simmsmaggy

I binge watched this during a quiet time. On the positive side, it is a weird but gripping premiss and gets off to a galloping start. However I was conflicted from the start about how much of the dramatic impact depended on schlock horror jolts, and on the way that the tech relied on in the TV series (I have not read the books) will age and then look a bit daft. So the regularity of people dying horribly combined with the amount of essential action taking place over smart phones started to become the plot, rather than carrying the plot. All drama depends on the viewer being prepared to suspend disbelief, but in this case the amount of disbelief needed to accept the varied illnesses, traumas and misbehaviours of all officers on the police team searching for the killer went too far and became quite funny. The old trope of oh, a dark cellar where anyone could jump out with a knife - I'll go in there without backup, for sure. That kind of thing. In addition, the notion of the evil killer as some kind of super-villain with infinite resources and infinite time to devise fiendish plans was pushed way too far. I think the last scene leaves the door open for another series but I can't see myself wanting to find out more.

This series shares with it's older uncle 'Taggart' the clever use of post-industrial landscapes and ravaged city centres rescued by brave regeneration schemes....all of which makes for fabulous shooting. It also shares the use of bangin' ethnically spot-on music tracks which you'd need to have to have no pulse to avoid reacting to. The action is almost anime high adrenalin and emotion and the party frocks are to die for. The heroes are handsome, the villains are pantomime evil and the women are gorgeous. Even the thug with the scarred eye. I get the feel that as with so many productions, the last scene of the last episode is working up to series 2 etc and I wish all of that well, but fear nothing could live up to this first series. So I hope they don't flog it to death. Why not just leave it on an equivocal cliffhanger eh? We can cope with that.