Bancroft

Not your typical cop-show for sure. I came to this series expecting another hard-boiled, name-above-the-title Jane Tennyson-type senior female cop on the trail of another serial-killer perhaps with another even more unusual M.O. than usual, but didn't expect the twist that she herself might blur the lines between right and wrong. In that sense I was reminded of another top cop who sometimes seemed to cross that line at will, namely John Luthor, but Bancroft here seems to take things even further in that while you sensed that Luthor would occasionally not flinch from taking the law into his own hands it was always to pursue justice even if it was his own sometimes skewered version of it, Bancroft here however, while she undoubtedly gets results in her official capacity, is in fact only concerned with the welfare of herself and maybe her son, before any other legal consideration and heaven help anyone who gets in her way.

The highly contrived plot only got more incredible as it went on, the starting point being a 27 year old cold-case unsolved murder of a young wife and mother who just happened to be Bancroft's love rival for the man she's beaten her to and who is now pregnant into the bargain. Bancroft was first on the scene of the crime as a young WPC and she was the protege of the then senior investigating cop who's still alive today, but only just and who now really wants to crack the case before he expires. Not that he gets the chance as he dies in mysterious circumstances soon after Bancroft pays him a visit, just as a case is being built by the young female officer appointed by Bancroft's rival male DSI for the soon-to-become-available Chief Commissioner position, and her forensic female colleague. Both these young investigators suspect the almost unbelievable regarding the seemingly untouchable Bancroft who in between throwing her pursuers off the track, is trying to ensnare Public Enemy Number One, a ruthless Asian gun-runner not above torturing and indeed murdering members of his own family to keep everyone in line. These two plot strands then converge in a dramatic showdown as we finally learn the truth about Bancroft and the extent to which she'll go to protect herself.

I found the plotting to be ludicrously over-the-top, incredible coincidence succeeding incredible coincidence as it went, boosted in all of this by Sarah Parish's equally O.T.T performance as the title character who cold-bloodedly rampages around like she's just escaped from the set of "Westworld". All that said, it only stretched to four episodes keeping the action, ridiculous as it was, tight and fast-moving. "Line Of Duty" or "Happy Valley" it doesn't try to be but for a piece of escapist nonsense which doesn't try to keep even one toe, never mind a whole foot, in reality, it was certainly entertaining enough.

Although the last episode became increasingly predictable, overall a very enjoyable series. Good acting and plot - well above average. How some of those reality programmes get prime time on the main ITV channel over this is beyond me.

The series is unusual in that you are given the bad guys/gals fairly early on so no surprises; some of them are cops & solid citizens, and some are just plain bad. You're even given frequent flashbacks to fill in the 27 yr old crime scene that dominates the script so you just have to sit back & see how "good" wins out at the end. Problem is, in resolving this cold case crime we are given too many personality & cop mistakes & improbabilites - all scripted to keep the series going. So, if you don't mind the uncomfortable feeling of being left hanging while the baddies seemingly come out ahead, it's worth a watch.

I noticed the overall score dropped so decided to review after watching one episode. It is exciting and intriguing. The acting is excellent particularly from the two female leads. Maybe one good cop and one bad cop? Nothing is definite though! Women have to prove themselves beyond what is expected of their male counterparts and this could affect their methods in trying to achieve their next rank in the police force. There is a main plot and at least two subplots but guessing they will all collide eventually. The writing is good and invites predictions from the viewers. An emphasis on female roles including a doctor of forensics who is also undervalued by one male colleague at least makes me suspect some female writer at work but then again it could be a male fighting the female cause. Many stories have been written about bad male cops so this could be also offering an alternative. The female of the species, after all, can be deadlier. Now watched the four episodes and still believe this is a good show. My one complaint is where is episode five or when is season two coming? I have questions that require answers. There should be a criteria for scoring as people giving this a one or a three is ridiculous. The acting was solid and I was not bored and the storyline with several plots kept me thinking. There were a variety of characters to be followed like the father and the boyfriend who was also the son of Bancroft. There is sufficient suspense to keep one entertained. It is not supposed to be an action piece so why expect that. It is thought provoking and layered enough to allow the viewer to fill in gaps and predict. It is at least seven out of ten.

I decided to watch this after reading a very negative review from someone who seems to have a hangup about women playing lead parts in crime series. Personally I found the first episode excellent - good story line, strong characters, highly competent acting, what's not to like?