings for the TV show are quite believable.

The show also includes rescues and emergencies based on building sites, water accidents and the whole range of human stupidity. The Rescue Special Ops unit may not really exist but I have a new appreciation of how the real rescue units operate and the difficulties they face.

The interpersonal relationships of the characters and the pressures of the job on those relationships are a major part of each episode but the series shows how much these people rely on each other in their work. It could so easily degenerate into just another soapie but the writers manage to keep the action coming, so the relationships are just an important sideline. Sometimes it allows them to inject a touch of humour into an episode. Vince Marchello, for instance, is notorious for being able to arrange deals with the other emergency services. Inter-service jealousies often get a mention. All the characters are well-developed, not just superficially glossy as in too many of the U.S. series.

The only extra is the usual “Behind the Scenes”. If I had to make a criticism it would be that the characters are just that little bit too attractive. Surely there must be one ugly worker in a group like this?

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