‘Code M’ Season 2 Review: Riveting Crime Drama With Stellar Performances. But Army-Sized Plot Holes Are Hard To Ignore
Being a Navy brat, I love watching films and series about the Armed Forces. The Indian Armed Forces are a different world altogether but they’re often not portrayed in the right manner in Indian series and films but in 2020, I watched a series that was quite unforgettable and it was none other than Code M. The Jennifer Winget, Tanuj Virwani starrer web series had kept me hooked long enough for me to watch out for Season 2 and now, that it’s coming out, I decided to watch it a little ahead of y’all and review it. This one is especially for my military friends. Jennifer Winget and Tanuj Virwani are reprising their roles for Code M Season 2. It will also star Swanand Kirkire and Atul Kumar in pivotal roles. Directed by Akshay Chaubey and produced by Jaggernaut Productions, Code M Season 2 will release on Voot Select on June 9.
The Story
The second season of Code M, takes forward Indian Army Lawyer, Major Monica Mehra’s story a few years after her investigation of the military encounter case in Jodhpur. Years later, Major Monica Mehra (played by Jennifer Winget), who has since then been TRANSFERRED to the Indian Army’s intelligence department, is assigned to ensure the safety of Chief Minister Joshi during the Kargil Day celebrations but when she saves his life from an assassination attempt, she is asked to investigate the same. But what happens with the case gets murkier by the day and the culprit turns out to be someone with ties to the Indian Army as well as to her past.
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Cast And Characters
Major Monica Mehra aka Jennifer Winget: Much like her OTT debut with Code M Season 1, Jennifer Winget nailed her performance yet again. Jennifer’s Major Monica Mehra was unforgettable as usual and she maintains the authenticity of her character from season 1. While the show-sha and glamour is missing from her character, it’s also because of her character arc as Maj Mehra struggles with her personal relationships and marriage in this season. TBH, I cannot imagine anyone else portraying the role of a female Army officer with the grace and perfection that the actress has done. Moreover, her chemistry with Tanuj Virwani is unmissable and it sizzles so much more in season 2.
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Angad Sandhu aka Tanuj Virwani: Tanuj Virwani’s character Angad Sandhu seems to have grown a lot more in this season and while he too has lost a lot of glam, his character arc makes it worth it. But I must say, we miss all the laal maas and humour that Angad brought to the table in the show. As much as I love Angad’s character arc, I have to say that it seemed half-baked but it had sooo much potential. But it looks like we just might have to wait till the next season to know more. Being the skilled actor that Tanuj is, he managed to bring his character back to life despite the gaps in the writing and kept us all hooked. The actor delivered a powerful performance and his chemistry with Jennifer is sizzling as always. Moreover, Tanuj will make you WANT to watch season 3.
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CBI officer Ismail Qureshi aka Swanand Kirkire: Known for his acting skills, Swanand gave us exactly what we expected but we wish he had more screen time to satisfy our need to watch more of his stellar performance.
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Atul Kumar, who played Vikram Mehra, Major Monica Mehra’s father too gave us a lot to talk about as he came armed with his badass acting skills. And Eklavya Kashyap as Rahil Khan, Maj Mehra’s right-hand man, will give you a lot of light-hearted moments in this action-packed crime drama. He too delivered a convincing performance.
Final Verdict
I’m giving this show 3.5 stars out of 5. TBH, I might be slightly more critical of this show for obvious reason. Lets begin with what went wrong. While the stellar cast and impeccable acting made the show binge-worthy, the gaping Army-sized plot holes were unmissable, especially for me as a fauji brat. The first thing, to begin with, is the issue of jurisdiction. When a crime is committed by a civilian within a Military base, it falls under the jurisdiction of the Armed Forces. But when there are dignitaries involved the case has to be investigated by both the civilian investigative agency as well as the Armed Forces. In simple words, Code M Season 2, the case is handed over to the CBI which is not how things really work. The grey area in the jurisdiction is hard to miss. Another thing to note is an officer of the Indian Army intelligence department will investigate within the military base to understand the lapse in security and no civilian (not even a lawyer) can be involved in this investigation. This makes me wonder how and why Angad Sandhu was closely following and aiding in this investigation being led by Major Monica Mehra.
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Having said that, insubordination is not something that is taken lightly in the Armed Forces and for an officer of the intelligence, department to go against the orders given by their superiors and investigate a case would not have ended well in real life. This is really just ambitious writing that lacks research and facts but we’ll give them the creative freedom here. Another kaafi unmissable plot hole was the fact that Major Monica Mehra has continue remaining a Major and has not been promoted and yet they assume that being TRANSFERED to the Indian Army’s intelligence department is a promotion. Well, hello? This isn’t a corporate ladder. Changing departments or heading a department does not mean promotion, rank is where the promotion lies. For someone from the Armed Forces, these plot holes will be very obvious. But TBH, for a civilian, it’s nothing that cannot be passed off as creative freedom.
Getting to real problems in this show, I cannot help but point out that the change in the writing team is pretty obvious. While the show had a lot of potential, the screenplay was weaker than I’d expected but mind you, it did not lack the twists and turns. But most of this revolves around Major Mehra and her past but surprisingly the action sequences in the show do not seem forced and happen at regular intervals. They’re not overpowering and constant but instead, they make sense and blend in perfectly with the story. Now, I have to hail director Akshay Choubey for maintaining the consistency of the show and smoothly taking forward Major Mehra’s story from where it ended in season 1. He also manages to keep you on the edge of your seat with the thrilling twists and the suspense that keeps you wondering what’s coming next. But the one thing that you’re never ever going to expect will happen in this season. If I were to put it in simple words, this season is a major plot twist in itself and it gives you an insight into what’s coming in Code M season 3. And it will totally leave you waiting for the next season of this show. Yepp, that’s how gripping this season is. TBH, I’m still in shock about how it ended and well…it also kinda broke my heart but at the same time, I’m curious to know how life will turn out for all the characters in the coming season.
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Considering the gripping and crisp episodes, this season of Code M is totally binge-worthy. It’s like chips, you cannot stop at one. In case I haven’t said enough about the actors and their acting skills, let me say this again. Tanuj Virwani does a great job of making us want more of him and Jennifer lives up to our expectations after showcasing her skills in season 1 of Code M. But I must add, Rajat Kapoor’s kickass performance as an Indian Army officer is something you will definitely miss. He totally left a void that cannot be filled. Now, that I’ve said it all, go on and binge-watch this show. It’ll premiere on Voot Select on June 9.
