The second episode of Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond had a much darker tone than the previous one, which does not come as too much of a surprise, since it takes place during World War II. Although, the war is not the only source of turmoil in Ian Fleming’s life.
The episode begins with Fleming using the navy’s money to play a game of baccarat against a Nazi soldier. It was very amusing seeing him playing baccarat, as this is Bond’s game of choice. (It was changed in the most recent adaptation of Casino Royale to poker.) The soldier is with a Jewish woman who is hoping to escape. Obviously, this encounter had a major impact on Fleming, as these are all classic elements to a James Bond adventure.
The episode gave Dominic Cooper much more to work with than the previous one. As entertaining as it was to see him playing the charming playboy gallivanting around, this time we see him going through some maturity. In the most politest way it can be said, we do not see Fleming in the most perfect light. It gets incredibly uncomfortable watching him confront his inner demons. As a credit to Cooper, though, he manages to make us still care about a man doing things that we may not agree with.
