When I started watching this crime series I thought it was too drawn out, a bit like "Top of the Lake" goes to Dorset. What is it with bleak, desolate places and dark secrets. Ask anyone from Adelaide. Oh dear, I have offended my wife. I will retract that remark or I'm cooking for myself tonight.
By about Episode 5, I was sucked in. Probably when Pauline Quirke came into it. The characters are well fleshed out, the interweaving of stories compelling. Lots of grey, tortured characters. This show would had less rounded characters and more car chases if it had been on U.S. free to air.
David Tennant shows what a fine actor he is. Olivia Colman (a delight as the mum in "Beautiful People") played well opposite him as DS Ellie Miller. Her scene when told the truth about her husband was heartbreaking. Ellie's whole world is upended.
In fact the last 20 minutes of the show was almost too painful to watch, albeit beautifully acted. The uplifting beacons along the coast was a moving final scene.
One wonders who will be featured in the series 2, as the two leads seem to have been written out (DI Hardy's heart condition, DS Miller can hardly stay in town).
UPDATE
Season 2 Knocked my socks off.
Tennant and Colman return. Only the Brits could get away with this so flawlessly. It's now not: who-done-it but a did-he-do-it? Charlotte Rampling (so wasted in the atrocious final season of "Dexter") chews up the scenery.
Rarely do you see a second season surpass the first.
The writing was just OK, watch Homeland if you need a benchmark. The issue is that there is so little original telly around at the moment.
ReplyDeleteI slagged off US telly above - but I will say Homeland, Dexter and Boardwalk Empire are 3 shows of note, 1 free to air, 2 HBO.
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