In a nutshell: one of best miniseries dramas I've seen this year (2023). And this was such a surprise, as so often in past years this type of drama has been made to a humdrum standard. But this one isn't: it's superb.
Well-written, not too predictable in its wording, nor catering (as many recent dramas seem to do) for the foreign-translation market.
The more I watched the story play out the more I enjoyed it.
There are several surprises within the story - much to be expected in a psychological thriller - but again the twists are quite believable. The story & script avoid the old clichés quite dexterously.
The plot is credible, and the ending spot-on. The conclusion of the tale couldn't have been easily foreseen, and even if/when it was guessed by the viewer it wasn't treated to what I now call a Hallmark TV movie style ie infantile & crass.
The actors give good characterizations. Aidan ('Being Human') Turner is superb as the Doc. I haven't seen him in anything since 'BH', as I was never drawn to 'Poldark', so it's good to see him play such a different role, and so well. He looks very different, too, with a very full-on facial adornment of a flourishing beard! ,-)
The supporting characters are well portrayed too. Adam James especially plays his part well. And I expect to see more of Bobby Schofield in the future. The two investigating cops are unusual, and likeable, avoiding much of the usual stereotype of TV detectives. Yes, they make limited deductions at times re the Doc's involvement in the case, but that is often a feature in this type of psych thriller where the protagonist is being hounded by the police. The brief introduction of the Doc's parents is neatly done. There are enough side characters to fill the story without blowing the balance from the mainstay of the plot. The personalities of the Doc's friends and colleagues interplay well into his life. There is warmth to the tale, as well as excitement.
The extra story elements that are revealed in the last segments are subtly brought in, and never treated to a cheapening 'ta-da!' angle (that I have sadly seen in many a recent Channel5 miniseries).
The cinematography is bang on. No scenes are extraneous. None of the characters seemed unnecessarily stretched out, just to fill screen time. 5 episodes was just what this drama needed. Overall, there is just enough of everything, but never too much.
We used to see a lot of these psychological thrillers on TV back in the '90s, so it is delightful to see one again. And this example is a great return to form: it is rewarding to see that the production team have not hackneyed an old plot. This drama manages to incorporate a solid storyline while adding several credible twists and turns.
On a deeper level, it's a great tale re the tragedy of what can happen to a family if legal charges are misaligned. Let's hope this kind of thing happens less in life than we fear it does.
Apparently the drama is based on a book. But it is down to this adaptation working that makes it a good rendition of the tale. All too often a TV representation falls foul of the original novel. This drama has fortunately done credit to the book, from what I can tell. Let's hope the novel writer agrees! And let's hope that the TV production crew keep an eye on the writer for future work. Or at least pull together an adaptation of another good story: they did this drama so well . . .
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