episodes. It was later repeated on BBC America, alongside the first series from July 2007. The second series began with overnight viewing figures of 7.8 million. The second episode lowered slightly to 7.6 million viewers, which was about a third of the television audience, while the third episode dropped to 6.9 million viewers, and the fourth rose slightly to 7.2 million, often winning its timeslot against repeats of ITV1's The Darling Buds of May. Following the week interruption from Wimbledon, the fifth episode slipped to 6.1 million, and to six million for the sixth episode, before the seventh episode rose to 6.6 million. Overnight ratings rose to seven million for the second series finale. With consolidated figures factored in, the second series was seen by a per-episode average of 7.19 million viewers. Critical reception The second series received generally favourable reviews. Gord Lacey of TVShowsOnDVD called the second series "such a fun series", a "plausible spy show" and "a great show, [...] another solid BBC release." Dennis Landmann of MovieFreak stated that the season "rules" as it "tells complex, dangerous, and relevant stories that creates high octane, powerful drama", and the producers "create top notch work, from the excellent cinematography to the great-looking sets and locations, and from well researched and sweet scripts to solid acting by the principal actors." Landmann noticed the main focus towards Tom throughout the series that builds until he "becomes somewhat of a haunted soul" with the final minutes being "so powerful they affected how I felt for the next couple of days; I kept thinking about the character and the tragic events that happened to him". The reviewer summed up by stating "the second season improves on the first" and rated it nine out of ten. Michael Mackenzie of The Digital Fix commented that "the chain events leading up to the chaotic final episode" was "extremely set up", even though he opined that Macfadyen had "always been the weakest actor in the ensemble". He also felt that there were instances where stories "go nowhere", including the Zoe and Carlo storyline. However, Mackenzie felt it was the strongest series out of the first three, saying it "remains some of the best television to be produced on this blighted isle in years" and rated it an eight out of ten. Adam Arseneau of DVD Verdict compared the series to 24 and The Wire. Arseneau stated that