After the Flood

After helping save a baby from dangerous flood waters, Jo finds the dead body of a man in a lift, unable to discover his identity, she illegally puts his DNA into an online search facility, the man's sister arrives in The UK wanting answers.

I'm really surprised by the negative reviews, and had I quit at episode one, I may have also given up, but I decided to stick with it, and I'm glad it did, as it develops, it gets better and better, it angles along, but the last couple of episodes are very good.

Very much a suspense thriller, Whodunnit, it didn't play out as I was expecting, from the advertising, it was made to look as if the big flood would be the climax, it's more the fallout, very much after the flood.

It's a clever storyline, at a time where flooding in The UK has become a real issue, you can only imagine how bad it must be to get caught up in one, visually that first episode looked great, the scenes of a flooded village looked terrific.

No issues with the acting, Sophie Rundle, Philip Glenister and Matt Stokoe are all excellent, I thought Lorraine Ashbourne really stood out.

Don't be too quick to believe the low reviews, it's well worth watching.

7/10.

Strange one . The police process , stereotyping of certain characters and the handling of or response to the flooding in ep 1 werent the best and almost suggest it wouldn't be worth watching, although some parts were spot on which kept the attention . A real mix .

As it develops those police glitches remain which does detract , same shift always at work which probably explains why they're so wooden , but the story certainly develops .

The Jo character is a little implausible , doing her own thing and the habit of giving a synopsis to anyone who will listen just in case you're not following becomes a bit irritating but maybe useful for some .

However the story overall is a great one with a few twists as it unravels in front of you . I had no idea who the meanest bad guy was going to turn out to be and he is sinister . (No spoilers )

Worth watching.

I thought the first episode was very promising as the flood scenes were very realistic indicating it might be a drama series that had cost a lot to make and so would be very good. I also like Philip Glenister and Lorraine Ashworth as actors. The first episode and these two actors account for my 4 star rating. Thereafter the series becomes a typical ITV drama, promising start to reel viewers in leading to a damp squib of an ending. It's also quite obvious that many police dramas are written these days with a female officer/detective showing her male colleagues up to be incompetent. That formula is wearing a bit thin. I can't comment too much on the plot (other than as many holes as a culender.) without giving away spoilers. Overall watchable but do not expect Happy Valley.

I'm writing a review as the ones I've read are so negative. Criticisms involve (a) another strong female lead who knows better than the men. After 70 years of male detectives sweeping the floor with women it's about time the strong female lead takes her place in drama - we need more not less (sorry boys but coercive control tends to be a male thing) and yet the female character is not so strong as to be free of coercive control. Then (b) the dialogue is too ordinary like everyday conversation! As a writer I can tell you that "writing the ordinary" is a ton harder than convoluted language. It also makes the story easy to follow and the characters appear more real. Perhaps those who don't like it simply watch too much TV? Then (c) the so called ridiculous plot. What police drama doesn't have a ridiculous plot? Line of Fantasy Duty? This was believable on-edge stuff with great acting that kept one guessing right to the end - with enough tension and up-to-date themes. The ambiguous characters ensured there could easily be a series 2 and I look forward to watching it.

I wonder whether some of the negative reviews are from viewers who did not stick with it long enough. I did and found, after a slow start, it got me hooked. Excellent acting and production. Plenty of twists in the tale. Left you looking forward to finding out how everybody survived the ending. Special mention to Sophie Rundle who held it all together.

I would guess it suffered from reviewers expecting it to be as good as Happy Valley. Touted as being produced by the same people fed into this expectation. Best to see it as a fine drama in its own right. I look forward to the next series. Don't be put off..