Have always adored detective dramas/mystery series, when a new episode of favourites or a new detective/mystery drama appears it would be seen without hesitation. This has been apparent half my life, when getting into Agatha Christie through Joan Hickson's Miss Marple, David Suchet's Poirot and 'Inspector Morse'.
Favourites are many and show a wide mix of styles and tones. There are the more complex ones like 'Inspector Morse' and anything Agatha Christie. There are the grittier ones like 'A Touch of Frost' or the wonderful Scandinavian series like 'Wallander' and 'The Killing, though 'A Touch of Frost' is balanced brilliantly with comedy too. There is also 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.
"Beserker" is not one of the best episodes of 'Taggart' for me though. It's good still, although "Apocalypse" underwhelmed none of the episodes at this point were bad. There are just episodes before and since that executes what made 'Taggart' a great show in its prime much better.
Starting with what didn't quite work for me, there could have been more suspects (which we also could have gotten to know more, Danny is the only one that showed much development) and surprises. Uncharacteristically found the supporting cast variable, with the male cast (Cameron Jack coming off best) faring better than the ladies, the acting for Linda and particularly Juliette came over as bland to me.
The biggest issue for me was the ending. Not because of the identity of the murderer not being a shock (it was not one of those left me floored ones), but because of the lack of tension, that it was not particularly well-acted (especially from the killer) and the unbelievable "they killed for that" motive.
However, despite how the above sounds there are a number of good things about "Beserker". Love the stylish grittiness of the production values and how Glasgow is like a character of its own. The music fits well and is used only when needed, while the theme tune is timeless. It's thought-provokingly scripted, with some splashes of levity to not make it overly-serious. The story could have been tightened momentum wise in spots but is generally diverting and keeps one on their toes and guessing.
Cannot fault the leads, James MacPherson and Blythe Duff turn in great work and have always loved their chemistry. Stuart and Colin McCredie have settled well and Robert Robertson steals every moment he appears in.
Overall, pretty good but not 'Taggart' at the top of its game. 7/10 Bethany Cox
Favourites are many and show a wide mix of styles and tones. There are the more complex ones like 'Inspector Morse' and anything Agatha Christie. There are the grittier ones like 'A Touch of Frost' or the wonderful Scandinavian series like 'Wallander' and 'The Killing, though 'A Touch of Frost' is balanced brilliantly with comedy too. There is also 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.
"Beserker" is not one of the best episodes of 'Taggart' for me though. It's good still, although "Apocalypse" underwhelmed none of the episodes at this point were bad. There are just episodes before and since that executes what made 'Taggart' a great show in its prime much better.
Starting with what didn't quite work for me, there could have been more suspects (which we also could have gotten to know more, Danny is the only one that showed much development) and surprises. Uncharacteristically found the supporting cast variable, with the male cast (Cameron Jack coming off best) faring better than the ladies, the acting for Linda and particularly Juliette came over as bland to me.
The biggest issue for me was the ending. Not because of the identity of the murderer not being a shock (it was not one of those left me floored ones), but because of the lack of tension, that it was not particularly well-acted (especially from the killer) and the unbelievable "they killed for that" motive.
However, despite how the above sounds there are a number of good things about "Beserker". Love the stylish grittiness of the production values and how Glasgow is like a character of its own. The music fits well and is used only when needed, while the theme tune is timeless. It's thought-provokingly scripted, with some splashes of levity to not make it overly-serious. The story could have been tightened momentum wise in spots but is generally diverting and keeps one on their toes and guessing.
Cannot fault the leads, James MacPherson and Blythe Duff turn in great work and have always loved their chemistry. Stuart and Colin McCredie have settled well and Robert Robertson steals every moment he appears in.
Overall, pretty good but not 'Taggart' at the top of its game. 7/10 Bethany Cox
