The second season of this Australian political thriller opens with genius, borderline autistic hacker Jesse Banks (Ashley Zukerman) and his brother Ned (Dan Spielman), an investigative journalist, under threat of extradition to the U.S.—which the Australian government uses to leverage Jesse into hacking a DarkNet auction website selling armaments, drugs, and other contraband. The clock is ticking to find a kidnapped boy who is being sold on a secret pedophile chatroom, but the government also wants to capture the site's owner, Jan Roth (Anthony LaPaglia), who is using the proceeds to fund his fight for indigenous rights in Indonesia. The story wraps up the search for the boy early but delves back into the complicated web of illegal sales, murders of West Papua citizens protesting mining on their lands, and pressure on the Australian government from a powerful businesswoman (Sigrid Thornton) with ties to the mine. Jesse's troubled computer savant becomes more complex and nuanced over the course of the story, while Ned is more conventional as the veteran reporter who investigates the cover-up and exposes the corruption, and LaPaglia is superb as the committed man who is ready to sacrifice bystanders for his cause. Presenting all six episodes from the 2016 second season—along with behind-the-scenes featurettes—this intelligent, well-written thriller is recommended. (S. Axmaker)
The Code: Season 2
Acorn, 2 discs, 350 min., not rated, DVD: $39.99 Volume 32, Issue 2
The Code: Season 2
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