Heißer Verdacht - Kind vermißt

Sometimes the authorities have feet of clay. What looks open and shut proves to be anything but. This episode begins with Jane having an abortion. At the same time, a young single mother faces the terror of having her child kidnapped. Jane's guilt plays a factor in this episode, although it is delicately downplayed. A man who has been convicted as a pedophile is immediately made a suspect, and because the woman who has lost her child saw him once in a park, it is assumed he is guilty. No other suspects are investigated. Also, there is damning stuff brought out and, hence, the police become relentless. At one point the cops are sent to pick him up. He runs and he is beaten and ultimately thrown in front of a van. This is a really intense episode where we get to see how cockeyed things can get when objectivity flies out the window. The acting is superb, particularly that of the guy who is being pursued. Mirren is solid, as usual. This series which I had never heard of, is a hallmark of British television.

As the superb `Prime Suspect' series reaches part four there is no loss of momentum at all, this in itself a considerable achievement.' Prime Suspect IV: The Lost Child' has the solid supporting cast that we take for granted in these British dramas but of course the beautiful Helen Mirren easily dominates; our eyes never leave her while she's on-screen.

The search for the lost child of the title leads Superintendent Jane Tennison's CID team to a prime suspect who turns out to be a convicted pedophile now living with a single mother and her two young daughters. The insight we are given into the workings of his mind is one of the emotional highlights of this mini-series but it may be too strong for many stomachs.

The action sequences are brilliantly handled with the hand-held camera thrusting us right into the middle of the excitement and there's gripping tension during the climactic siege.

Altogether this is another magnificent police procedural drama.

This one unravels deftly. You might not know what's coming. If you really watch for details, you might. Again, the realism of this series beats the 'twinkie' world of Law & Order any day. This is not a Dick Wolf Happy Meal - this is the real thing, and at the top of the heap of great actors and other craftsmen involved is Helen Mirren, a wonder if there ever was one.

Sometimes you have to step away from the quality stuff and wander over into comic book land so to speak to fully appreciate what you're getting. This part is not a cozy one to snuggle up with; this one will make you think - but it's that good. A child is missing; there's a hunt for the child; that's all you need to know. As it wears on, the narrative 'sort of' tells you what you will finally understand. This is neither a 'whodunnit' nor a straightforward drama nor a police series - it's a bit of all three. And watching Helen Mirren do her stuff is going to be a treat for all your senses.

I, and my wife, have become 100% addicted to "Prime Suspect". We rent them, 3 at a time, from NetFlix.

This is the best police series I have seen.

But --- The "Lost Child" episode my have been the end of my addiction. Maybe it's because the creator and writer of the series, Lynda La Plante, was not part of the "Lost Child" episode. I don't know.

Now I seem to have lost interest - because in this episode, Detective Superintendent Jane Tennison is doing the exactly same thing as she did in all of the previous episodes, i.e. Running the show. For example, I don't recall any of the other Superintendents (Tennison's immediate boss)in any previous episodes, being so involved in the hour-to-hour, day-to-day, ordering the other D.C.'s about and such about, in nearly every scene.

I loved the series because it was so real. It is not so real (to me) anymore. In real life law enforcement, when a person is promoted to a higher position they do not go to work every day and do the job they have before they got promoted. I was in law enforcement and the Criminal Justice system for over 20 years and never saw this happen.

My wife still is fanatically loyal to the series, but I am going to try and sneak in different Netflix movies every now and then. lol.

Jane Tennison (Helen Mirren) has been newly promoted to Superintendent. She has a short unknown hospitalization. The first case is an abducted baby. Somebody knocked Susan Covington unconscious and stole her baby Vicki. Chris Hughes becomes the prime suspect but Anne Sutherland provides him with an alibi. The case hits home for Tennison. Mistakes by subordinates puts Anne and her family in danger.

The Prime Suspect episodes get shortened from its four hour TV running time in half. It's much more of a TV police procedural and it works better as such. It doesn't feel stretched out. Helen Mirren is great as usual. There is less filler which results in a higher intensity although the final twist is easily foreseen.