Prey

I only recently caught up with Prey which starred the excellent John Simm. It was a three part series which was a whodunnit drama with a twist. As he is charged with the murder of his wife and child Farrow, who is a detective himself, manages to escape and then goes to investigate the case whilst being on the run from the police at the same time.

The mystery was quite clever because it seemed like it was really complicated but in the end turned out to be really simple. The twist of being on the run at the same time was great and there was some really clever scenes where Farrow escaped in some excellent ways. It had fantastic characterisation and although John Simm is excellent in every role he plays I really thought this was one of the best.

A great drama and it is nice to see ITV being able to now compete with the BBC with high-quality dramas.

The themes of both seasons are very similar, give yourself a break between watching them. The acting is excellent and does make up for some contrived plotting.

A taut and exciting mini-series, the better for being condensed to just three as opposed to the more usual six, eight or ten episodes with Manchester-based detective John Simm out to prove his innocence after his wife and child are murdered at their home. Behind it all is a nefarious insider plot framing him for the deed, involving his so-called best friend (played by Craig "Dot Cotton" Parkinson) and a trusted senior colleague but after a spectacularly staged escape from a police van, Simm goes on the run to uncover the truth and clear his name.

There was little that was original in the plotting, but with sharp, pacy direction and good acting throughout, while it may not have outdone say, "Line of Duty" or "Happy Valley", this was a superior TV thriller. As usual I found some of the background characterisations, particularly that of chasing cop Rosie Cavallero to be superfluous and surplus to requirements, but when it concentrated on Simm's character's relentless chase for the truth, it was very good indeed.

Naturally he gets to run about a lot just one step ahead of the pursuing police pack, meaning hand-camera location shots a-plenty and the body-count grows wherever he goes but allowing the usual dramatic licence for coincidence, few actors can do haunted and hunted better than Simm or devious and deceptive like Parkinson. Some of the supporting cast I was less convinced by (especially a miscast Adrian Edmundson as a senior officer) but between these two, plus Cavallero and Anastasia Hille as his trusted former boss, this made for good viewing all round.

/refers to Season 1/

I like British crime series - they are less "explosive" than those coming from the US, and do usually include some witty twists or turns, plus the use of distinct character actors not selected upon "cute" looks. Prey includes all above as well, but the story is not too plausible, and references to the motives were revealed too soon (I would have preferred to have longer doubts whether DC Farrow was guilty or not, and in what), and the very ending could have included some upside-down solution...

Nevertheless, the events are catchy to follow, and John Simm as DC Marcus Farrow and Rosie Cavaliero as DS Susan Reinhart, first of all, give splendid performances. "Only" 7 points from me, since I regard e.g. Line of Duty, Luther meatier and more seamless.

Both series were excellent tho, of course, for me the draw was John Simm.

In series 1 a police officer must clear his name in the murder of his wife and son. Betrayed on all sides, he never knows who to trust.

Series 2 follows a prison guard who is forced to assist a prisoner escape to free his kidnapped pregnant daughter.

Both men are relentless in seeking justice and in protecting the ones they love.

The entire cast is brilliant. Well worth watching!