‘Incognito' is a Dutch slow-burning thriller featuring undercover cop Felix Hartman (Dragan Bakema) who is tasked with infiltrating an Eastern European crime syndicate. His superiors believe that the gang’s leader is the mysterious Samantha – but who is Samantha? Could she be the seemingly innocent Lize Berg (Melody Klaver), a single mum and small-time accountant?
If you want to avoid spoilers, stop reading this article now.
Felix is charged with getting close to the enigmatic and beautiful Lize, so starts attending the swimming pool where she goes regularly. His method for getting close to her is more than a little unconventional, though – he appears to fake a cardiac arrest knowing that Lize is trained in first aid just for such circumstances.
Having seemingly recovered from his attack, he revisits the pool in an attempt to thank and properly introduce himself to Lize and convince her to meet him for dinner as a sign of his appreciation. She eventually agrees and so begins the cat and mouse chase between two main characters.
During the mainly scene-setting opening episode, we get to know a little about Felix’s history, shown in a series of flashbacks to earlier events in Serbia and with his family. He’s clearly a disturbed man, presumably as a consequence of the events we’re witnessing 10 years or so previously. But the full reveal has yet to present itself.
Back in the present, Felix convinces Lize to visit his apartment for dinner (it’s not his real home, but a swanky high rise meant to impress her). He has told her he’s a medical supplies provider, importing instruments and medical paraphernalia from abroad, and that he’s in need of a new accountant. She reluctantly agrees to take a look at his books, the idea being that he would provide her with a memory stick of his fake business which would have trojan horse software on it that’d enable the Dutch police to gain access to her files. However, the plan stalls when she hastily leaves the flat, claiming that her son is unwell.
Meanwhile, much to the Dutch authorities’ annoyance, the police in Germany arrest one of the other main criminals involved in the gang, risking the mysterious Samantha disappearing off the grid until the heat cools down.
It’s hard to determine the worthiness of this show after just one episode. It appears a little slow and ponderous, if I’m honest – but that might be because the foundations are being laid. Time will tell if it picks up pace.
It all seems a little far-fetched and unlikely so far, but having said that I like the unusual slant on the conventional honey trap scenario with the male being the agent and the female being the target. The acting is strong from both Klaver and Bakema, too.
Maybe give this a few episodes and see how it pans out. It probably isn’t going to grab you immediately, but it might well be a grower.
Walter Presents: ‘Incognito' is available as a boxset on C4 Streaming now.
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