Red Rock

I couldn't get enough of this show the first two seasons. There were likeable as well as unlikable characters. In season 3 the only characters who dominate the storyline are the unlikeables. Spending time with Keith or Bridget Kiely is not fun or enjoyable. Gone are the two Hennessy sons as well as Claire and instead we're stuck with their mother Patricia. I could give more examples but for me I like to spend my time with people I like. Season 3 doesn't provide that for me. It's kind of a miserable experience watching it. Lowering my rating from a nine to a seven because I did like the first two seasons a lot.

I learnt of this TV series via an article in The Mail's TV planner. It promised to be punchy, and punchy is exactly what you get. For quite some time now daytime telly drama has proved to be weak, watered down and frankly boring. What a huge and pleasant surprise this Police Drama turned out to be. I was hooked from the very 1st episode. The 2 series aired on the BBC 1 channel have touched base with such subjects as murder, drugs, gangland warfare, paedophilia, inter family disputes, bribery, you name it, Red Rock has it. The show is a credit to Irish TV, I have never heard of the cast names before, but I'm well and truly hooked. The sad thing now, is that UK viewers have to wait until 2017 for series 3.....Roll on 2017 I say....

The good news is that this series does feature good acting, and lotsa cliff hangers, just as any self-respecting soap opera should. The bad news is that, much like "The Bridge" did to El Paso, Texas, USA, "Red Rock" shows (imho) Ireland and the Irish people in a very unflattering light. Gawd, these people are stupid and most of them are cowards, as well! I can't believe how many of them choose to do the wrong thing, over and over! And, then they compound their errors with even more errors!

I never thought I'd see any show where a Junkie shows more clarity of thought and courage than other, supposedly clean and normal people! Conor, a heroin junkie, is the only one who dares to face the thoroughly despicable Brian McGonigle in his own lair, and speak out against him.

We can't stop watching, but we are continuously amazed, mystified, and confused by the idiocy of the many characters! Watch at your own risk.

I was really excited about this show during the first season, but by the second season it becomes clear that every character is a total mess. Poor decisions, dishonesty, corruption, crime, stupidity...Every single one of them. It's hard to like anyone or care what happens to them. Too bad, because the acting is really top notch.

Before I started watching Red Rock I had seen a headline using a quote from an actor in the series saying they couldn't wait to be "knocking Fair City off their perch" with this new show. I taught this was mad as Fair City bad and all as it is, is still the main Irish soap opera around. After watching the first 6 episodes of Red Rock, I am sure it will knock Fair City "off their perch".

As the show opens with the death of a young man from a local feuding family we are drawn into every detail going around about the death as if we were members of An Garda Síochána. The show has so far shown how close the community is and has indicated at what the future holds with locals in corruption, law breaking Gardaí, the re-igniting of feuding local families the 'Kielys' and 'Hennessy's', behind closed doors relationships and the hopes and dreams of some members of the Gardaí being crushed.

While the show is still in it's early days and TV3 has commissioned the continuing drama for the next two years with 160 episodes to come. I hope to be for a long-haul of excitement, with every episode already ending on the note of the typical soap cliffhanger.