Hustle: The Road Less Travelled (episode 6 season 5)

Well, that was a good end to the latest series. Overall, a pretty decent series 5 with this last episode probably the best.

I've always wondered why previous marks and conned victims didn't try and get their own back. This week we found out why. It was the return of Carlton and Harry from episode 2's "New Recruits". It made sense that these guys would feel angry at getting conned and so would try to get their money back. And so they decide to enlist an old school chum - the slow and slightly stupid Alfie who happens to be the son of a duke - to be Micky and the gang's latest mark. Carlton and Harry have been reading up about cons and know that the gang will pull a convincer first to attract the mark before taking the mark for a big hit. So they'll get Alfie to be "convinced" to the tune of 1 million pounds, doubling his money, but then cut and run before the big hit occurs. Everything is planned out. Nothing can go wrong.

Of course, we can guess that Micky and gang have a trick up their sleeve even though it looks like they're going to lose one mill (seriously, they have £1 million hidden away?!). The thing is, how are they going to outcon Carlton and Harry?

I thought that perhaps dumb Alfie wasn't actually as stupid as he acted and was in league with Micky. But, well, I was wrong. It was a great surprise ending as the gang turned the tables on the swindling businessmen. So well executed and well setup. Absolutely brilliant.

Of course, with this being the last episode this series, it means that they'll be no Hustle next week. Which is a shame. Although not the most amazing show on the air, I enjoyed this immensely. Ah well - apparently, Heroes is back on BBC soon!

Grade: Very Fine.

Hustle: Politics (Episode 5 Season 5)

Well, as I said before, Hustle is consistantly good. Although I missed the first ten minutes of the show it still entertained. Of course, it was yet another con job, and required more suspension of disbelief at the luck and coincidences, but if you like these things then this show is great.

This time the gang get mistaken for a bunch of lawyers after another successful con and are asked to help represent a youth club that about to be demolished by an ambitious politician. Sean has to go undercover working for this dragon and finds out that working the inside can be pretty tough.

Of course, they deduce that the woman is dishonest (she's a politician after all!) and creaming money off of delisting buildings. But he covers her tracks very well. However, eventually they bug her office and get her to confess - whilst, of course, making a little money (£100k) along the way.

As has been touched on in earlier episodes, the fire between Mickey and Emma hots up a little (although much of this we find out was merely an act to lure the mark). And Sean gets protective. The ending, which amounts to blackmailing the politician, seemed a little convenient but overall this was as enjoyable as ever. Next week's season final sounds pretty interesting though.

So again, this gets a Fine grading.

Hustle: Diamond Seeker (s5 e4)

I like Hustle. It's one of those comfortable, no-nonsense, always-delivers-the-goods shows that is neither groundbreaking, highbrow nor even spectacular, but is nonetheless consistently entertaining.

Hustle is about a group of conmen - or grifters - who, in a sort of Robin Hoodish way, con/steal from the bad/rich and give to the good/poor - and themselves. Although these conmen lie, cheat and blatantly bend the law their way, they are the good guys and the people they are conning are pretty much always shown as the bad guys. It's very like Ocean's Eleven (and spin-offs) but slightly smaller on scope and budget. And like the Ocean films, it relies on two things: the elaborate cons and the interaction of the characters.

This week’s episode was as good as always. The team mistakenly come into possession of a stolen, near priceless necklace and there's a ruthless, highly intelligent, rich guy out to get it off them. He collects "love jewellery" and will stop at nothing to get the necklace, including hospitalising the lecherous thief that stole the jewel in the first place. Of course, Mickey Bricks, Three Socks, and the new guys Emma (who looks like a slightly younger version of Kylie) and Sean (a good old ex-Eastenders actor) manage to come out on top and, in addition, make some decent money.

The little scenes between the characters are great. Sure, the con wouldn't work in real life because it, like most of them, relies too much on luck and coincidence (here, the intelligent recluse decides to interrogate Emma in his impenetrable vault rather than, say, in an office. Which was lucky). And I could see how it was all going to work way before the reveal. Also, unfortunately, there wasn't one of those special FX bits where the action around them slows to almost a halt and the gang move around them talking about the con (like the bits in Heroes when Hiro freezes time). But still.

Like all the other episodes, this was wonderfully entertaining. Surprisingly, after four previous seasons, there's still plenty of life in this ol' show. It's a pity each season is so short! So, for me, it's getting a steady Fine grading.