The Commander

If you can get past the totally unbelievable plot premise of a tough, female top cop in male dominated profession and the silly, soap opera dialogue, you'll enjoy the great acting. Other than that don't waste your time. There's way too little else in this show and far, far better ones.

Commander Clare Blake (Amanda Burton) is the head of the serious crimes unit in the New Scotland Yard. In 1989, she arrested James Lampton (Hugh Bonneville) for murdering his girlfriend. He is supposed to be reformed and gets paroled. She allows her forward to be printed in his best-selling book with the proceeds going to victim support. DCI Mike Hedges investigates a murder and arrests Lampton. Hedges do not get along with Blake. Meanwhile, there is a cover-up of a police shooting unbeknown to Blake. Surveillance footage is edited. Also the movie follows another criminal on the loose.

I like the idea of a female commander in a male-dominated world. Blake doesn't have the gravitas of a hard-nosed investigator that somebody in her position should have. There is one really bad turn which devalues a lot of the early work and only adds to the questionable Blake character. I have big problems with her relationship to Lampton. Also, I don't particularly like the ending. This is a solid police crime drama for two thirds and then I have problems.

Usually I like Amanda Burton's acting, honestly. But accepting this role was a complete mistake.

The Commander in this series does everything a good cop wouldn't do. She garbles evidence and sleeps with suspects. On top of that, she has a huge ego. Now, ordinarily this wouldn't kill a series - it would maybe even be an interesting touch.

The problem, however, is: this is about all the series has to offer. Obviously the title "The Commander" wasn't a misnomer for this one; the commander is all the series is about. No interesting crime or mystery, just this commander being a disgrace for the whole British police. It's not credible that a person like this would ever become a commander and moreover, it's not interesting to watch.

As an alternative title I suggest "The Clare Blake show".

I just finished season 2 of this farce. I will not be continuing. Commander Blake is a silly and annoying representation of someone in that kind of position. Sure...we all make mistakes but her wanton flaunting of the law she swore to uphold as well her seemingly boundless willingness to engage almost everyone in her tawdry story is fantasy at its finest. And to top it off, she faces absolutely no accountability for her lack of an ethical compass. Enough... Oh...one last thing...the acting is abysmal, for Blake and most others. Bad acting, bad writing...what more could you ask for...write off.

It's the first movie or tv show I've seen where I kept saying "stupid" or "you're so stupid" out loud. Noone this clueless could possibly have risen to the job of commander.

I generally love police procedurals. This one was awful, because of its premise.