Bang

Was that rubbish I just sat through? Dopey cops, a pathetic brother to one of the dopey cops, cardboard cut-out "baddies". Did I mention the brother is a moron? Actually, so is the cop sister.

Having them speak Welsh was neither here nor there as a plot point. In fact as the plot was all over the shop, they could have spoken Swahili and it wouldn't have made it any more ridiculous.

I've been watching this on the iPlayer and so pleased I stumbled across it. What a gem! Emotional drama with a real sense of place. The central brother and sister story is beautifully told with a sense of how crime influences a victim's life. I love the use of two languages - makes a thrilling drama particularly unique.

We almost didn't start this show because of the 6.6 rating. But we have learned over time that some "foreign" shows don't get a good shake.

We enjoyed it a lot because it's quite atmospheric & quirky. Probably if you like American cop shows this isn't for you.

We are hoping for s season 3.

As the Welsh government champions the revitalization of its mother tongue, the country's television industry is doing its part toward language immersion.

"Bang," premiering Monday, Oct. 15, on the streaming service Acorn TV, is the latest in a recent spate of Welsh-language thrillers, this one threaded with English and subtitles for Welsh, also called Cymraeg, for those who can't untangle its knotty cadences.

Set in the steel town of Port Talbot - the childhood home of the actors Richard Burton, Anthony Hopkins and Michael Sheen - "Bang" rises from a less bucolic Wales than shows like "Keeping Faith" and "Hidden," its moody shoreline juxtaposed against a backdrop of blast furnaces and smokestacks. And the story of "Bang" is as grimy as its setting, with a shabby menagerie of tough guys, stolen-car dealers and loan sharks shredding the local fabric while Gina (Catrin Stewart), an ambitious young police officer, tries to the return the streets to safety.

But mostly it's the story of her brother, Sam (Jacob Ifan) - a hapless warehouse grunt who, as a 5-year-old, witnessed the shooting death of their father - and the seeming invincibility ignited within him once he finds himself in possession of a gun.

Location: South Wales. Horse running on beach followed by it standing on beach munching on sand?. Does't move when truck trailer drive up. Poor start for realism.

Two detectives working together have a romantic relationship on the side. Not good policing policy, but good for viewer demographics. Even the supervisor is in a questionable relationship with a parole officer. Overall detective behavior & sleuthing skill very inept. Action consists mostly of lots of running (in dress shoes & attire coupled with poor running form) after suspects.

Formula detective series seems copied by many countries in making their own local version, i.e. The usual cheap quick scene of dead person; the usual questioning of misdirected suspects; the usual low IQ forensics; the usual interdepartmental issues. Actors seem chosen for looks & not believability.