alisont-29757

This is a unique crime drama, in my eyes, in that it comes full circle in the plots. Very cleverly written; a tad confusing at times, but that might be me being thick! It really keeps you guessing, and is not a drama you can take your eye off - so much happens without dialogue. Cinematography is superb. And the views of North Wales are spectacular, and remind me of my childhood holidays there - but with less bloodshed! A few negatives - there are an awful lot of long "angst" scenes, where nothing's happening; just pained expressions and dramatic music. It must take Mathias about 45 seconds to get snogging a woman 🤣 No humour whatsoever. It's very, very bleak - I think I counted 5 smiles from main cast in the whole series! And it's never really explained why the team is so dysfunctional. There's no cohesion between the police officers; it's all very formal and DI Rhys is sooo cold and uppity. Don't let that distract you, though. It's one of the best dramas I've stumbled on. I'm watching it a 2nd time now, to catch the bits I missed when I got distracted!

It seemed fairly obvious to me, coming from Merseyside, that Michael Murray was loosely based on Derek Hatton. I was just a daft teen during his régime, but this enlightened me. The acting is excellent, although Lindsay Duncan is a wee bit wooden. The two main actors, Michael Palin and Robert Lindsay couldn't have been better cast. A grim and gritty portrayal of the dirty extremist side of zealots in politics. Not a faction to be applauded. Lots of wonderful dark comedy - nothing slapstick; intelligent writing instead. Alan Bleasdale is the Master of Grim Northern humour. Nobody can best him. A show I only turned on because I love Palin, but so glad I watched it right through. A word of warning: concentrate. There are unexpected twists & turns, and I had to rewind to let it sink in. Superb!