Prime Suspect: The Scent of Darkness

Like as was said for 'Inner Circles', this is going to be fairly similarly worded to my review for the previous case 'The Lost Child', mainly because their strengths are exactly the same to each and to the previous three series.

None of the three cases making up 'Prime Suspect IV' ('The Lost Child', 'Inner Circles' and 'Scent of Darkness) are as good as the three previous series (though it would have been a Herculean task to do so, considering their sheer brilliance), but high expectations were met if not quite surpassed. All three are very good, often terrific with a lot of spot-on elements if falling short of perfection. Once again, 'Scent of Darkness' continues with the changes in format introduced in 'The Lost Child', including Lynda La Plante not being involved and the lengths of the episodes being shorter, for the fourth series it was three cases clocking in around just over five hours overall for 'Prime Suspect IV' rather than one case split into two halves like in the first three 'Prime Suspect' series.

'Inner Circles' and 'Scent of Darkness' feel more settled in the changes generally than 'The Lost Child', though to me they are about equal quality-wise. 'Scent of Darkness', again from personal opinion, is let down only by the meeting between Tennison and Marlow which, despite it being tense, missing the ambiguous nature that was most striking in the first 'Prime Suspect' series, and an ending that didn't satisfy as much as ought.

However, 'Scent of Darkness' is stylishly and cleverly filmed, with slick editing and atmospheric lighting, and there is a consistently wonderful atmosphere throughout. It is very gritty, if not quite as dark as 'Prime Suspect III', and effectively claustrophobic. It is very hard to forget the music score too. The scripting, like its predecessor, is some of the best there is of any mystery/detective drama, being superbly constructed and intelligent, plus it is hard to not be impressed by the cunning subtlety of the conflicts.

Story-telling is very compelling and twisty, with an atmosphere that is gritty and harrowing but also intricate and honest. It is a complex story that keeps one guessing right up to the end while also being easy to follow. Tennison's personal life is balanced very well.

Jane Tennison continues to be an interesting character, the character and the depiction of the police force was very ahead of the time back in the 90s and holds much fascination now even if not so novel.

Helen Mirren gives a typically magnificent performance in the lead, and perfectly matched by Stuart Wilson. Tim Woodward gives a very good, often excellent, account of himself, though John Bowe in the first series gave the character more chills and complexity.

In conclusion, 'Prime Suspect IV' ends on a strong note. 9/10 Bethany Cox

I previously wrote that part 2 in this set was going to be the most gripping for myself - without even having seen this one, part 3. I liked the premise of part 2 and could not imagine I'd find another better.

But OK: I give in. I admit it: this is far and away the best of the three. It is everything part 2 is and more. It's just so juicy seeing Mirren have to haggle with these creeps who are simultaneously her superiors. She says herself that acting is no big deal, but try telling that to all the two-bit actors out there who never seem to get it. Did Chuck Norris ever say acting was no big deal? (Come to think of it, he would say that, wouldn't he?)

Tennison is up against it in this one. Everything's at stake, and the plot follows a classic (but not worn out) story line found in many whodunits of this nature, namely Tennison's integrity is called into question. And the case has her really upset. And things fly in all possible directions. And you have to really stay on the edge of your seat to get all the clues. Meaning it's a bit of an intellectual challenge, in addition to everything else it gives you. Which is only good.

There's no contest: even if you don't particularly like the format, odds are you'll still be 'glued to the tube' for this one and unable to break away.

The writing, the direction, the acting - and above all (and it's a lot) Mirren stand out and shine.

The UK have come out with some amazing detective series over the years, and this is one of their absolute best.

Nicely filmed and well acted, it has a lot of tension and suspense and is gripping. But Tennison is such a dragon that it's hard to sympathise with her, as she insults everyone around her and never apologises for her mistakes. Despite her detestable nature, Tennison never seems to get her comeuppance nor does she get put in her place.

Another let down is the story which, though gripping, is rather predictable in some respects and very difficult to believe in others. One never feels that one is getting anywhere by watching the story and feels that instead one is at the whim of the author, who himself probably hadn't thought up the ending till writing it. The attempt at introducing suspense by introducing some time pressure fails rather.

There is some comical garbled shouting exchanged by some officers, which is quite amusing. It's also worth noting that there's a large amount of smoking, especially by today's standards.

Overall not bad, but not good either. The main character is too hard to like and the story (especially the conclusion) too ridiculous.

Women are being murdered and Supt. Jane Tennison (Helen Mirren) leads the investigation. They are similar to the first major case of the original episode. George Marlow is still in prison for those murders but evidences mount that Tennison had made a mistake. She refuses to accept the suggestion and searches for the copycat killer. Each victim is sprayed with gardenia perfume. Tennison is thrown off the case and later even suspended. Through it all, she never stops investigating.

The return to the original case is good. Tim Woodward is the new actor playing George Marlow and he does a great job. In this one, Mirren is given juicier work. It allows her to stretch and fight the old boys' club once again. In many ways, this is going back to the beginning and it is good. I would let Tennison do the actual rescue in the final climax but that's a minor change that I would make.

This one really keeps the viewer guessing-- though we never lose our faith that Tennison will somehow unravel the mystery and vindicate herself. She's certainly on thin ice throughout, and aren't her higher-ups being nasty! But our Jane soldiers on regardless --procedure be damned--, bolstered by excesses in hard liquor and cigarettes. We hope for a last-minute rescue of the latest victim, but nothing is certain here.

It was disorienting to find the original George Marlowe, John Bowe, replaced by Tim Woodward, who looked nothing like him and didn't have at all the same feel or complexity. Evidently Bowe wasn't available. Marlowe's mum was played by Maxine Audley in 1991, and as she died in 1992 we may forgive her being replaced. The substitution is all the more forgivable, as the new Mrs. Marlowe was portrayed by the wonderful Joyce Redman, best remembered by many as 'Mrs. Waters', the woman rescued by Albert Finney as Tom Jones, who then becomes his delightfully sensuous dinner and bed companion-- afterward identified as Jenny Jones, his supposed mother!

But to return to "The Scent of Darkness": I was thankful that this was shown all at once and not in two parts so that the conclusion wasn't delayed an entire week-- though of course nowadays it isn't difficult to find a way of viewing almost any show. "Scent of Darkness" forms a disturbing but satisfying sequel to the first "Prime Suspect", in its exploration of the power of a monstrously disturbed killer as well as of the power of the press.