Call it 24, but not quite: Flashpoint isn't your garden variety sort of hostage drama (if there is such a thing) - like that notorious Kiefer Sutherland drama, it fuses its percolating storylines with a storytelling shtick that is endearing to those on its wavelength and annoying as Hell to anyone who finds it precious and overbearing.
This is how it goes: Every episode on this First Season DVD box set starts at the penultimate moment of a shootout, a hostage situation or whathaveyou, then we flash back a few hours to figure out how said moment ended up coming to pass. As somebody with a particular penchant against the tick-tock multi-screen storytelling of 24 (I always thought it was a bit much), this writer actually found the premise of Flashpoint to be a far more enveloping narrative technique. Yeah, after a few episodes it gets a little flat, but the first couple of shows on this box set utilize that dramatic paradigm to strong effect.
The thing is, though, that once we get to the more by-the-books facets of Flashpoint, things get into a been-there-done-that rut. The show focuses on Sergeant Greg Parker (Enrico Colantoni), who heads the Strategic Response Unit (SRU), a team of folks you call if the you-know-what really hits the fan. And in true A-Team style, we have a team leader (Hugh Dillon), a techie whiz (Sergio de Zio), and even a tough-as-nails lady asskicker (Amy Jo Johnston). So as the episodes play out, we see various permutations of team members in one kind of compromising situation or another as they do what they can to save the day.
Flashpoint is that sort of series that isn't exactly a must-see, but if you spend enough time with it, you'll find a certain affinity with the cast members. I guess what I'm trying to say is that while I can't necessarily say that Flashpoint is an extraordinary television series, at the very least, even when it is at its most plain, it's still quite exciting. It may not be worth searching out, but if you find yourself sitting down in front of it, you won't be sorry.
