The Loch

Compelled to write a review to the enjoyable crime drama set near Inverness. Despite similarities to Shetland and Broadchurch, this drama feels fresh. It reminds us of the differences between rural communities and the effect a crime can have on such a small community compared to a city.

The plot has you second guessing at every clue uncovered and the desire to uncover the truth is overwhelming. Suspenseful moments intertwined in a mix of both fast and slow moving plot points, if you are into British crime dramas, this needs to be added to your must watch list.

If I could, I would give it a 7.5, just not quite an 8. I only felt compelled to give a review because I saw negative reviews by a lot of stuffed shirts. I think it has a compelling way of telling the story from the female cop's perspective. Does that make it "feminist" or "politically correct"? Of course not. Get over yourself, whoever said that! Just another misogynist pig trying to shuck it off as politically correct.

The way it ties in the different murders is as realistic as many American cop shows I've seen. I like how there is some irreverent humor from the younger characters.

I'm not the typical reviewer but felt I needed to add some of these other reviewers are stuffed shirts.

I use IMDb to give me a steer on whats hot and whats not. Having read a poor review on The Loch, I felt compelled to level the field.

I'm a big fan of Broadchurch and similar crime dramas. This one is no pup. Its developing characters and a complex story-line to compete with the best.

All of the characters are interesting and there are many plot lines and angles on this web of a story.

My only complaint is that its a series and I have to wait a week for the next episode.

I will disagree with some of the other reviews on here, and say I quite enjoyed the first part, which had set a tone for a Scottish Broadchurch, sadly the episodes that have followed have felt a little hollow.

The positives, the location, camera work and atmosphere are totally on point, it's a very attractive show, looks wonderfully vibrant, you will marvel at the scenery, they couldn't fail with that location. The lead, Siobhan Finneran is great, a strong actress with charisma and presence.

On the downside, I find Finneran so good, that she's making some of the rest feel like non entities, some of the characters are so forgettable, they're not making enough impression. Hopefully that will change, Alastair Mackenzie is a fine actor, he's just been underused so far. At times I find it a bit slow, tedious almost, they could have condensed it down to four parts, and removed some of the padding. It doesn't have the hook to retain your interest that Broadchurch managed to gain.

Overall it's watchable enough, and has some tense moments, it just feels like a bit of a wasted opportunity. 6/10

The scenery and the cinematography of it - no complaints there!

The actors - reasonably good. They're often interesting to watch, even if at times what the writers had them do was terribly stupid.

The story - starts off well enough. A dark Scandinavian crime-type show, rooted perhaps in Italian gialli films. Some gory crimes with sordid backstories. Red herrings galore.

It starts unraveling at the end, though. The solution to the crimes is terribly contrived. Odds that any viewer will be annoyed: probably pretty high.

At least it's a short series? If it were to have a second season with writers that have more respect for the material, the cast, and the audience, I'd probably watch.