From Darkness

The writing is slow and laboured. There is an absence of anything that would draw you into the action or the minds of either the investigators, the perpetrator or even the victims. I found myself bored and will abandon the series half way through the second episode. I give the series a 4 (poor) out of 10, {Police procedural}

Featuring a stellar turn from the always reliable Anne-Marie Duff, this detective series escapes from excellence. So close, but the emotional bantering between the two main characters distracts from the impetus of the plot. In the end, it seems like the majority of 'From the Darkness' is comprised of relationship explorations and artistic mood shots. Too many times, I became involved only to find myself drifting away during the too many moments of personal angst. Overplayed, the emotional impact of the horrors of the situation in which these characters find themselves is dulled and a detriment to the overall impact. Which is a pity. A show like this needs cohesive plot, uninterrupted by relationship and personal turmoil. Perhaps the audience for this series is an altogether animal from my preferences, but more judicious editing is needed to make this the top notch show it should have been.

I wasn't able to finish watching the first episode...

Lots of shots of Claire Church gazing deeply (into the past) with accompanying visual and sound effects. Close ups of quivering lips and tears and other such artifacts.

Little else going on, the usual "boss (es) not happy with progress".

Then the flashbacks started, that did it for me, had to hit the kill switch.

The most entertaining part provided by DS Anthony Boyce, the Oxford educated dog-hating, orange juice drinking, seasick, hung over assistant.

But ultimately worth the effort. Plot moves along slowly and overall it is not easy to keep up with what is happening. One good thing is that it is only four episodes so thankfully not too painful.

Three quarters of the way through this series, I feel I can provide a well balanced review based on what I've seen so far.

It is quite slow in parts, there have been more slow pauses and deliberate gazes then I have ever seen. The production values are a little disappointing, it feels quite clunky.

The story is interesting, but it's been done better so many times, Waking the Dead, Messiah etc.

I have to say I found Anne Marie Duff quite a strange choice for the part, she's an excellent actress, maybe too good for the part. Johnny Harris I have enjoyed more, he fits the role much better.

It's improved as it's gone on, Part 3 was rather good. It will be interesting to see who was responsible for the murders.