Two young men fall in love. Then, something awful happens.
Danny is a young man who enjoys going to clubs. After one late night spent in a club, Danny wanders the street, anxiously calling his friends to no avail. He ends up sitting on a bridge, where another young man is running early in the morning. This young man’s name is Alex, and he stops to see if Danny is feeling okay. Handing Danny a water bottle, the two men share a moment.
Danny, who is intrigued by this young man, goes to meet him early in the morning. He felt something, as he later explains, telling Alex, “You saw me.” The two men start a relationship, Alex’s first, and the relationship is going well: Danny introduces Alex to one of his best friends, a man who helped him out of a dark place in years past.
Danny and Alex have the beginnings of a wonderful relationship. They don’t get in fights, they talk about intimate subjects–like Danny’s past. The two men are in the early stages of a budding relationship, one where they are getting used to think of each other as boyfriends.
Then, something terrible happens: Alex dies.
It becomes Danny’s mission to find out what happened.
Danny is suddenly thrust into the world of espionage. In the world of spies, he comes to realize the secrets that Alex was keeping from him.
London Spy has struck a cord with me, because it’s not just a spy thriller. It’s about falling love with someone, and fighting for that person, even after they are gone.
Here in the U.S. it’s still a novelty when characters are gay. It’s even more monumental when the story features queer characters that are as complex and normal as straight couples. This is one of the reasons I love London Spy; it’s about two guys who happen to be gay, and who happen to fall in love with each other. But it’s also about how Danny and Alex are people that makes their relationship so perfect.
I could tell from the first time I watched London Spy that I would love this show. It’s a thriller, it’s a love story, and it’s full of adventure. There are little twists and turns that make this show re-watchable. Moreover, it’s about the twists and turns that your life can take when you take chances. Danny’s chance comes when he meets Alex, and when he decides to form of a relationship with him.
This is a show you’ll fall for, because the characters are real. They are humanly flawed and that makes them compelling.
If you love spy thrillers that are slow burns, London Spy is for you.
The Nerdy Nook 