This show is making the rounds now on a local Public Broadcasting channel, as a lead-in for the more exciting--and more violent--MI-5 (original title: **Spooks**).
There is some good acting here, led by Trevor Eve, fifty-something veteran of British television and films (I just saw him in the 2007 version of "David Copperfield"). His is a face with mileage on it that evidently has never had the services of a cosmetic surgeon. Sue Johnson, an actress also not in her first youth, does creditable work as well, as a psychological profiler. She is a sort of human lie detector. The guest parts are also surprisingly well acted.
The problems begin with a low budget, particularly by our American standards. This is evidenced by a preponderance of indoor scenes giving the whole production a static, stagey quality. Key events in the plot must be recounted by one or another cast member because they cannot be depicted--additional sets or actors would cost--a clumsy way to tell a story. The scripts are "loose". Scenes ramble on when they should be cut off. The spoken dialogue often differs in minor ways from the closed captioning, which implies that there is a much greater degree of ad libbing than would be found in a normal, scripted program. I think the writers often don't know how to fill the extended running time of the series. It is presented here as two, fifty-minute episodes with no commercial interruptions.
The plots will start with an interesting, novel premise, then become hard to follow or just plain preposterous. The science is always absorbing, however and the continuing theme--a search for truth--inspiring.
There is some good acting here, led by Trevor Eve, fifty-something veteran of British television and films (I just saw him in the 2007 version of "David Copperfield"). His is a face with mileage on it that evidently has never had the services of a cosmetic surgeon. Sue Johnson, an actress also not in her first youth, does creditable work as well, as a psychological profiler. She is a sort of human lie detector. The guest parts are also surprisingly well acted.
The problems begin with a low budget, particularly by our American standards. This is evidenced by a preponderance of indoor scenes giving the whole production a static, stagey quality. Key events in the plot must be recounted by one or another cast member because they cannot be depicted--additional sets or actors would cost--a clumsy way to tell a story. The scripts are "loose". Scenes ramble on when they should be cut off. The spoken dialogue often differs in minor ways from the closed captioning, which implies that there is a much greater degree of ad libbing than would be found in a normal, scripted program. I think the writers often don't know how to fill the extended running time of the series. It is presented here as two, fifty-minute episodes with no commercial interruptions.
The plots will start with an interesting, novel premise, then become hard to follow or just plain preposterous. The science is always absorbing, however and the continuing theme--a search for truth--inspiring.