WAR ON THE SYSTEM
The Catch 22 finale is TONIGHT – but what’s in store for episode 6 and will there be a second series?
CATCH 22, a gripping war drama series which has got the nation talking, airs its last episode on Channel 4 TONIGHT (Thursday, July 25, 2019).
The show starring Hollywood actor George Clooney, is based on the novel by the same name. Here's all you need to know about the star-studded wartime series.
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What time is Catch-22 on tonight?
Catch-22 continues on Channel 4 TONIGHT (July 25) at 9pm on Channel 4.
The show runs for six episodes and this will be its finale.
The TV adaptation is based on the 1961 novel by Joseph Heller, from which the phrase Catch-22 first emerged.
The book was previously brought to the screen in the 1970 movie Catch-22 starring Art Garfunkel and Orson Welles.
What happens in Catch-22 episode 6?
In the final episode, Yossarian (played by Christopher Abbott) finds himself alive - with testicles intact - while hanging from a parachute in a tree.
He is seen by an Italian doctor in a nearby village, who confirms his health.
Here, Yossarian gets a glimpse of a beautiful world outside of the Army Air Force.
Yet confronted by a devastating loss, Yossarian must undergo a transformation.
What is Catch-22 about?
Catch-22 is set in World War II and satirises bureaucracy.
The Channel 4 synopsis says: "Catch-22 is the story of the incomparable, artful dodger, Yossarian (Christopher Abbott), a US Air Force bombardier in World War II who is furious because thousands of people he has never met are trying to kill him.
"But his real problem is not the enemy, but rather his own army which keeps increasing the number of missions the men must fly to complete their service.
"Yet if Yossarian makes any attempt to avoid his military assignments, he’ll be in violation of Catch-22, a hilariously sinister bureaucratic rule which specifies that a concern for one’s own safety in the face of dangers which are real and immediate is the process of a rational mind.
"A man is considered insane if he willingly continues to fly dangerous combat missions, but a request to be removed from duty is evidence of sanity and therefore makes him ineligible to be relieved from duty."
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Will there be a second series of Catch-22?
A second series has not been confirmed yet for Catch-22.
Much of the talk around Catch-22 has centred around it being a mini-series and a limited series. This suggests that a second season is unlikely, and that six episodes will be it.
However, depending on the success of the show, producers could try and find a way to create a second season.
Who is in the cast of Catch-22?
The cast of Catch-22 features a few famous faces including...
- George Clooney as Scheisskopf
- Hugh Laurie as Major de Coverley
- Christopher Abbott as John Yossarian
- Kyle Chandler as Colonel Cathcart
- Daniel David Stewart as Milo
- Austin Stowell as Nately
- Rafi Gavron as Aarfy
- Graham Patrick Martin as Orr
- Pico Alexander as Clevinger
- Jon Rudnitsky as McWatt
- Gerran Howell as Kid Sampson
- Lewis Pullman as Major Major
- Tessa Ferrer as Nurse Duckett
- Jay Paulson as The Chaplain
- Giancarlo Giannini as Marcello
- Harrison Osterfield as Snowden
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What have the reviews been for Catch-22?
describes the show as being "too smart for its own good," detailing how every cinematic show appeared as if it was carefully considered.
Journalist Adrian Horton explains how everything that's seen visually in the series fits the narrative perfectly - there's no denying that an extensive amount of research was done to recreate Joseph Heller's second world war novel, but Horton thinks the show is a daring triumph.
A standout among the cast, in particular, is Christopher Abbott, which the news outlet praises for his outstanding portrayal of a military fighter.
Adrian writes: "Abbott, as the star, is a slow burn but ultimately fascinating as the frustrated Yo-Yo, his every grimace grounding the show’s destabilising ridiculousness.
Catch-22 is indisputably well-made, and above all a smart show, perhaps too smart for its own good – every shot feels considered, every head-spinning layer worth talking out to make sense of it".
In contrast from all the praise, begs to differ.
Writer Brian Lowry claims that the miniseries "never quite takes off", and though this would seem like a great move on George Clooney to show his diversity as a filmmaker, director and actor, the delivery was poorly executed.
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In fact, Brian even takes an issue with Abbot stealing the limelight for the majority of the series - but that's mainly because he doesn't feel as if the character has all that much to give for viewers to identify with him as our protagonist.
He explains: "Abbott has to really carry the project, and he does so admirably under the circumstances. But Yossarian's weary demeanour doesn't make for an especially dynamic protagonist.
"The overall result, however, is a production that's intriguing but ultimately as thin as it is handsome, and emotionally removed in a way that dilutes the larger impact. For those reasons and perhaps others, unlike its conflicted hero, 'Catch-22' never quite takes off".
’s Vinnie Mancuso explains how Yossarian’s character feels like a classic Twilight Zone - a man wakes up one day to find out that the world has gone mad but he’s the only one who’s noticed.
“Abbot is fantastic at ‘is no one else freaking out?’ style breakdowns, all wild eyes and clenched fists."
Vinnie added that Christopher pulls off quite the magic trick with his portrayal of the character.
But aside from Yossarian, however, the cast “are the same shape of white dude who, frankly, all even sort of look alike.”
MORE ON CHANNEL 4
's Alan Sepinwall stays neutral with his opinion on the TV show, ranking it a three out of five stars.
Sharing similar thoughts as CNN's Brian Lowry, Alan also took issue with the fact that notable actors had very little to say while Abbot more or less steals the limelight from other characters.
He wrote: "The great Hugh Laurie, whose gifts for comedy and drama should make him a natural for a project like this, is utterly wasted as Major de Coverley."
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