Main cast: Michael Landes (Hooten), Ophelia Lovibond (Lady Alexandra Lindo-Parker), Jessica Hynes (Ella Bond), Shaun Parkes (Clive Stephenson), Jonathan Bailey (Edward), David Ajala (Dawit), Ade Oyefeso (Amir), and Katja Hopkins (Ruth)
Director: Andy Hay
Oh dear, Alex is a certified thief now. Okay, she “borrows” an old, big spoon-like relic called the Sabean Spoon that is on display in the British Museum, but that’s because she has to exchange it with her assistant Ella, who is help captive by some Ethiopian fellows.
Thanks to some advice from Hooten, she manages to get her hands on it, and now she’s off to Port of Massawa in Eritrea… Wait, why is this episode called Ethiopia again?
Naturally, she asks Hooten to be her back-up, but he initially refuses because he has better things to do. When his latest money-making venture goes chest-up, however, and intrigued by the possibility that Alex actually did commit a theft (she told her earlier she just wanted advice for a “theoretical” purpose), he decides to show up uninvited to “help”.
That’s a good thing, as the lady they meet at the exchange point has no intention to let them stay alive long enough to meet Ella…
Okay, this is easily the most amusing episode of the season. This isn’t an adventure as much as it is a series of hilarious calamities that befall Hooten and Alex, with the added bonus of Alex actually getting to show off her smarts and solve the mystery of the Sabean Spoon.
Sure, one can say that she’s not exactly Lara Croft, but come on, she’s from academia whose streetwise skills have been improving since she started hanging out with Hooten, but not to the extent that she’s some unrealistic can-do-everything nonsense that is rife in most shows these days.
It’s the same with Hooten. He’s not the perfect can-do-everything sort, especially not in this episode, heh.
Hence, these two actually complement one another very well, and this show is finally getting the hang of using this chemistry to make the best out of an episode that has an otherwise very forgettable story.
Yes, the story is pretty meh. It’s also not the most logical, as the super hot but super dim Dawit wants to keep Ella alive to study the relics and locate some treasure for him, but not Alex, Ella’s superior and hence arguably the more well-versed historian? Then again, the bad guys here are pretty dumb.
At any rate, this is a fun episode, and the teaser for the next episode hints at Hooten being completely naked and trussed up. Yes, I’m interested, sign me up!
