History Series / Babylon2014

* NotSoDifferent: Liz and Finn. To wit, they're both communications specialists working to protect the police's image, out of a genuine passion for social justice. As the series progresses, they begin swapping preferred tactics to undermine each other.
** Personality-wise, they're both shrewd [[DeadpanSnarker Deadpan Snarkers]] with a habit of cracking jokes at bad times and making [[GeekyAnalogy Geeky Analogies]]. In fact, during one of their confrontations, Liz laughs at Finn for referencing Star Wars...only to unironically use the Death Star as a metaphor in her very next scene.
** Banjo and Clarkey are the ones to suggest the Armed Response and TSG strikes, respectively.

* YourCheatingHeart: Davina is cheating on Banjo with Clarkey, who's also married.
** [[spoiler: Richard has had multiple affairs, including one with Sharon, and UnresolvedSexualTension with Liz.]]

Not to be confused with ''Series/BabylonFive'', ''Series/BabylonBerlin'' (which has some similar themes) or the Japanese novel ''Literature/{{Babylon}}''.

Not to be confused with ''Series/BabylonFive'' or ''Series/BabylonBerlin'' (which has some similar themes).

Not to be confused with ''Series/BabylonFive'' or ''Series/BabylonBerlin'', which has some similar themes.

Not to be confused with ''Series/BabylonFive''.

* AbortedArc: In Episode Three, after their latest argument, Finn doubles back to suggest that Liz check "the filing cabinets on the fourth floor - you might want to see where the bodies are buried". The line seems to be a CallBack to the previous episode, when Mia joked that the PR department files press coverage about Richard in a box marked 'Richard's Massive Ego'. Liz doesn't check, and it's never brought up again.

* {{Expy}}: Finn is a less sociopathic Dan from {{Series/Veep}} (which is another show Jesse Armstrong writes for); Liz is also a more {{Cloudcuckoolander}} version of Amy, and their relationship with each other has similar shades of Dan and Amy's BelligerentSexualTension.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: In the pilot, Finn tells Mia that Liz was hired because "[[SleepingTheirWayToTheTop the Commissioner saw her TED Talk and his dick went hard]]". [[spoiler: At first viewing, it seems like Finn is making a misogynistic comment about Liz because he’s TheResenter. Then, come Episode Three, you learn that Richard has had multiple affairs, including at least two in the workplace. Finn has a habit of spying on everyone, so he probably thinks that’s the case with Liz as well.]]

** Liz's email in Episode Two isn't entirely readable, but pausing and squinting at it reveals that she's making contrived metaphors about Apple and Samsung, has seemingly forgotten how to use punctuation, and suddenly starts typing in all caps.

* ChekovsGun: Banjo beating up a bin.

* HannibalLecture: Zig-zagged in Episode Six, by Liz and Finn. [[spoiler: They apparently both got through to each other.]]

* {{Foreshadowing}}: In the pilot, Finn tells Mia that Liz was hired because "the Commissioner saw her TED Talk and his dick went hard". [[spoiler: At first viewing, it seems like Finn is making a [[NeverASelfMadeWoman misogynistic comment]] about Liz because he’s TheResenter. Then, come Episode Three, you learn that Richard has had multiple affairs, including at least two in the workplace. Finn has a habit of spying on everyone, so he probably thinks that’s the case with Liz as well.]]

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: The missing boy in Episode Five is implied to have been [spoiler: kidnapped and murdered]], but there's no mention of whether the perpetrator was caught.

** Early in the pilot, Finn and Mia side by side, watching Liz address a crowd. The final scene of the series has them in that position again.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: In the pilot, Finn tells Mia that Liz was hired because "the Commissioner saw her TED Talk and his dick went hard". [[spoiler: At first viewing, it seems like Finn is making a [[NeverASelfMadeWoman misogynistic comment]] about Liz because he’s TheResenter. Then, come Episode Three, you learn that Richard has had multiple affairs, including at least two in the workplace - Finn has a habit of spying on everyone, and he genuinely thinks that’s the case with Liz as well.]]

** In Episode Four, the news portal which hacked into the drone feed has a sidebar speculating if [[spoiler: Richard]] was 'killed by the Russians'.

** Personality-wise, they're both efficient, shrewd [[DeadpanSnarker Deadpan Snarkers]] with a habit of cracking jokes at bad times and making [[GeekyAnalogy Geeky Analogies]]. In fact, during one of their confrontations, Liz laughs at Finn for referencing Star Wars...only to unironically use the Death Star as a metaphor in her very next scene.

* ShipTease: Between Liz and Richard. She has a serious case of [[HeroWorshipper Hero Worship]] towards him, and lets slip to Granger that "he's not always perfect, but it's something to get out of bed for - saving an institution." Richard keeps kissing her on the cheek, and says she's the only person he trusts. [[spoiler: Nothing ever happens between them before he kills himself.]]

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: The last we see or hear of [[spoiler: Matt Coward]] is his arrest. There's also the matter of his former employers encouraging Robbie to tamper with evidence.

** Similarly, the Initiatives on Policing Conference mentioned in Episode Two is supposed to take place in two days' time. This should coincide with Robbie's first day in Armed Response, according to Matt Coward's documentary. However, the conference doesn't seem to occur before or during Episode Three, and it isn't referenced afterwards.

** In Episode Five:
---->'''Liz''': This place is on fire. Richard, Jeffries, and do you know what Finn is doing? He's bolting the front door, and he is locking all the windows, and now Charlie's going round and collecting all the fire extinguishers, and he's dousing them in petrol and he's burning them all. Fire extinguishers. On fire!

* BathroomStallOfOverheardInsults: In Episode One, Liz retreats to the restroom to think - and overhears Mia on a call with one of her friends, whom Liz made a bad impression on by ranting about work. Mia herself is somewhat protective over Liz ("No, she's fine, she's nice [...] I like her, I do"), but it still visibly hurts Liz.

* NoSuchThingAsHR: The higher-ups in the police and the PR department are constantly at each other's throats, resorting to verbal abuse, rude gestures, and borderline harassment. Possibly justified, in the sense that their squabbles never seem to affect the lower-ranking workers, and they're almost all guilty of it to some degree.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: In Episode Three, after their latest argument, Finn doubles back to suggest that Liz check "the filing cabinets on the fourth floor - you might want to see where the bodies are buried". The line seems to be a CallBack to the previous episode, when Mia joked that the PR department files press coverage about Richard in a box marked 'Richard's Massive Ego'. Liz doesn't check, and it's never brought up again.
** Similarly, the Initiatives on Policing Conference mentioned in Episode Two is supposed to take place in two days' time. This should coincide with Robbie's first day in Armed Response, according to Matt Coward's documentary. However, the conference doesn't seem to occur before or during Episode Three, and it isn't referenced afterwards.
** The last we see or hear of [[spoiler: Matt Coward]] is his arrest.

* FreezeFrameBonus: The dates and times on shots of surveillance camera footage. Apparently, Series 1 takes place over little more than twenty-four days. This isn't a coincidence or oversight - the dates are consistent with Matt Coward's dialogue in Episode Three and Caroline Carey's article in Episode Four. [[note]]But there are two minor errors. The footage in Episode One is all dated 1/9.; however, the wardrobe changes between Liz and Finn's first scenes together indicate that the Cravenwood riots span two days. Throughout the series, Armed Response's bodycams also seem to be stuck on that date.[[/note]]

** Similarly, the Initiatives on Policing Conference mentioned in Episode Two is supposed to take place in two days' time - coinciding with Robbie's first day in Armed Response, according to Matt Coward's documentary. However, the conference doesn't seem to occur before or during Episode Three, and it isn't referenced afterwards.

** Similarly, the Initiatives on Policing Conference mentioned in Episode Two is supposed to take place in two days, as is Robbie's first day in Armed Response. However, the conference doesn't seem to occur before or during Episode Three, and it isn't referenced afterwards.