This four part BBC crime drama features two separate major crimes with certain threads running through the whole series. The first two episodes see pregnant Manchester detective DI Helen Weeks returning to her home town in Derbyshire when the husband of an old school friend is suspected of kidnapping and murdering and kidnapping a second. As she looks into the case, irritating the local police in the process, she starts to think the prime suspect may be innocent. She is also reminded of the disturbing events that led to her leaving the town. It also emerges that her partner, also a police officer, might not be the father of her child.
The second story takes place some months later, when DI Weeks is almost ready to give birth. A young would be gang member shoots at a car as part of an initiation; the car goes off the road and demolishes a bus stop killing DI Weeks' partner. She doesn't just need to find out who did it, she also wants to find out what he was doing there; when his phone indicates that he's been calling an old-school local gangster she is concerned with what he was involved in. While she is investigating this somebody is killing the young gangsters.
This series contained two intriguing stories; unfortunately they feel a little rushed; both could have done with being three-part stories. The first story seemed particularly rushed, although I admit this might be because I thought the whole series would be one story at that point. There are some fairly dark themes, including the revelation that Weeks was abused as a child and the fact that while the main case in each story is solved there are many details are left unresolved; perhaps these will be looked into if there is a second series or perhaps they just reflect the reality that some crimes go unpunished. The cast does a solid job; particularly MyAnna Buring in the lead role, she makes the character believable even when she is waddling round trying to solve the crime on the day her baby is due! Overall I'd recommend this to fans of the genre even if it isn't the best example to be aired recently.
The second story takes place some months later, when DI Weeks is almost ready to give birth. A young would be gang member shoots at a car as part of an initiation; the car goes off the road and demolishes a bus stop killing DI Weeks' partner. She doesn't just need to find out who did it, she also wants to find out what he was doing there; when his phone indicates that he's been calling an old-school local gangster she is concerned with what he was involved in. While she is investigating this somebody is killing the young gangsters.
This series contained two intriguing stories; unfortunately they feel a little rushed; both could have done with being three-part stories. The first story seemed particularly rushed, although I admit this might be because I thought the whole series would be one story at that point. There are some fairly dark themes, including the revelation that Weeks was abused as a child and the fact that while the main case in each story is solved there are many details are left unresolved; perhaps these will be looked into if there is a second series or perhaps they just reflect the reality that some crimes go unpunished. The cast does a solid job; particularly MyAnna Buring in the lead role, she makes the character believable even when she is waddling round trying to solve the crime on the day her baby is due! Overall I'd recommend this to fans of the genre even if it isn't the best example to be aired recently.