A highly persuasive performance by Agnes O’Casey. ... The series’ powers profit immensely from its treasure of period detail.

O’Casey makes a confident debut, as Vivien’s ingenue sweetness hardens in her rough new circumstances. Her chemistry with Varey sustains the plot through some of its more abrupt turns.

There was a fair amount of setting up to be done in this first episode, but the groundwork was more than effectively laid for what should be a gripping and exceedingly tense series.

While the idea of a young woman risking her life to topple the Nazi patriarchy is exciting, Solemani may have had a stronger story had she stuck with what the plot really wants to be. And there’s certainly nothing wrong with being a romance drama that doesn’t involve a character tight-rope walking across a rooftop in heels while holding a suitcase.

“Ridley Road” is soap-operatic and improbable, with mostly tepid dialogue and mostly routine action. On the other side of the ledger, it has a good cast and it presents the story without a lot of fuss or (until the closing scenes) undue melodrama or sanctimony.

It’s entertaining, and disturbing, and it blends in ordinary street footage from the time so that the era comes alive. But it’s also so improbable that you may find yourself rolling your eyes. If you can get past the notion that the inexperienced Vivien could actually take to spying so quickly and so well, there are moments and performances to admire.

Though the main thrust of the story is the amateur espionage and the increasing involvement of Epstein in Jordan’s world, it is in the quieter, more domestic moments that the drama is most convincing. ... The London parts, however, have a much broader-brush feel to them.