Single-Handed

The image of the irish is always of a fun-loving, hospitable, humorous gregarious and musical culture set in a stunningly gorgeous place. Once you learn about its actual history l, though, you marvel at how they manage to laugh at and celebrate anything. Single-Handed is a stark view of how intensely Ireland's past informs its present. The scenery is breathtaking- and the reality of it is even more astounding. I drove through this landscape between Galway and Donegal, from where both sides of my family come- the Irish bits.

This show does focus on the darker aspects though, there are few light moments and Jack Driscoll is relentlessly dour and righteous (does Owen McDonnell ever get a role where he's allowed to smile? I see comedies in his credits, but I've only seen him solitary, conflicted and rather joyless) but one can see why he is like that- his father was a monster, who terrorized the town in an affable, sociopathic way. His mother's a perfect example of an abused woman who was given just enough freedom to think that she wasn't. The oppressive weight of brutal Irish history weights Jack down and he is constantly trying- and succeeding- to Do The Right Thing, always needing to prove that he is not his father. The failure of so many to understand why he does what he does makes him crazy. He judges himself more harshly than anyone else, even his Mother - atypical of Irish women with one son, she does not dote on her son, mostly because he refuses to support her delusional view of his awful father.

The stories are mostly very credible, realistic portrayals of the bad choices, sheer stupidity and casual cruelty that cause most small town problems. The intrusions of Big City Crimes seem organic and are viewed by Jack as no more important to the people he protects than the day to day ones that define his job.

He is the epitome of the Celtic Warrior Hero - flawed, but unbowed and determined to protect and avenge (if possible) the vulnerable and even rectify the wrongs of the past. No wonder he never laughs.

I recommend this series for its thought provoking themes, its excellent writing and cast and its breathtaking beauty.

I watched most of Series One and Two before a self-driving week in Ireland with my husband which included two nights in Galway and a day on the Connemara Loop. That was 2 months back and I've just concluded a second viewing, including the final episode I'd not seen fully the first time round. I have to admit my primary motive was to revisit the landscape and do some place-spotting but the quality of the drama kept distracting me from my touristic infatuation with the Republic of Ireland generally and Connemara, specifically. At times villains of the stories can be a bit over the top, but for the most part I thoroughly enjoy the writing, the acting and of course, the setting. If this series wasn't so hard to get hold of here in Canada I'd be recommending it to people I know.

I enjoyed seeing Charlie Murphy, again, who did a fine job in the mini series Rebellion about the Easter Rising that laid the groundwork for the foundation of the Irish Republic. She's a good actress who adds substance and credibility to the final story, A Cold Heaven, in her mixed-up adolescent role. One of the most interesting parts of the series overall is the father-son struggle that lingers even once Jack Driscoll's father is out of the picture, literally. His ghost is a brooding presence over all of Connemara, in this drama, and sparks lots of tension between Jack's second-generation policeman character and his mother. Police corruption or wrongdoing is an issue that makes this ten-year-old series seem fresh and topical.

There's only a first review, so I have to add another plaudit.

Reading the cast list, there are a lot of the "usual suspects" from Irish drama. And the location looks pretty, if a shade more marine than the Quiet Man. So you could be forgiven for passing through, and not watching. That would be your mistake.

This goldfish bowl may be geographically and scenically extensive, but it's emotionally claustrophobic. I live in the West, but it's not as intense as this (generally).

The cast is superb, and all the production values are excellent. But the real nod has to go to the scriptwriter (Barry Simner) and screenplay.

This is a dark, twisting, integration of (Sgt.) Jack Driscoll into his idyllic law enforcement posting in Connemara. Don't start thinking rural means isolation from the all the vices of modern urban society. They're all there, and have been for some time. But carefully disguised and hidden. And just when you think you see the next step, a left hook leaves you reeling. And often a hard and tragic revelation.

This is excellent material, and all the more surprising that it's "just" television. Excellent, and highly recommended.

Intelligent show that doesn't let a viewer off too easy. I love it, when a show doesn't assume that their viewers have intelligence of rice krispies. It leaves room for your own perception and insight.

Single-handed is able to handle the ugly side of life without becoming cynical and that's extremely rare in TV nowadays.

At first skeptical of this lower-budget show, I was won over by the sophistication of the story line, peeling away layers of hidden sins and human frailties of the fallible but all too human characters.

This series concentrates on the reality of lives, exploring the undercurrent of motivations and foibles of human nature. If you looking for elaborate chase scenes or gunfights, this is not for you; instead sit back and be prepared to be won over but subtle but provocative treatments of the human condition, all presented with fresh scripts and fascinating characters.