Mathias Is Torn Between His Duty To Family And His Duty To The Department. It Is Excellent In Character Development.
5 Reviews
Hey character development!
Mattjohnsonva9 August 2018
Well here's a novel concept that clearly only occurred to the writers half way through the second season. Finally we begin to see the incredible burdens on Tom's shoulders. This is a better episode and I still am surprised that I keep on watching, but now at least I want to see what happens next.
Mathias spirals into depression while the team investigate the murder of a bus driver
Tweekums30 April 2016
Warning: Spoilers
DCI Mathias is not having a good time in this episode; his wife Meg is talking about emigrating to Canada with their surviving daughter and he is being grilled about his conduct at the end of the previous episode that led up to the suicide of a suspect. This grilling is interrupted by the news that a bus driver has been found murdered on a remote country road. It isn't long before it is established that the dead man, a former soldier, had been supplementing his income dealing drugs. This leads to several suspects emerging most notably the family of a teenager who was left severely mentally damaged after taking drugs, but also his former colleagues and another ex-soldier who has done time for manslaughter and his old cellmate who now lives with him. As the case progresses Mathias's emotional state doesn't improve; in fact it is clear that he is spiralling into depression and his future in the force is looking more and more doubtful.
This episode features a good, solid mystery even though I'm sure plenty of viewers will figure out who the killer is a fair time before the police. To be fair this is largely down to the unwritten rules of TV murder mystery that suggest that anybody who is an obvious suspect will be innocent and somebody who isn't too suspicious will have done it! The story is well told with a decent number of suspects. The murder mystery is at many times almost secondary to DCI Mathias's emotional turmoil; Richard Harrington does a great job in the role making the viewer believe in his character's descent into almost suicidal depression. This culminates in a scene where he plays Russian roulette with a former soldier; a shocking scene even though the revolver only clicks when each of them pulls the trigger. Overall this was a really good episode that nicely combined the mystery with the protagonist's personal problems.
This episode features a good, solid mystery even though I'm sure plenty of viewers will figure out who the killer is a fair time before the police. To be fair this is largely down to the unwritten rules of TV murder mystery that suggest that anybody who is an obvious suspect will be innocent and somebody who isn't too suspicious will have done it! The story is well told with a decent number of suspects. The murder mystery is at many times almost secondary to DCI Mathias's emotional turmoil; Richard Harrington does a great job in the role making the viewer believe in his character's descent into almost suicidal depression. This culminates in a scene where he plays Russian roulette with a former soldier; a shocking scene even though the revolver only clicks when each of them pulls the trigger. Overall this was a really good episode that nicely combined the mystery with the protagonist's personal problems.
Tragedy of Drugs
Hitchcoc28 August 2017
Warning: Spoilers
This is another slow moving episode. There are several issues going on. The case itself involves the murder of a bus driver who was selling drugs to children. He was shot in the head by a stun pistol used to slaughter animals. Secondly, the appearance of Mathias's estranged wife. She has a second daughter who Mathias walked out on after losing his first. Mathias is also being investigated for erratic behavior and carelessness in policing. These are all issues. There seems to be no happiness in this character. He is so sullen and won't share anything with anyone, including his own partner. Sometimes the hour and a half television shows have to fill in too much space, hence the plodding.
Great Locations; Leaden Script
l_rawjalaurence5 May 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Set in the wilds in and around Aberystwyth, HINTERLAND has the advantage of locations, just as much as the Scandi and European dramas dominating the BBC Four Saturday night 'tec slot. If nothing else we can savor the delights of Gareth Bryn's production as his camera tracks the cars driving through isolated country roads, or stopping by the sea-front, or even parking at a local garage on a dark early spring night with the slashing sound of rubber tires on wet roads.
In view of such advantages, what a pity it is to find that Debbie Moon's script is so leaden. She really piles on the agony for the unfortunate DCI Tom Mathias (Richard Harrington), as he tries to patch up a failing marriage, cope with the trauma of his dead daughter, undergo an investigation by the IPCC Inspector (Richard Elfyn), and solve a murder at the same time. With such responsibilities placed on his slim shoulders, it's hardly surprising that he should end up lashing out at the Inspector, and later on trying to commit suicide by playing Russian roulette.
Harrington spends much of the episode looking thoroughly miserable, to the accompaniment of appropriately mournful music. The scenes where he tries and fails to reconcile with his long-suffering spouse Meg (Annamaria Marinca) and particularly embarrassing; some of the lines are so mawkish that they could have been lifted straight from a Fifties melodrama.
The actual case involving a drug-dealer, a family traumatized by having one of their sons reduced to a catatonic vegetable, and a damaged British army veteran of Afghanistan, is competently handled, even though there is not much suspense surrounding the discovery of the murderer. Perhaps if director Bryn had spent more time filling out the plot-details, and less on Mathias's complicated love and work lives, the episode might have been somewhat more brisk in terms of dramatic pace.
HINTERLAND seems watchable, but lacking in the élan characteristic of its European television equivalents.
In view of such advantages, what a pity it is to find that Debbie Moon's script is so leaden. She really piles on the agony for the unfortunate DCI Tom Mathias (Richard Harrington), as he tries to patch up a failing marriage, cope with the trauma of his dead daughter, undergo an investigation by the IPCC Inspector (Richard Elfyn), and solve a murder at the same time. With such responsibilities placed on his slim shoulders, it's hardly surprising that he should end up lashing out at the Inspector, and later on trying to commit suicide by playing Russian roulette.
Harrington spends much of the episode looking thoroughly miserable, to the accompaniment of appropriately mournful music. The scenes where he tries and fails to reconcile with his long-suffering spouse Meg (Annamaria Marinca) and particularly embarrassing; some of the lines are so mawkish that they could have been lifted straight from a Fifties melodrama.
The actual case involving a drug-dealer, a family traumatized by having one of their sons reduced to a catatonic vegetable, and a damaged British army veteran of Afghanistan, is competently handled, even though there is not much suspense surrounding the discovery of the murderer. Perhaps if director Bryn had spent more time filling out the plot-details, and less on Mathias's complicated love and work lives, the episode might have been somewhat more brisk in terms of dramatic pace.
HINTERLAND seems watchable, but lacking in the élan characteristic of its European television equivalents.
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