When a new mystery/detective drama series airs, it would be seen without a shred of hesitation by me, being such a huge fan for half my life. Starting from when getting into Agatha Christie through Joan Hickson's Miss Marple, David Suchet's Poirot and 'Inspector Morse'.
Mystery/detective dramas and series that encompass a wide range of styles and tones. The more complex ones like 'Inspector Morse' and anything Agatha Christie. The the grittier ones like 'A Touch of Frost' or the wonderful Scandinavian series like 'Wallander' and 'The Killing', though 'A Touch of Frost' brilliantly balances comedy too. The light-hearted ones like 'Murder She Wrote' and prime 'Midsomer Murders'. 'Taggart' is one of the biggest examples of the grittier ones, especially the Mark McManus years and the earlier James MacPherson episodes.
"Out of Bounds" for me is one of the best 'Taggart' episodes and one of the standout episodes of the James MacPherson/Mike Jardine period. A great episode with hardly anything wrong with it. Will admit to not being surprised by who the victims would be, especially the third who was so reprehensible (a little top-the-top perhaps) that even the viewer roots for their death.
From beginning to end, the story is absorbing there are a lot of twists and turns to keep one guessing, yet not too much that it becomes convoluted or over-stuffed. It is never obvious either, with more than enough suspects and motivations. The denouement especially is absolutely ingenious and one of the show's most shocking, was not expecting the identity of the murderer at all (actually suspected them least), or their true identity and even the motive, which makes one hate the victims more (have rarely felt sorry for a murderer on 'Taggart', while not condoning their actions that was the case here), was not obvious from the start.
The crime-solving and detective work are both entertaining and intriguing, and lifted even better by the chemistry within the team. Have always loved the bond between Jardine and Jackie and Stuart is settling well and provides levity that isn't out of place. The script is thought-provoking and gritty and while there have been more shocking murder methods before and since the murders are well handled (the second murder being the closest to being not for the faint hearted).
Visually, the episode is stylish and atmospheric with an imposing school setting that is like its own character. The music fits well and it is hard to forget the theme song. The acting is never less than solid, with great work from James MacPherson and Blythe Duff and scene stealing support from Iain Anders and Robert Robertson.
All in all, excellent episode and one of the best from this particular period of 'Taggart' and overall. 9/10 Bethany Cox
Mystery/detective dramas and series that encompass a wide range of styles and tones. The more complex ones like 'Inspector Morse' and anything Agatha Christie. The the grittier ones like 'A Touch of Frost' or the wonderful Scandinavian series like 'Wallander' and 'The Killing', though 'A Touch of Frost' brilliantly balances comedy too. The light-hearted ones like 'Murder She Wrote' and prime 'Midsomer Murders'. 'Taggart' is one of the biggest examples of the grittier ones, especially the Mark McManus years and the earlier James MacPherson episodes.
"Out of Bounds" for me is one of the best 'Taggart' episodes and one of the standout episodes of the James MacPherson/Mike Jardine period. A great episode with hardly anything wrong with it. Will admit to not being surprised by who the victims would be, especially the third who was so reprehensible (a little top-the-top perhaps) that even the viewer roots for their death.
From beginning to end, the story is absorbing there are a lot of twists and turns to keep one guessing, yet not too much that it becomes convoluted or over-stuffed. It is never obvious either, with more than enough suspects and motivations. The denouement especially is absolutely ingenious and one of the show's most shocking, was not expecting the identity of the murderer at all (actually suspected them least), or their true identity and even the motive, which makes one hate the victims more (have rarely felt sorry for a murderer on 'Taggart', while not condoning their actions that was the case here), was not obvious from the start.
The crime-solving and detective work are both entertaining and intriguing, and lifted even better by the chemistry within the team. Have always loved the bond between Jardine and Jackie and Stuart is settling well and provides levity that isn't out of place. The script is thought-provoking and gritty and while there have been more shocking murder methods before and since the murders are well handled (the second murder being the closest to being not for the faint hearted).
Visually, the episode is stylish and atmospheric with an imposing school setting that is like its own character. The music fits well and it is hard to forget the theme song. The acting is never less than solid, with great work from James MacPherson and Blythe Duff and scene stealing support from Iain Anders and Robert Robertson.
All in all, excellent episode and one of the best from this particular period of 'Taggart' and overall. 9/10 Bethany Cox