Red Eye (ITV, 2024) – Series Review
Red Eye is a six-part British thriller miniseries that aired on ITV in April 2024 (later streaming internationally on platforms like Hulu). Written by Peter A. Dowling, it stars Richard Armitage as Dr. Matthew Nolan, a respected British surgeon, and Jing Lusi as DC Hana Li, a no-nonsense London police officer tasked with escorting him.
The supporting cast includes Lesley Sharp as the sharp-tongued MI5-adjacent figure Madeline Delaney, Jemma Moore as a nervous journalist, and a strong ensemble of plane passengers who become key players in the unfolding chaos.
The series is essentially a high-altitude bottle episode: most of the action unfolds in real time aboard a red-eye flight from London to Beijing, creating a claustrophobic, tense atmosphere reminiscent of airline thrillers like Hijack (Apple TV+) or classic films such as Non-Stop. It’s fast-paced, twisty, and designed for binge-watching, with each episode ending on a cliffhanger.
Dr. Nolan returns from a medical conference in Beijing and is immediately arrested at Heathrow Airport, accused of murdering a Chinese woman during his trip.
Despite protesting his innocence, he’s swiftly extradited back to China—escorted by DC Hana Li on an overnight flight. What starts as a straightforward prisoner transfer quickly spirals into a night of escalating danger: mysterious deaths, attempted murders, and revelations that suggest something far larger than a simple crime is at play.
Hana, initially sceptical of Nolan’s claims, begins to question whether he’s truly guilty or a pawn in a bigger game.
The show blends whodunnit mystery with geopolitical intrigue, keeping viewers guessing about motives, loyalties, and who on the plane can be trusted.
Performances and Production
Richard Armitage is the standout, delivering a nuanced performance as Nolan—a man who’s arrogant and prickly at first but gradually reveals vulnerability and desperation. He’s convincingly rattled, alternating between defiance and panic, and carries much of the emotional weight. Jing Lusi is equally strong as Hana Li: grounded, intelligent, and increasingly conflicted as she uncovers inconsistencies.
Their chemistry—built on mutual suspicion turning to reluctant alliance—is one of the series’ strongest assets.
Lesley Sharp brings gravitas in a pivotal role, while the supporting passengers (including strong turns from Thomas Chaanhing and others) feel believable rather than caricatured.
Direction is tight, making excellent use of the confined plane setting to ramp up tension. The score and editing keep the momentum relentless.
Strengths
Pacing and tension — It’s addictive; the confined setting creates genuine claustrophobia, and the escalating threats keep you hooked.
Performances — Armitage and Lusi elevate the material, making you invest in their characters.
Twists — There are several satisfying reveals that recontextualise earlier events.
Weaknesses
Plot holes and implausibility — The central premise strains credulity (more on this below in the geopolitical context). Coincidences pile up, and some action set-pieces veer into the absurd (one involving impromptu surgery is particularly eye-rolling).
Clichés — It leans heavily on familiar thriller tropes: rogue agents, shadowy government deals, last-minute escapes.
Predictability — Savvy viewers will spot the broad strokes of the conspiracy early on.
Overall, Red Eye is entertaining but disposable—a solid weekend binge that doesn’t linger in the memory. I’d rate it 8.5/10: enjoyable while it lasts, but undermined by contrivances.
Geopolitical Background and the Conspiracy (Spoilers Ahead)
The series uses a fictional backdrop of improving UK–China relations to drive its plot. In reality, the UK has refused to extradite individuals to mainland China for years, citing concerns over fair trials, human rights, and the risk of the death penalty (the UK suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong in 2020 over national security law concerns and has never had a full treaty with the PRC).
The show ignores this entirely, presenting a scenario where the British government rapidly approves Nolan’s extradition to appease China and maintain diplomatic ties—a premise many viewers and critics called out as a glaring plot hole.
The fictional “cooperation” centres on a secret high-level deal: China is set to build nuclear power reactors on UK soil, a partnership that would deepen economic and energy ties but raises national security concerns (inspired by real-world debates around Chinese involvement in projects like Hinkley Point C and Huawei 5G infrastructure). Rogue elements within the US intelligence community oppose this deal, viewing it as a strategic threat.
Here’s how Dr. Nolan is framed in the conspiratorial way:
The “murder victim,” Shen Zhao (a Chinese woman Nolan briefly met), was actually a patriotic Chinese intelligence operative. She possessed crucial evidence (stored on a hidden SIM card) proving that the nuclear technology deal was clean—no backdoors for espionage, countering US claims of security risks.
Rogue CIA operatives, determined to sabotage the UK–China partnership, assassinated Shen Zhao in Beijing. To cover their tracks and create a diplomatic incident that would derail the deal (by making China appear aggressive and forcing the UK to back out), they staged an elaborate frame-up:
They drugged Nolan at a conference dinner.
They staged a car crash involving his rental car.
They placed Shen Zhao’s already-dead body in the vehicle, making it look like Nolan had killed her in a hit-and-run while drunk/drugged.
Before dying, Shen Zhao (or with accomplices) secretly hid the vital SIM card inside Nolan’s body—specifically, in a capsule he unknowingly ingested or that was implanted. This made him an unwitting courier for evidence that would exonerate China and allow the deal to proceed.
The extradition flight was then manipulated: assassins boarded to kill Nolan and retrieve/destroy the SIM card before it reached authorities who could use it. Passengers are poisoned, threats escalate, and the rogue agents aim to crash the plane or eliminate witnesses. British officials (including some complicit or pressured figures) push the extradition to avoid rocking the nuclear deal, while MI5 elements suspect larger foul play.
In the end, Nolan is fully innocent of murder—he was a random, convenient fall guy because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The conspiracy is exposed when Hana, Nolan, and allies retrieve the SIM card (via that infamous on-plane “surgery” scene) and use its data to lure and capture the main rogue operative.
The resolution ties up the nuclear deal angle neatly, with UK–China cooperation preserved and the rogue US elements neutralised. It’s a pulpy, exaggerated take on real geopolitical tensions—fun as fiction, but not remotely plausible in practice.
If you enjoy fast-paced conspiracy thrillers with strong leads, Red Eye is worth a watch—just suspend disbelief early and often!
