Have always adored detective dramas/mystery series. This has been apparent from an early age, half my life even, when getting into Agatha Christie through Joan Hickson's Miss Marple and David Suchet's Poirot and into 'Inspector Morse'.
Whether it's the more complex ones like 'Inspector Morse' (and its prequel series 'Endeavour') and anything Agatha Christie. Whether it's the grittier ones like 'A Touch of Frost' (though that is balanced brilliantly with comedy too). And whether it's the light-hearted ones like 'Murder She Wrote'. 'Taggart' is one of the biggest examples of the grittier ones, especially the Mark McManus years and the earlier James MacPherson episodes.
"Dead Man's Chest" is a classic 'Taggart' episode, one of the stronger episodes overall and for me it is definitely one of the standout episodes of the Jardine-era.
Really like the slick, gritty look and Glasgow is like an ominous character on its own. The music matches the show's tone and has a good amount of atmosphere while the theme song/tune is one that stays in the memory for a long time. The relationship between Jardine and Reid was always blossoming nicely and had blossomed by this point and then accentuated with Jackie further blossoming it, showing why it was one of the best things about this period of 'Taggart'.
As to be expected, "Dead Man's Chest" is thoughtfully scripted mostly with nothing ridiculous happening and things being taken seriously without being too morose. Absolutely loved the 'Pirates of Penzance' scenes that are so entertaining and actually serve importance to the plot. This is the episode too when Stuart started for me to become properly interesting (though we did learn more about him in "Angel Eyes"), he has some amusing moments here and Colin McCredie seems more comfortable and has more presence.
The story is involving in its complexity and intricacy with nothing being what it seems, making the most of the long length (have generally found the 2000s episodes too short and rushed) without padding anything out. Some parts are not for the faint hearted, but nothing feels gratuitous and the investigations are compelling and with enough twists to stop it from being obvious. The ending is both exciting and suspenseful, not one one sees coming.
James MacPherson continues to fill Mark McManus' big shoes with aplomb and Blythe Duff is terrific, have always liked her. The supporting cast are solid, with a standout being Billy Boyd who is riveting in a different role, and Robert Robertson as ever steals every scene he's in.
In summation, a fine classic episode. 10/10 Bethany Cox
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